Compare the2023 Nissan AltimaVS 2022 Chevrolet Malibu

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Altima have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chevrolet Malibu doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Altima are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Malibu doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Altima has standard Rear Automatic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Malibu doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Altima offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Malibu doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Altima’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Malibu.

The Altima SL/2.0 SR has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Malibu only offers a rear monitor and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the front or sides.

The Altima has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Malibu’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Altima has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Malibu.

The Altima’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Malibu doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Altima and the Malibu have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights and rearview cameras.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Nissan Altima is safer than the Chevrolet Malibu:

	Altima	Malibu
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	171	172
Leg Forces (l/r)	114/342 lbs.	252/306 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Altima is safer than the Chevrolet Malibu:

	Altima	Malibu
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Front Seat
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Abdominal Force	164 lbs.	232 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	3 Stars
HIC	185	365
Spine Acceleration	46 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	544 lbs.	1117 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	157	279

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Altima, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 1.1% less likely to roll over than the Malibu, which received a four-star rating.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, with its optional vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Altima its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 89 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Malibu last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Altima’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Malibu’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Altima’s reliability 19 points higher than the Malibu.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 4 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Altima has more powerful engines than the Malibu:

	Horsepower	Torque
Altima 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	182 HP	178 lbs.-ft.
Altima 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder	188 HP	180 lbs.-ft.
Altima SR 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	248 HP	273 lbs.-ft.
Malibu 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder	160 HP	184 lbs.-ft.
Malibu Premier 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder	250 HP	260 lbs.-ft.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Altima 2.5 4-cylinder FWD is faster than the Chevrolet Malibu 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder:

	Altima	Malibu
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	19.7 sec	24.7 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.3 sec	8.9 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	4.8 sec	4.9 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	5.6 sec	5.9 sec
Quarter Mile	15.8 sec	16.4 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91 MPH	85 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Altima gets better mileage than the Malibu:

			MPG
Altima
	FWD	S 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/39 hwy
		SV/SL/SR 2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	27 city/37 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	25 city/34 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
Malibu
	FWD	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/36 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/33 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Altima higher (7 out of 10) than the Chevrolet Malibu (5 to 7). This means the Altima produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Malibu every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

The Altima stops much shorter than the Malibu:

	Altima	Malibu
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	140 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Altima has larger standard tires than the Malibu (215/60R16 vs. 205/65R16).

The Altima S’ standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Malibu LS’ standard 65 series tires.

The Altima has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Malibu doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Altima has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Malibu doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Altima SR handles at .90 G’s, while the Malibu LT pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Altima Platinum executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.1 seconds quicker than the Malibu LT (26.3 seconds @ .68 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Altima S’ turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Malibu’s (36.1 feet vs. 37 feet).

Chassis

The Altima SR VC-Turbo uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Malibu doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Altima Platinum is quieter than the Malibu LT (40 vs. 42 dB).

Passenger Space

The Altima has 2.3 inches more front legroom, .6 inches more front hip room and 1.1 inches more rear hip room than the Malibu.

Cargo Capacity

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the Altima easier. The Altima’s trunk lift-over height is 28 inches, while the Malibu’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Altima. The Malibu doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Ergonomics

The Altima’s standard driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Malibu’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully. The Altima SL’s front power windows both open or close with one touch of the switches. The Malibu LT/Premier’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Altima the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Malibu can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Altima has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Malibu doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Altima’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Malibu’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Altima owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Altima with a number “1” insurance rate while the Malibu is rated higher at a number “3” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Altima is less expensive to operate than the Malibu because typical repairs cost much less on the Altima than the Malibu, including $234 less for a water pump, $260 less for a muffler, $73 less for front brake pads, $42 less for a starter, $2 less for fuel injection, $14 less for a fuel pump and $10 less for front struts.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Altima, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Chevrolet Malibu isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Altima third among midsize cars in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Malibu isn’t in the top three.

The Altima was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” in 2019. The Malibu has never been an “All Star.”

The Nissan Altima outsold the Chevrolet Malibu by 90% during the 2021 model year.

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