Compare the2023 Volkswagen ArteonVS 2022 Chevrolet Malibu

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Volkswagen Arteon 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.

The Arteon has a standard Automatic Post-Collision Braking System, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Malibu doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Arteon has standard Maneuver 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 Arteon offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Malibu doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Arteon’s standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Malibu.

The Arteon SEL Premium has a standard Area View 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 Arteon 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 Arteon 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.

Both the Arteon and the Malibu have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 Volkswagen Arteon weighs 454 to 803 pounds more than the Chevrolet Malibu. The NHTSA advises that heavier cars are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

Warranty

The Arteon comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car. The Malibu’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Arteon’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Malibu’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Arteon for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Malibu.

Reliability

The Volkswagen Arteon’s engine uses a cast iron block for durability, while the Malibu’s engines use an aluminum block. Aluminum engine blocks are much more prone to warp and crack at high temperatures than cast iron.

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 Arteon’s reliability 22 points higher than the Malibu.

Engine

The Arteon’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 140 more horsepower (300 vs. 160) and 111 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 184) than the Malibu’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Arteon’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 50 more horsepower (300 vs. 250) and 35 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 260) than the Malibu Premier’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Arteon FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Malibu Premier 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder 8-speed Auto (25 city/33 hwy vs. 22 city/33 hwy).

The Arteon has 1.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Malibu (17.4 vs. 15.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The Arteon offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Malibu doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Arteon’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Malibu:

	Arteon	Malibu
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	11.8 inches
Rear Rotors	12.2 inches	11.3 inches

The Arteon’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Malibu are solid, not vented.

The Arteon stops much shorter than the Malibu:

	Arteon	Malibu
70 to 0 MPH	167 feet	171 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	114 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	129 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Arteon has larger tires than the Malibu (245/45R18 vs. 205/65R16).

The Arteon’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Malibu LS’ standard 65 series tires. The Arteon SEL/SEL Premium’s tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Malibu’s optional 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Arteon has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Malibu LS. The Arteon SEL/SEL Premium’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Malibu.

Suspension and Handling

The Arteon has standard rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Malibu’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Arteon has a standard driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Malibu’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Arteon 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 Arteon SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion handles at .90 G’s, while the Malibu LT pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Arteon SEL Premium R-Line 4Motion executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Malibu LT (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.4 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Arteon a Large car, while the Malibu is rated a Mid-size.

The Arteon has .2 inches more front hip room and 2.1 inches more rear legroom than the Malibu.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Arteon’s hatch uses gas strut supported hinges that don’t intrude into the cargo area. The Malibu’s useful trunk space is reduced by its intrusive beam hinge.

A standard locking glovebox keeps your small valuables safer in the Arteon. The Malibu doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Arteon’s power liftgate can be opened or closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Malibu doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

Towing

The Arteon’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Malibu’s (2000 vs. 1000 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The Arteon uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Malibu uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The Arteon’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Malibu’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. The Malibu LT/Premier’s passenger windows don’t close automatically.

The Arteon’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Malibu’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the Arteon has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Malibu doesn’t offer cornering lights. The Arteon also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The Arteon’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Chevrolet only offers heated mirrors on the Malibu LT/Premier.

The Arteon’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Malibu offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The Arteon has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the Malibu.

The Arteon SEL Premium has standard massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Malibu.

The Arteon has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Malibu LT/Premier.

Both the Arteon and the Malibu offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Arteon has standard rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Malibu L/LS/RS doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volkswagen Arteon has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Malibu Premier offers wireless charging.

Recommendations

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