Compare the2023 Acura IntegraVS 2023 Chevrolet Malibu

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

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Acura Integra 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 Acura Integra 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 Integra offers an optional Low-Speed Braking Control that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Malibu doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Integra A-Spec offers optional Parking Sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or in front of their vehicle. The Malibu doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

The Integra 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 Integra has standard Rear Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Malibu.

The Integra’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 Integra 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems and rearview cameras.

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Acura Integra is much safer than the Malibu:

	Integra	Malibu
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	POOR
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	POOR
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	POOR
Head Injury Criterion	160	1178
Head Peak Forces	no contact	142 G’s
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
Shoulder Deflection	1.14 in	2.17 in
Shoulder Force	268 lbs.	402 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.77 in
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	959 lbs.	1049 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	258	335
Head Peak Forces	no contact	74 G’s
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	469 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	1.02 in	1.93 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	892 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.46 in	1.81 in
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	602 lbs.	870 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	MARGINAL

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Integra its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Malibu last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Integra comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Malibu’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

Acura’s powertrain warranty covers the Integra 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Chevrolet covers the Malibu. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 6 years or 70,000 miles. Coverage on the Malibu ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

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

Acura pays for scheduled maintenance on the Integra for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Acura will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Malibu.

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 Integra’s reliability 40 points higher than the Malibu.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Acura vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Acura 12 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Integra’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder produces 40 more horsepower (200 vs. 160) and 8 lbs.-ft. more torque (192 vs. 184) than the Malibu’s 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Acura Integra is faster than the Chevrolet Malibu:

	Integra	Malibu
Zero to 60 MPH	7.7 sec	8.4 sec
45 to 65 MPH Passing	4.6 sec	5.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16 sec	16.6 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	94 MPH	86 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Integra
	Auto	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
		A-Spec 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	29 city/36 hwy
Malibu
	Auto	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	27 city/35 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Integra	Malibu
Front Rotors	12.3 inches	11.8 inches

The Integra stops shorter than the Malibu:

	Integra	Malibu
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	149 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Integra has larger standard tires than the Malibu (215/50R17 vs. 205/65R16).

The Integra’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Malibu LS’ standard 65 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Integra has standard 17-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Malibu LS.

The Integra 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 Integra offers an optional 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 Integra 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 Integra A-Spec Technology handles at .87 G’s, while the Malibu LT pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

Chassis

The Integra is 8.4 inches shorter than the Malibu, making the Integra easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

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

The Integra has .8 inches more front legroom and .2 inches more front hip room than the Malibu.

Cargo Capacity

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the Integra’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.

Servicing Ease

J.D. Power and Associates surveys of service recipients show that Acura service is better than Chevrolet. J.D. Power ranks Acura 6th in service department satisfaction (above the industry average). With a 19% lower rating, Chevrolet is ranked 16th.

Ergonomics

The Integra A-Spec with Technology Package has a standard heads-up display that projects speed and warning readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Malibu doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Integra’s front power windows 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’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

The Integra 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 Integra’s standard 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. The Integra A-Spec’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Integra’s LED headlights produce a whiter, brighter light (up to 3x) using five times less power than the Malibu’s standard projector halogen headlights and light instantly. LED lights also last over twenty times longer than halogen.

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

Recommendations

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

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Integra as the 2023 North American Car of the Year. The Malibu has never been chosen.