2013 Malibu gives Chevy stronger midsize contender

AUSTIN -- Chevrolet can't wait to get the redesigned Malibu midsize sedan into the market, giving it a stronger contender against the powerhouse sedans that control the biggest single segment of the new car market.

Nor could General Motors CEO Dan "Do It Yesterday" Akerson. He pushed Chevy to accelerate development by six months. It takes roughly three years to develop a car, from planning to production, so slicing six months is a big deal.

Result: The 2013 Malibu goes on sale in the first quarter next year with just one drivetrain: a mild hybrid system that GM calls eAssist. Chevy will market it as the Malibu Eco. GM's Buick brand also uses eAssist.

The regular gasoline-only Malibu that will use a new-generation 2.5-liter four-cylinder isn't ready. Those cars will come next summer, when the Malibu originally was to have been launched.

It's not quite as bad as Chrysler Group's pattern of introducing redesigned vehicles one year but not getting updated drivetrains and other goodies into the mix until the next model year.

But laudable as it is to speed up the development process, it seems unfortunate that it makes people wait for the "good stuff," or take what's first available and regret it just a short time later after other versions or desirable improvements become available.

The Malibu Eco verdict is: nice car, wait until summer.

Here's what stood out, positive and negative, from a day wheeling early-production Ecos through downtown traffic in Austin, beating up and down the highways, and maneuvering through Texas Hill Country on roads apparently laid out following the path of an amphetamine-crazed snake.

•Styling. Handsome. Conservative. Perhaps too much like the previous model, to a casual observer, to excite buyers.

•Interior. High point. Eco comes across as a premium-level model, so nothing cheap or dumpy. Some test cars had gorgeous two-tone leather worth considering.

Curves inside are smooth and make visual sense, rather than appearing to have been done just for the effect. Controls look inviting and have a premium feel in operation.

Exception: a round headlight knob, same as used on the Buick Verano and other GM products, that has a hard-to-see pointer.

•Quiet. Chevy did an outstanding job keeping out noise, making it as quiet as some premium sedans.

•Dynamics. How it moves, responds, feels are a mixed bag.

Swift, but doesn't seem so. Quickly up to highway speed with no boy-racer drama.

Plenty of understeer. That is, the front end wants to run wide in corners. All front-drive sedans have understeer. The tighter and faster the corner, the harder it is to keep the front properly aimed. Eco seems worse than others. Takes away a lot of the fun and feeling of confidence.

Automatic transmission was only so-so. It sometimes delayed badly on hard-throttle downshifts. On hard-throttle upshifts, the engine kept revving past the time the transmission paused to shift. "Flaring," it's called by car folk.

Steering and brakes felt good, worth little notice either bad or good.

•Details. Not all as they should be. Mainly, it's a case of just wait.

You can't get the new-design, 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine until next summer. Once it's available, there will be lower-price Malibus that might fit your budget better.

Until then, Chevy will continue selling the current version of Malibu, too, so it has a gas-only, lower-price midsize car.