A RIDE ON THE WILD SIDE WITH CHEVY MALIBU
The perks I enjoy as a journalist are the ones that require me to fly across the country with all expenses paid to cover MEDIA RIDES. Translated a press junkets for the auto industry. Journalists from all over the country test-drive new vehicles in various cities etc…
That’s exactly what my friend and partner Anjum Choudhry-Nayyar of MASALAMOMMAS.COM requested me to do as I covered the story for her on-line magazine.
How could I resist travelling to the west coast and landing on one of the most beautiful places on earth. Victoria Island. A perfect venue to test-drive the new CHEVY MALIBU with its curvy roads, picture perfect boat lined harbour, lush vegetation and beautiful gardens.
My introduction to the new CHEVY MALIBU was upon my arrival at our host hotel for the weekend “THE OAK BAY BEACH HOTEL”. Greeting the journalists were two red shiny CHEVY MALIBU CARS, flanking the main entrance of the hotel.
It’s definitely not the car your folks drove back in the day. This front wheel drive has sleek lines, plush leather sport seats, 18 inch rims and an interior that would make you look for the luxury car logo twice! Without the grill it can be mistaken for a Tesla!
Chevrolet Canada PR and Marketing group pulled out all the stops on this MEDIA RIDE. An impressive line up of CHEVY MALIBU cars awaited the journalists outside the hotel after are media presentation fromBruce Logan Director of Communications and his team.
The CHEVY MALIBU Is a Midsize Sedan. It has a longer wheelbase for a more comfortable ride and the ride is smooth and effortless.
Fuel tank holds about 49 Litres, Highway driving you can expect about 6.3L/100km) and fuel economy 8.7 within the city.
Here are a few more highlights that impressed me:
Visually the cockpit had a wow factor to it with sleek lines, easy access, clutter free from dials and buttons. It also provided a big enough screen to view your navigation map and Phone integration System.
The phone integration: it displays content including messages, music, maps and more, on the MyLINK screen. It was very user friendly and compatible with your I-phone and Android. The On Star 4G LTE connectivity with Wi-Fi hotspot is a definite hit. 
If you have a new driver in the house this next feature is going to be of interest to you, the TEEN DRIVER option. It allows parents to review the teens driving habits with a touch of a button to review a report. It’s the first feature of its kind in the industry to offer a “report card”, which is designed as a teaching tool. The Parent registers the teen’s key fob by programming it through the Chevrolet MyLink screen.
TEEN DRIVER is activated whenever the car is started with a TEEN DRIVER key
The report card shows you:
• Distance driven
• Maximum Speed Reached
• Stability Control Events
• Antilock Brake Events
• Forward Collision Alerts (if equipped)
• Forward Collision Avoidance Braking events (if equipped)
There are several other ways TEEN DRIVER helps protect young drivers behind the wheel:
• Radio or the audio features of any devices paired with the radio are muted until front seat occupants are wearing safety belts
• Overall maximum volume limit for the radio
• A speed warning set between 65 and 120km/hr gives a visual warning and audible chime, if exceeded
• When the TEEN DRIVER system is on, all of the vehicle’s active safety features are on and cannot be turned off.
Children’s car seats are a pain to install but Chevy Malibu has made it very easy to locate and clip in.
Let’s chat about the room in this car. You will have no problem storing a large size stroller in the trunk, let alone hockey and ski equipment and a set or two of golf clubs.
There are plenty of outlets to charge phones and i-pads in both front and back passenger areas. Not to mention wireless charging on the driver’s side.
Passenger comfort is key and Chevy didn’t skimp here either, there is tons of room in the front and back seat. Just to give you an example we had a male passenger who was a height of 6”3. He sat in the front seat with his chair set back all the way and I still had room in the back seat.
In order to fully enjoy the Chevy Malibu experience, Chevrolet Canada set up activities in and around Victoria, each journalist was assigned their very own Chevy Malibu to drive.
I slipped into the driver’s seat with ease. It literally took a matter of seconds to get comfy adjust my seat and mirrors and be on my way. I couldn’t believe how smooth the ride was it was if I was driving a sports car not a family sedan. I could easily see my passengers in the back seat.
My first stop was The Butchart Gardens, nestled in Saanich Inlet a 40minute drive from my Hotel. This historical garden sits on 55 acres and has one million visitors a year with a million bedding plants in 700 varieties, including 300,000 tulips. 50 Gardeners tend to these beds and an additional 20 during the peak season. A Victoria must–see. http://www.butchartgardens.com
My next stop was taking me a tad out of my comfort zone to say the least. Zip lining a first for me was my next destination. The location for this adventure had me driving about 30km from Victoria. I zipped along the forest canopy on 8 zip lines and 2 suspension bridges. A great way to spend an exhilarating afternoon outdoors!
During my drive back to the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria I was truly able to enjoy my time in the Chevy Malibu. I navigated through the roads of Victoria very easily with the use of the navigation system. Checked my messages via the phone integration system and managed to sing along with some of my favourite tunes from my playlist.
Final Note:
Chevy Canada has redesigned this vehicle and invested in today’s technology that consumer’s use on a daily basis and implanted it into the design. You would think that the base price of the auto would have gone up as well but it hasn’t.
In fact, it has been reduced by $3000.00.
Canadian Pricing for the Malibu is as follows:
· Malibu L – $21, 745
· Malibu LS – $24, 245
· Malibu LT – $25, 242
· Malibu Hybrid – $28,850
· Malibu Premier – $32, 045
If you are in the market for a New Mid Size Sedan with lots of bank for your buck, I would recommend checking out the New Chevy Malibu.