BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Why The Chevy Malibu Hybrid Rocks, And How It Got Me To Rock Out At Muscle Shoals

This article is more than 7 years old.

Southbound on a bucolic road from Tennessee to Alabama, I have two things on my mind. One is the impressive 45-mpg I am seeing on my ride, a 2017 Chevy Malibu hybrid. The other is my destination; Muscle Shoals, a mecca for musicians, myself included, who revere its unique place in rock and roll history.

2017 Chevrolet Malibu hybrid (Chevrolet photo).

The blending of a special musical experience and a vehicle test drive for a select group of autowriters/musicians was not accidental.

Chevy has a long and storied history of using music in its commercials and promotions. From Dinah Shore singing “See the USA in your Chevrolet ” to Ray Charles, Bob Seger and Kid Rock, Hollywood celebrities and musicians have played a significant role in Chevy’s past.

“Not many companies have musical connections like Chevy,” says Paul Edwards, U.S. vice-president of marketing for the brand.

And few autowriters have a chance not just to visit Muscle Shoals' Fame Studios, but also to actually record an original tune there with a renowned Nashville producer.

The evening before our test drive our media group had dinner in Nashville with Frank Rogers, a song writer and producer with a resume that reads like a who’s who of country music stars, including Brad Paisley, Darius Rucker, Allison Krauss, Sheryl Crow and many more. Despite his success, Rogers is down to earth and funny and against the odds he manages to coax our motley crew of writers into creating a song over dinner. At that stage we had no idea we would be turning our crude composition into an actual recording the following evening.

Before our drive the next day, Edwards gives us a status report on the challenges facing Chevrolet and the Malibu specifically.

“The problem is that people don’t care about Chevy,” he says. “We’re fighting apathy because we haven’t had the right vehicles in recent years.”

Since taking his position 18 months ago, Edwards has done much to tighten the focus of Chevy marketing, slashing the number of agencies involved and sharpening the messaging. “We can’t go quietly into the marketplace in the face of apathy,” he adds.

As for Malibu, the nameplate has a lot of “baggage”, says Edwards, so there is a need to “shatter perceptions.”

Part of that effort involves launch of the hybrid Malibu, a version that benefits from the technology developed for the Chevy Volt , says Tim Greve, GM’s director of global electrification.

The hybrid is based on the standard Malibu, a new, much improved version of which was introduced just last year. “We have a 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine, with an integrated electric motor,” explains Greve. The whole system shares a number of parts with the Volt, although the Malibu’s 1.5-Kwh battery pack is much smaller. As a result the system components are compact and take up relatively little extra space over a conventional powertrain, aside from making the trunk less deep than the standard model. Even though the battery is smaller than the Volt, it can still propel the Malibu up to 55 mph before the gasoline engine kicks in.

Chevrolet Malibu hybrid lithium-ion battery, 1.8-litre engine and electric motor. (Chevrolet photo)

With 182-hp and 277 lb ft of torque in total system power, the Malibu hybrid feels for all purposes much like a regular Malibu to drive.

On the 150-mile route from Nashville to Muscle Shoals, Alabama, the car is smooth, exceptionally quiet and exhibits none of the quirky characteristics that came with earlier hybrid models from various automakers. Brake pedal feel, for instance, is linear and consistent, free of the grabbiness that can afflict some regenerative braking systems. And the stop-start engine system is virtually undetectable in city traffic.

Collectively these systems help the Malibu hybrid achieve fuel economy in the mid-40s on my drive. The official combined city/highway figure is 46mpg, which tops most rival hybrid sedans. Greve, who knows the hybrid better than most, claims that by using hyper-miling techniques the Malibu can return up to 62mpg.

Overall the hybrid’s road manners are similar to the regular model, which means that steering, handling, ride and road holding are all excellent for a family sedan, meeting or exceeding the standards of competitors from Honda, Toyota, Ford, Hyundai, VW and others.

Inside there is not much to distinguish the hybrid from its stable mates, other than the power usage display in the instrument cluster. All the bells and whistles that come with other Malibu models are available on the hybrid, including an impressive suite of safety technologies and a user-friendly infotainment system.

Our test hybrid Malibu started at $27,770 but was priced at $32,625 with various options included, roughly on par with competitors.

Once our fleet of Malibu hybrids arrived in Muscle Shoals, it was time to visit the two places that make this otherwise humble Alabama river town such a draw for musicians the world over.

We stop first for a quick look at Muscle Shoals Sound Studios on Jackson Highway.

Rock and roll autowriters pay homage to Muscle Shoals Sound Studio. (Chevrolet photo).

This studio was established by the famous ‘Swampers’ house band, when they left the original Fame recording studio founded by Rick Hall not far away.

Malibu hybrid arrives at legendary Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals. (Chevrolet photo).

Both studios have remarkable histories of musicians and bands that have recorded numerous hits since the early 1960s. The list goes on and on; Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Etta James, Duane Allman, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones. What drew these artists to Muscle Shoals was a hard to define feel and sound that was unique to the town’s studios, not to mention the musical creativity of the Swampers.

Feelin' Alright. Autowriters relax after hard recording session in Fame Studios. (Chevrolet photo)

No exaggeration. Fame Studios has seen the best of the best. (Chevrolet photo)

With this legacy in mind, we toured in a state of awe through the still active recording studios of the Fame building. Then came the big surprise. In walked Frank Rogers, with music sheets and lyrics and a suggestion that we pick up the studio instruments and get to work on our ‘tune.’

The Ballad of Frank Bacon takes shape. (Chevrolet photo)

Try it this way. Frank Rogers guides us through the recording process. (John McCormick photo)

They say songwriters often lean on personal experiences, and our group followed suit with a tune recounting the freeloading antics of a fictional autowriter. So was born ‘The Ballad of Frank Bacon.’

McCormick savors the experience. (Chevrolet photo)

Though there is no danger this tune will join Roger’s long list of hit records, the ever-genial producer directed our efforts in the studio for several hours until he felt we had done our best.

Autowriters living the dream. (Chevrolet photo).

McCormick at the mixing desk. (Colin Ryan photo)

For a bar band guitarist like myself who has played on stage many times, but has never gone through a professional recording session, it was an unforgettable experience.

As was knowing that I was playing in the same studio used by many of my rock and roll heroes.

To paraphrase Don McLean's American Pie, I did not drive my Chevy to the levee, but I did drive it to Muscle Shoals. And that was more than good enough.