Repair-It

Again, the new car’s weight savings should help it keep parity, as should the 2.0-liter’s only transmission, a new eight-speed automatic. It is derived from GM’s 8L90 (seen previously in the Corvette, the Silverado/Sierra, and the big SUVs), albeit turned sideways and adapted for transverse, front-drive applications. We’re told the transmission in this form doesn’t have provisions for hooking up to a transfer case, meaning the Malibu will be strictly front-drive. The Malibu’s lead engineer assures us that this was no accident: No all-wheel drive means the design team didn’t need to beef up the car’s rear end for aft drive components, saving more weight.