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2011 Car Comparison: Chevrolet Malibu vs Ford Fusion vs Hyundai Sonata

By Chuck Giametta
Last Updated: Sep 7, 2011

The Competition
In this midsize sedan comparison we compare the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu, 2011 Ford Fusion, and 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Malibu and Fusion have proved U.S. automakers can field contenders in the top-selling and most hotly contested segment of the automotive market. The brash new Sonata is doing the same for its South Korean maker. This 2011 Chevrolet Malibu vs. 2011 Ford Fusion vs. 2011 Hyundai Sonata comparison picks a winner based on price, features, and performance.

All three of these competitors are priced at the center of the midsize market. The 2011 Malibu, at $22,735, nonetheless starts higher than the 2011 Fusion, at $20,580, or the 2011 Sonata at $20,145. At the upper end, the Fusion costs about $1,500 more in its costliest trim level than Malibu or Sonata. And that’s not counting the Fusion and Sonata gas-electric hybrid models, which have base prices of $29,100 and $26,545, respectively.

The Chevy Malibu has been around in its current form since model-year 2008 and has aged gracefully; a major update for 2011 makes a smooth- shifting, fuel-efficient six-speed automatic transmission standard across the line. A redesigned Malibu is anticipated for model-year 2013. The Ford Fusion was last revamped for model-year 2010 and for 2011 receives blind-spot detection and Ford’s MyKey system that lets parents limit speed, radio volume and other vehicle functions to promote safe teenage driving. Fusion’s next full redesign comes in model-year 2013. The Hyundai Sonata underwent a major transformation for 2011 to become a bona fide player in the midsize segment. It’ll continue without major changes until at least model-year 2015.

The Similarities

  • Prices are nearly a wash. While the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu starts out costlier than the 2011 Ford Fusion and 2011 Hyundai Sonata, which car is the best value for your dollar depends largely on the powertrain and trim level that best meets your needs. Base-price range for the 2011 Ford Fusion is $20,580-$29,265.The line starts with the base Fusion S model at $20,580, and moves up through the Fusion SE at $22,375, the SEL at $25,805, SEL with all-wheel drive (AWD – see below) at $29,265, the Sport at $27,655 and Sport with AWD at $28,605. The S and SE come with manual transmission; automatic transmission adds $895. Among other key features, a moonroof is priced at $995 on the SEL and Limited, and a voice-activated navigation system costs $1,995. (Note that Lincoln sells a luxury version of the Fusion as the MKZ.)
  • Base-price range for the 2011 Chevrolet Malibu is $22,735-$27,775. Malibu’s lineup starts at $22,735 for the base LS model and ascends to $23,585 for the 1LT, $25,995 for the LT2, and $27,775 for the top-of-the-line LTZ. Replacing the four-cylinder engine with a V-6 adds $1,795 to the cost of the LT2 or LTZ and it includes quicker power steering and chrome exhaust tips. A power sunroof is available for $850 on all versions except the base model. Bluetooth hands-free mobile-phone interface is standard on upper-trim models, but costs an additional $115 on the LS and is bundled with a power driver’s seat and remote starter for $525 on the 1LT version.
  • Base-price range for the 2011 Hyundai Sonata is $20,145-$27,995. The 2011 Sonata lineup starts at $20,145 for the base GLS model, and moves to $23,545 for the better-equipped SE model. A “T” indicates a model with a turbocharged engine, and base price is $25,095 for the SE 2.0T model. The non-turbo Sonata Limited is priced from $26,245, while Hyundai sets a base price of $27,995 for the top Limited 2.0T model. Automatic transmission adds $1,000 to the price of the GLS. An option package that bundles a navigation system, power driver’s seat, alloy wheels, and upgraded speakers is priced at $1,700 on the GLS. The nav system, speaker upgrade, and a sunroof costs $2,600 on the SE. On the Limited, a $2,100 package includes the nav system, backup camera, and Infinity premium speakers. (Note that Sonata is mechanically related to the Optima sedan from Hyundai’s Kia-brand partner.)
  • Traction on wet roads shouldn’t be a problem in any of these three, though if you often drive in snow, the Fusion is available with an advantage. The 2011 Chevrolet Malibu, 2011 Ford Fusion, and 2011 Hyundai Sonata are all designed as front-wheel-drive midsize sedans. Front-wheel drive packages the engine and transmission directly over the drive wheels, which promotes secure wet-road traction. The Fusion also is available with all-wheel-drive (AWD) for added grip in snow and slush. Available in Fusion’s more-expensive SEL and Sport versions, the system operates in front-wheel drive until sensors determine its needs to automatically shuffle power between the front and rear wheels to maintain traction. AWD is rare in this class. It’s standard on only the Subaru Legacy and optional on one other car, the Suzuki Kizashi.
  • Like every midsize sedan in this price range, these officially seat five passengers, though four adults is the practical limit for comfort. There’s little difference among these three for front-seat space: all have bucket seating that accommodates a couple of grownups with room to spare and lots of seat and steering-wheel adjustments. As for rear seating, none of these cars is wide enough to fit three adults without enough squeezing to make a long journey uncomfortable. But with two rear passengers, we’d give a slight edge for room and support to the Hyundai Sonata, with the Chevy Malibu a close second and the Fusion feeling tightest by a small margin. All three have roomy trunks, though at 16.5 and 16.4 cubic feet, respectively, the Fusion and Sonata beat Malibu’s 15.1 cubic-foot volume. All three trunks can be expanded into the passenger compartment via split folding rear seatbacks I you need to fit long objects.
  • Even in their base-model form the 2011 Malibu, Fusion, and Sonata come well equipped with necessities like air conditioning, CD audio systems, cruise control, tilt/telescoping steering wheel, keyless entry and power windows, mirrors, and locks. Standard or optional, depending on trim level, are features such as Bluetooth hands-free mobile phone interface, leather upholstery, heated front seats, premium audio systems, and USB interfacing for iPods and other MP3 players. Standard safety features are plentiful. Each competitor here includes front- and side-impact airbags for front-seat passengers, plus head-protecting curtain side airbags all outboard positions. Four-wheel antilock disc brakes for secure stopping and stability control to help prevent sideways slides also are standard.
  • Driving purists may favor the added powertrain control a manual transmission brings, but the truth is only a sliver of buyers order stick shifts in midsize cars. Manufacturers offer them mostly so they can advertise the lower base price and the extra mile per gallon or so a manual might bring – while leaving the transmission distinction to the fine print. Indeed, Fusion and Sonata are among the few midsize sedans that come with manual transmissions. In the Ford, stick shift is standard in the S and SE models, in the Sonata it’s in the base SE version. In all cases, they’re six-speed manuals. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard in the other Fusion models – save the Hybrid – and in the other Sonatas – including the Hybrid. The Malibu comes only with a six-speed automatic transmission. These are modern automatics that relinquish little performance or fuel economy to a manual transmission.

The Differences

  • Though the midsize sedan market tends to be conservative in nature, the 2011 Hyundai Sonata breaks the mold with eye-catching styling that’s an engaging amalgam of curves and creases, with cat’s eye headlamps that extend into the front fenders and a swooping coupe-like roofline. It’s deliberately flamboyant, with shades of some Mercedes-Benz models, and has gotten Sonata noticed by enough shoppers to win it skyrocketing sales. The 2011 Chevrolet Malibu and 2011 Ford Fusion still outsell Sonata overall, and each is far more low-key in styling. The attractive Malibu eschews unnecessary exterior adornment and busy bodylines for subtle, uncluttered curves. It proudly wears Chevy’s trademark horizontally split front grille. The 2011 Ford Fusion is similarly square-cut and it wears Ford’s bold three-bar chrome grille, a highlight of what’s otherwise a simple yet solid-looking profile.
  • Even before fuel prices took off, most midsize cars were purchased with four-cylinder engines. And although all three of these offer more-powerful alternatives to their base four-cylinder engines (see below), there are notable differences in their mainstay fours. In ascending order of output, the Chevrolet Malibu’s 2.4-liter four-cylinder is the weakest in this group, at 169 horsepower and 160 pound-feet of torque. (Think of horsepower as a measurement of an engine’s maximum output, torque as an indication of how quickly it can get up to speed.) Acceleration is adequate, but it doesn’t help that the Malibu is also the heaviest of this trio, at 3,415 pounds in base four-cylinder form. The four-cylinder Fusion tips the scales at 3,285 pounds with manual transmission and 3,342 with automatic, so its 2.5-liter has less weight to haul and more power with which to do it: 175 horsepower and 172 pound-feet of torque. Being a newer design built from the start with reduced mass in mind, the 2011 Sonata trounces the Ford and Chevy for both weight and four-cylinder power. Even with its standard six-speed automatic, the Sonata is among the lightest cars in the class, at 3,164 pounds. And its 2.4-liter is among the most powerful base four-cylinders in the class, with198 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque in the GLS and Limited models and  200 and 186, respectively, in the SE model.
  • All three of these cars also offers a more-powerful alternative to its base four-cylinder engine, but again, the Sonata stands out for its forward thinking. Its engine upgrade is a turbocharged four-cylinder that’s competitive in performance but more fuel-efficient than the V-6s used by the Ford and Chevy. Standard in the Sonata SE 2.0T and Limited 2.0T is a direct-fuel-injected and turbocharged 2.0-liter four rated at 274 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque. The 2011 Malibu’s 3.6-liter V-6 is available as part of an option package on LT2 and LTZ trim levels; it includes variable valve timing and generates 252 horsepower and 251 pound-feet of torque. The 2011 Fusion offers two V-6s. Optional in SE and SEL models is a 3.0-liter with 240 horses and 223 pound-feet. Standard in the Fusion Sport is a 3.5-liter with 263 and 249, respectively. Sonata 2.0T and Fusion Sport models include a sport-tuned suspension for tauter handling, though at the expense of a slightly rougher ride over bumps.
  • For fuel economy, the 2011 Sonata’s light weight and cutting-edge four-cylinder-engine technology pays off not only with an edge over the Fusion and Malibu, but with a lead on the entire midsize-car class. EPA fuel-economy ratings for the 2011 Sonata with the base four-cylinder are 24/35 mpg city/highway with manual transmission and 22/25 with automatic. The turbo 2.0T Sonatas come only with automatic and rate 22/33 mpg. All 2011 Sonatas have an “Active Eco” button that triggers a web of computer-controlled measures that include throttle mapping and transmission shift points altered to improve fuel economy by as much as 7 percent, Hyundai says. Fusion shades Malibu for second place in this trio. Base-four-cylinder Fusions rate 22/29 mpg with manual transmission and 23/33 with automatic. Fusions with the both the 3.0- and 3.5-liter V-6s rate 18/27 mpg with front-wheel drive and 17/24 with AWD. The 2011 Chevrolet Malibu is rated 22/33 with the four-cylinder engine and 17/26 with the V-6.
  • Rising gas prices are reigniting interest in fuel-saving and emissions-reducing gas-electric hybrids. Chevy doesn’t offer a 2011 Malibu hybrid, but Fusion and Sonata hybrids are available and they differ slightly in powertrain setup and in fuel economy. They’re also among the higher priced models in their respective lineups, with a base price of $26,545 for the Sonata Hybrid and a higher tariff of $29,100 for the Fusion Hybrid. Both pair a four-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor/generator and a self-charging battery pack. The Fusion Hybrid generates a net 191 horsepower and rates 41/36 mpg city/highway. It uses a gearless CVT (continuously variable transmission) that swaps a belt and pulleys for conventional gears and delivers seamless acceleration without pausing for shift points. The Sonata Hybrid generates a net 206 horsepower and rates 36/40 mpg. It uses a conventional six-speed automatic transmission. Hyundai reasons a conventional automatic is better suited to American driving habits than a CVT and also boosts highway fuel economy, which its buyers consider more important than highway mileage. Both the Fusion and Sonata hybrids include unique instrumentation displays that coach more efficient driving. But while the exterior of the Fusion Hybrid is virtually indistinguishable from that of a regular Fusion, the styling of the Sonata Hybrid is quite different from its gas-only linemates, most notably in its gaping darkened grille and LED taillamp inserts.
  • The Fusion is this trio’s leader in novel high tech amenities. Features exclusive to the Ford Fusion among the three contenders include the voice-activated Sync multimedia control system, with a new HD Radio option added this year that can receive higher-sound-quality signals where they’re available and allows a user to “tag” a song being broadcast and save the artist and title information to an iPod or iPhone for later purchase. Ford’s Easy Fuel system deftly eliminates the gas-filler cap, and the automaker’s MyKey system lets parents program a special key for teenaged drivers hat limits the car’s top speed and audio volume and helps enforce seatbelt use, among other functions. Among exclusive safety features, Ford’s Blind Spot Information System with Cross Traffic Alert warns the driver of other vehicles or obstructions in adjacent traffic lanes and when backing out of a garage or parking space. The Malibu counters with General Motors’ OnStar communications system that includes the ability to provide turn-by-turn navigation directions, remotely unlock a car if the keys are left inside, automatically call for help if the car gets in a wreck, and the ability to locate the car if it’s stolen and even cut the engine speed so its easier for the police to find. While the Fusion and Sonata offer optional navigation systems, the Malibu’s navigation abilities are limited to OnStar, which isn’t as elegant or useful as a proper GPS array.

The Winner

The 2011 Hyundai Sonata. Its dramatic styling could pass for that of a European luxury car, while interior decor runs with the pack of like-priced midsize cars. Its base engine delivers fine power and excellent fuel economy, its turbo combines V-6 thrust with four-cylinder mileage, and the hybrid is an intriguing green alternative. The cabin is roomy and comfortable, though that tapering high-fashion roofline can hamper ingress and egress for taller riders. The 2011 Ford Fusion is noteworthy for available AWD and array of high-tech features, particularly the Sync and Blind Spot Information systems. The 2011 Chevrolet Malibu is handsome and performs well in most respects, but trails these two competitors for driving manners and value.