The Chevy Malibu is a roomy but sporty sedan. We took a look at what mounts will work and which ones won’t. As usual, we found some good spots and a few that simply aren’t going to work.
A photo of the interior of a Chevy Malibu accompanies this article. A big roomy dash, well positioned cup holders, vertical vents.
Let’s start with the mounts that will not work well.
What’s missing from the photo with this article? Did you figure it out? No CD player. We are fans of a good CD player mount but without a CD player, that location is out.
The Chevy Malibu has two of the largest vertical vents we have ever seen. They middle vents are big and somewhat sloped towards the windshield. They are also tapered at the bottom. While there are a few mounts for vertical vents, we’re going to pass because of the backwards slope. The side vents are, well, side vents and they won’t work well. We don’t think an air vent mount will work too well in this vehicle.
Windshield and Dash Mounts for the Chevy Malibu
There aren’t many cars that can’t use a good windshield mount and the Chevy Malibu is no exception. The windshield on this car is good for phones using a GPS app as well as a physical GPS. The windshield is not a good location for a tablet in this car.
The windshield on the Chevy Malibu is somewhat sloped versus a typical vehicle so something with a slight extension will work best.
The iOttie Easy One Touch 5 Car Mount for SmartPhones provides an extendable rigid base combined with an expandable cradle. Unlike many similar mounts, the iOttie Easy One Touch 5 has an 8-inch extension feature. This extension is a welcome feature in this vehicle. The included cradle expands by pressing the buttons on each side. This is large enough to hold most phones.
The dashboard on the Chevy Malibu is quite large. Turning the iOttie Easy One Touch 2 into a dash mount is easy. Add the iOttie Reusable Dashboard Pad for use on the dash. It’s a temporary non adhesive pad. The bottom has a sticky surface and the top is smooth like a windshield. Although no wipe is included, be sure to clean the dash area before application. Now stick the suction cup from the mount to the smooth surface on this dash disk. When it’s time to remove the iOttie Reusable Dashboard Pad, simply lift the tab and remove. Wash the bottom with warm soapy water and let it dry. This recharges the sticky surface. This dash disk is flexible and may suit some contoured dashboards well.
A Garmin GPS can use the Arkon Windshield Dash Garmin Nuvi Suction Mount. We have recommended this one over the many years it has been available. A great mount that comes with a 2-year warranty. It’s more rugged and longer than the Garmin mount you received in the box.
The Chevy Traverse has a large dash. You can use the two suction mounts I mentioned already as they both come with an adhesive disk so that you can use it on a flat dash surface. This option is best for states where mounting to a windshield is illegal.
Cup Holder and Seat Bolt Tablet Mounts
There are two cup holders in the middle console of a Chevy Malibu. The front most cup holder is located forward enough to be of use as a tablet or phone mounting location. The cup holder is good for devices that don’t need to be used as a GPS because you need to point your view away from the road to reference. But if you use the device for other purposes, the from most cup holder might be a good place to put it.
Consider a Cup Holder Mount for Tablets and Phones. This mount includes two different cradles and has an extended neck to make the mount a little higher than others. One for a phone and another for a tablet. The mount is adjustable and solidly made to easily handle the weight of your tablet. You will see a lot of mounts on the market for tablets or cell phones. This is the only car mounts that offers two different cradles, one for the phone, the other for the tablet. The tablet cradle will hold devices up to 12.9 inches.
Also fitting into the category of a good location for apps that don’t require reference while driving is the seat bolt. The bolts on the Chevy Malibu are accessible, although you will need a tool to loosen them.
Consider the Arkon Smartphone and Midsize Tablet Car Seat Rail Mount. This mount has an extra long 22″ bendable stalk and gets the device nice and high for viewing. The expandable cradle opens to about 7 inches so it is large enough to fit phones and tablets with or without a case or skin.
In summary, the windshield, dash, cup holder and seat bolt are a go for the Chevy Malibu. Out of consideration is the air vent and CD player.