2013 Chevrolet Malibu Offers Passive Entry Technology on All Four Doors

The Chevrolet Malibu sedan equipped with four-doors was designed to make life a little easier for people who are in a rush, carry a lot of things to their car or have trouble finding their keys.

Thanks to small buttons placed on the handles of all four doors, the driver doesn't have to always be the one to unlock the vehicle according to GM press release.

"Available passive entry on all of the doors was a feature we wanted to offer our Malibu customers," said Phil Carlisle, Chevrolet Malibu product manager according to GM. "It's small things like this that can go a long way in making everyday use of your vehicle easier."

The Malibu LTZ, four-door passive entry is a common feature found on most luxury models, but rarely seen on midsize models.

Thanks to the Malibu's closed-loop wireless communication system, the vehicle "verifies" that the proper key fob is within range, approximately three feet or closer, and allows the driver to unlock the vehicle. Each key fob is uniquely mated to its vehicle, so there is no chance of false unlocks.

By using a button on the door handle, as opposed to automatically unlocking the door upon approaching the car, offered better functionality, according to General Motors' engineers.

The trunk can be opened by pressing the button located on the handle twice.

The new Malibu is Chevrolet's first global midsize sedan and is sold in approximately 100 countries. The vehicle is the first 2013 midsize car to earn a 5-Star Overall Vehicle Score from NHTSA and a 2012 Top Safety Pick by the IIHS according to GM.

"This system truly keeps the driver in full control of the car," said Ron Asmar, lead engineer for vehicle access according to GM. "We investigated fully passive systems where the key fob would automatically unlock the door when a person was within a certain distance, and decided against it. We wanted to make sure that the system prevented the car from unlocking just because the person and fob were close to it, such as when walking through the garage to take the garbage out."

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