diff --git a/tests/avocado/boot_linux_console.py b/tests/avocado/boot_linux_console.py
index e1e20c36f7..84b31cb84e 100644
--- a/tests/avocado/boot_linux_console.py
+++ b/tests/avocado/boot_linux_console.py
@@ -138,38 +138,6 @@ def test_mips_malta(self):
         console_pattern = 'Kernel command line: %s' % kernel_command_line
         self.wait_for_console_pattern(console_pattern)
 
-    def test_mips64el_malta(self):
-        """
-        This test requires the ar tool to extract "data.tar.gz" from
-        the Debian package.
-
-        The kernel can be rebuilt using this Debian kernel source [1] and
-        following the instructions on [2].
-
-        [1] http://snapshot.debian.org/package/linux-2.6/2.6.32-48/
-            #linux-source-2.6.32_2.6.32-48
-        [2] https://kernel-team.pages.debian.net/kernel-handbook/
-            ch-common-tasks.html#s-common-official
-
-        :avocado: tags=arch:mips64el
-        :avocado: tags=machine:malta
-        """
-        deb_url = ('http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian/'
-                   '20130217T032700Z/pool/main/l/linux-2.6/'
-                   'linux-image-2.6.32-5-5kc-malta_2.6.32-48_mipsel.deb')
-        deb_hash = '1aaec92083bf22fda31e0d27fa8d9a388e5fc3d5'
-        deb_path = self.fetch_asset(deb_url, asset_hash=deb_hash)
-        kernel_path = self.extract_from_deb(deb_path,
-                                            '/boot/vmlinux-2.6.32-5-5kc-malta')
-
-        self.vm.set_console()
-        kernel_command_line = self.KERNEL_COMMON_COMMAND_LINE + 'console=ttyS0'
-        self.vm.add_args('-kernel', kernel_path,
-                         '-append', kernel_command_line)
-        self.vm.launch()
-        console_pattern = 'Kernel command line: %s' % kernel_command_line
-        self.wait_for_console_pattern(console_pattern)
-
     def test_mips_malta_cpio(self):
         """
         :avocado: tags=arch:mips
@@ -211,48 +179,6 @@ def test_mips_malta_cpio(self):
         # Wait for VM to shut down gracefully
         self.vm.wait()
 
-    @skipUnless(os.getenv('AVOCADO_ALLOW_UNTRUSTED_CODE'), 'untrusted code')
-    def test_mips64el_malta_5KEc_cpio(self):
-        """
-        :avocado: tags=arch:mips64el
-        :avocado: tags=machine:malta
-        :avocado: tags=endian:little
-        :avocado: tags=cpu:5KEc
-        """
-        kernel_url = ('https://github.com/philmd/qemu-testing-blob/'
-                      'raw/9ad2df38/mips/malta/mips64el/'
-                      'vmlinux-3.19.3.mtoman.20150408')
-        kernel_hash = '00d1d268fb9f7d8beda1de6bebcc46e884d71754'
-        kernel_path = self.fetch_asset(kernel_url, asset_hash=kernel_hash)
-        initrd_url = ('https://github.com/groeck/linux-build-test/'
-                      'raw/8584a59e/rootfs/'
-                      'mipsel64/rootfs.mipsel64r1.cpio.gz')
-        initrd_hash = '1dbb8a396e916847325284dbe2151167'
-        initrd_path_gz = self.fetch_asset(initrd_url, algorithm='md5',
-                                          asset_hash=initrd_hash)
-        initrd_path = self.workdir + "rootfs.cpio"
-        archive.gzip_uncompress(initrd_path_gz, initrd_path)
-
-        self.vm.set_console()
-        kernel_command_line = (self.KERNEL_COMMON_COMMAND_LINE
-                               + 'console=ttyS0 console=tty '
-                               + 'rdinit=/sbin/init noreboot')
-        self.vm.add_args('-kernel', kernel_path,
-                         '-initrd', initrd_path,
-                         '-append', kernel_command_line,
-                         '-no-reboot')
-        self.vm.launch()
-        wait_for_console_pattern(self, 'Boot successful.')
-
-        exec_command_and_wait_for_pattern(self, 'cat /proc/cpuinfo',
-                                                'MIPS 5KE')
-        exec_command_and_wait_for_pattern(self, 'uname -a',
-                                                '3.19.3.mtoman.20150408')
-        exec_command_and_wait_for_pattern(self, 'reboot',
-                                                'reboot: Restarting system')
-        # Wait for VM to shut down gracefully
-        self.vm.wait()
-
     def do_test_mips_malta32el_nanomips(self, kernel_path_xz):
         kernel_path = self.workdir + "kernel"
         with lzma.open(kernel_path_xz, 'rb') as f_in:
diff --git a/tests/functional/test_mips64el_malta.py b/tests/functional/test_mips64el_malta.py
index 0c4e9a00ef..1be93d7ff0 100755
--- a/tests/functional/test_mips64el_malta.py
+++ b/tests/functional/test_mips64el_malta.py
@@ -30,6 +30,82 @@
     CV2_AVAILABLE = False
 
 
+class MaltaMachineConsole(QemuSystemTest):
+
+    ASSET_KERNEL_2_63_2 = Asset(
+        ('http://snapshot.debian.org/archive/debian/'
+         '20130217T032700Z/pool/main/l/linux-2.6/'
+         'linux-image-2.6.32-5-5kc-malta_2.6.32-48_mipsel.deb'),
+        '35eb476f03be589824b0310358f1c447d85e645b88cbcd2ac02b97ef560f9f8d')
+
+    def test_mips64el_malta(self):
+        """
+        This test requires the ar tool to extract "data.tar.gz" from
+        the Debian package.
+
+        The kernel can be rebuilt using this Debian kernel source [1] and
+        following the instructions on [2].
+
+        [1] http://snapshot.debian.org/package/linux-2.6/2.6.32-48/
+            #linux-source-2.6.32_2.6.32-48
+        [2] https://kernel-team.pages.debian.net/kernel-handbook/
+            ch-common-tasks.html#s-common-official
+        """
+        deb_path = self.ASSET_KERNEL_2_63_2.fetch()
+        kernel_path = extract_from_deb(deb_path, self.workdir,
+                                       '/boot/vmlinux-2.6.32-5-5kc-malta')
+
+        self.set_machine('malta')
+        self.vm.set_console()
+        kernel_command_line = KERNEL_COMMON_COMMAND_LINE + 'console=ttyS0'
+        self.vm.add_args('-kernel', kernel_path,
+                         '-append', kernel_command_line)
+        self.vm.launch()
+        console_pattern = 'Kernel command line: %s' % kernel_command_line
+        linux_kernel_wait_for_pattern(self, console_pattern)
+
+    ASSET_KERNEL_3_19_3 = Asset(
+        ('https://github.com/philmd/qemu-testing-blob/'
+         'raw/9ad2df38/mips/malta/mips64el/'
+         'vmlinux-3.19.3.mtoman.20150408'),
+        '8d3beb003bc66051ead98e7172139017fcf9ce2172576541c57e86418dfa5ab8')
+
+    ASSET_CPIO_R1 = Asset(
+        ('https://github.com/groeck/linux-build-test/'
+         'raw/8584a59e/rootfs/mipsel64/'
+         'rootfs.mipsel64r1.cpio.gz'),
+        '75ba10cd35fb44e32948eeb26974f061b703c81c4ba2fab1ebcacf1d1bec3b61')
+
+    @skipUnless(os.getenv('QEMU_TEST_ALLOW_UNTRUSTED_CODE'), 'untrusted code')
+    def test_mips64el_malta_5KEc_cpio(self):
+        kernel_path = self.ASSET_KERNEL_3_19_3.fetch()
+        initrd_path_gz = self.ASSET_CPIO_R1.fetch()
+        initrd_path = os.path.join(self.workdir, 'rootfs.cpio')
+        gzip_uncompress(initrd_path_gz, initrd_path)
+
+        self.set_machine('malta')
+        self.vm.set_console()
+        kernel_command_line = (KERNEL_COMMON_COMMAND_LINE
+                               + 'console=ttyS0 console=tty '
+                               + 'rdinit=/sbin/init noreboot')
+        self.vm.add_args('-cpu', '5KEc',
+                         '-kernel', kernel_path,
+                         '-initrd', initrd_path,
+                         '-append', kernel_command_line,
+                         '-no-reboot')
+        self.vm.launch()
+        linux_kernel_wait_for_pattern(self, 'Boot successful.')
+
+        exec_command_and_wait_for_pattern(self, 'cat /proc/cpuinfo',
+                                                'MIPS 5KE')
+        exec_command_and_wait_for_pattern(self, 'uname -a',
+                                                '3.19.3.mtoman.20150408')
+        exec_command_and_wait_for_pattern(self, 'reboot',
+                                                'reboot: Restarting system')
+        # Wait for VM to shut down gracefully
+        self.vm.wait()
+
+
 @skipUnless(NUMPY_AVAILABLE, 'Python NumPy not installed')
 @skipUnless(CV2_AVAILABLE, 'Python OpenCV not installed')
 class MaltaMachineFramebuffer(LinuxKernelTest):
