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2024 Chevy Malibu: Here’s Everything That’s New And Different

The 2024 Chevy Malibu represents the ninth model year of the current, ninth-generation Malibu, for which it sees a handful of minor changes.

Model Line

The 2024 Malibu doesn’t see any changes to its model line. That means that it continues to be offered as a midsize four-door sedan across the following trim levels:

  • LS, which breaks out into two equipment groups:
    • 1FL (fleet/commercial sales)
    • 1LS (retail sales)
  • RS
  • 1LT
  • 2LT

Exterior

On the outside, the 2024 Chevy Malibu deletes two exterior colors while adding one new one:

Deleted colors:

  • Dark Ash Metallic (G6M)
  • Riverside Blue Metallic (GKK)

New color:

  • Lakeshore Blue Metallic (GXP)

Rounding out the changes to the exterior are body-colored outside power-adjustable mirrors (DL6), which are now standard on the 1LS trim. For the 2023 model year, the mirrors were optional on 1LS.

Interior

No changes are in store to the interior of the 2024 Malibu.

Mechanical

Similarly, no changes have been made to the mechanical side of the vehicle. The sedan continues to be powered by GM’s turbocharged 1.5L I4 LFV engine, rated at 163 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. It’s mated to a Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT), driving exclusively the front wheels, as another transmission option or all-wheel-drive are not available.

As a reminder, the more powerful 2.0L I4 LTG engine was discontinued for the 2022 model year.

Packages

The 2024 Chevy Malibu sees several changes when it comes to packages, starting with the deletion of Convenience Package 1 and Convenience Package 2.

Convenience Package 1 (PDQ)

  • Availability: for the 2023 model year, the package was only available on LS and RS trims
  • Content / features:
    • Remote start kit (S6P)
    • Cargo net (W2D)

Convenience Package 2 (PCM)

  • Availability: for the 2023 model year, the package was only available on LS and RS trims
  • Content / features:
    • Remote start kit (S6P)
    • Cargo net (W2D)
    • All-weather floor mats (VAV)

Additionally, the remote start kit (S6P) has been deleted. For the 2023 model year, the package was only offered with the aforementioned PDQ and PCM packages. What’s different for the 2024 Malibu is that the remote start feature is now offered as a standalone option on 1FL and standard on all remaining trims.

Additionally, the Driver Confidence Package (WPR) now only includes Rear Park Assist (UD7), and is now standard on all trims and optional on 1FL. Note that on 1FL, the Driver Confidence Package includes Rear Park Assist (UD7) and power-adjustable, manual-folding, body-color outside power mirrors (DL6). For the 2023 model year, the package included Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert (UKC) as well as Rear Cross Traffic Alert (UFG). To that end, Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert (UKC) is now included with Rear Cross Traffic Alert (UFG), which is available on all trims.

Finally, as GM Authority covered previously, the 2024 Chevy Malibu ditches the compact spare tire as standard equipment. In its place is the tire inflator kit (KTI), which is now standard on all trim levels. For the 2023 model year, the tire inflator kit was not an available feature.

For those who wish to have the spare, the compact spare tire (ZAM) and 16-inch spare wheel (SFJ) is now part of the optional road emergency toolkit (V33). Optional on all trim levels, the road emergency tool kit also includes the following features:

  • 300-amp jumper cables
  • Warning triangle
  • Gas siphon
  • Mylar blanket for staying warm
  • Two bungee cords
  • Two glow sticks
  • A pair of gloves with rubber grips
  • Flashlight (two AAA batteries included)
  • 50 PSI tire gauge
  • Carrying case with organizational pockets for securing the contents

The updates and changes described here are specific to the U.S. market and may be different for other markets.

The Chinese-market Chevy Malibu is called Malibu XL

Chronology

These minor changes follow the overhauled (redesigned and re-engineered) 2016 Chevy Malibu and the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu, which received a mid-cycle refresh. The refreshed model was followed by minor changes for the 2020 Malibu, 2021 Malibu, 2022 Malibu and 2023 Malibu.

Looking Ahead

The future of the Chevy Malibu is in limbo. The current model is getting long in the tooth, and is in need of a freshening or a complete redesign. Years ago, we reported that GM was planning to discontinue the Malibu – which is Chevy’s last sedan in the U.S. and Canadian markets – in 2024, but we’ve since heard whispers that the automaker may end up revamping it. We expect to know more soon, so be sure to subscribe to GM Authority for more Chevy Malibu news, Chevy news, and around-the-clock GM news coverage.

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Comments

  1. If they’re going to keep it, it had best be redone for ’25. THIS might be GMs biggest kept secret of the year. Hope to see it in Chicago or New York.

    Reply
  2. Mary must come unglued every quarter when she sees how well this car is selling. She has done everything to kill it, ie making it an underpowered, cvt, ancient-in-its class rental vehicle.
    If it is upgraded with a nice design, engine, transmission and interior its sales will soar. GM already makes all the parts needed to make this car competitive. IF they want to.

    Reply
    1. agreed she has killed almost every car they make. As a GM customer, there isnt one truck or SUV that interests me, dont drive them. All the SUVs look alike with wheezy crap 4 cylinder engines, and dont need or want a truck. I guess after 10 Cadillacs, 3 Buicks, and 2 Oldsmobiles, ill switch automakers if she continues down this road…not everyone wants a suv box or a truck.

      Reply
    2. “Mary must come unglued every quarter when she sees how well this (…) is selling. She has done everything to kill it”

      And the Express van. Both are important market segments with ready buyers, and Mary’s GM isn’t even trying.

      Reply
      1. And then there’s the Chevy Express…I’ve owned Chevy C10 step van, 2 full size Chevy vans, an Astro Van, Malibu, Cavalier and Chevette. The Astro was great, but was cancelled with no replacement. GM can’t or won’t compete with Ford, Ram or Mercedes full size vans and have nothing in the minivan market. I’ve since owned 2 Kia Sedona minivans. I also owned a ’96 Buick LeSabre limited, 3.8 V6, Stainless steel exhaust lasted the life of the car, 300k miles. It also got 33 mpg on highway Cleveland to Florida and back repeatedly, for the life of the car. Mary B must wake up or get out. She’s clearly in the wrong business.

        Reply
        1. The Silverado Motors Company LLC cares little about your needs for a car plebe….

          How about a nice BrightBox Lemondrop panel van?

          Reply
    3. Old Mary B killed the Spark, a $14k vehicle with a manual transmission, one of the cheapest cars on the market. Now the cheapest chevy is the redesigned Trax base model for $22k. 137 hp 1.2 liter I 3 cylinder, also found in the new Buick Evista. What is she thinking? A wheezing 3 banger? What kind of longevity will that provide?

      Reply
  3. That tiny engine is a deal-breaker.

    Reply
    1. Along with the rubber band CVT transmission.

      Reply
      1. The Trax has a conventional 6-spd automatic not a CVT and the 3-cylinder engine is just fine. Instead of bashing it “just because”, drive it. It doesn’t wheeze, it’s very energetic.

        Reply
        1. Reading the owner’s manual, it says the first oil change and filter is at 7,500 miles. And to replace the “in oil” timing belt at 150,000 miles.

          Those numbers to me are incredible for a turbo charged 3 cylinder. “In Oil” service is incredibly hard on belts. Changing them is at least a $2,000 job.

          The FORD Fiesta 3 cylinder has had bad luck with delaminating belts prior to 50,000 miles. Unless GM knows something FORD does not I would proceed with caution. And especially with the turbo I would do the first change out at 1,000 miles and the second at 3,000 and then every 5,000 miles after that.

          People who say break in periods are passe can tell me why the recent C7 Corvette will not allow you to push the engine hard until a few thousand miles are on the car – by computer enforcement.

          I myself would want to get rid of any slight manufacturing imperfections and only have the cleanest oil everywhere, seeing as the 3 cylinder will be often taxed, and it needs all the longevity help it can get.

          Perhaps my policy is why I have had smoothly running engines with no unexpected issues.

          Reply
          1. New belt material on this one, I hear. Did my first oil change at 1,200 miles when I added the splash guard under the engine. I know they make synthetic materials that can withstand engine oil, they make gaskets and o-rings out of it.

            Reply
            1. Gaskets and the like stand still pretty much. That timing belt to the dohc is really working. But it’s good u changed the oil early.
              Right now it seems the least reliable Chevy is the Colorado, and it is also the hardest to fix in view of all the stuff that must be moved to do servicing such as radiator, and alternator removal, HVAC compressor unmounting, etc. The Silverado doesn’t seem to suffer these things yet.

              Between Buicks and Chevys, they are selling a ton of the CVTs, small 6 speed automatics, and 1.2 or 1.3 litre 3 cylinders. Any problems with them, if any, will become wellknown soon enough.

              Reply
              1. Those engines have been out since 2018 (2019 model year), haven’t heard anything bad yet. That “small” 6-speed auto has been around since 2008 so it’s a known commodity.

                Reply
  4. You mean wheezy 3 and 4 cylinder engines, haha.

    Reply
  5. Hey Mary ,if there is No 2025 CADILLAC XT5 built in our UNITED STATES there will be No GM in my home

    Reply
    1. TomG, even if there is a 2025 XT5 built in the USA, you will have a choice of two 4cyl engines. The 2.0 wheezer or the 2.5 tractor engine.

      Reply
      1. Point, counter point…

        1. In favor of keeping the ‘Bu:

        – The car is selling far better (and more steadily!) than I’m sure any of GM’s bean counters expected at eight model years in.

        – There remains a market (albeit a rapidly shrinking one) for sedans, perhaps justifying a redesign that overlays the Malibu’s existing bones (a la what Camry and Accord have done recently). If done cost effectively, GM would get another six+ years out the thing.

        – In a world of $75K trucks and SUVs, Malibus selling “net” for $23k – $27k are a comparatively inexpensive, fuel efficient and generally reliable option that keeps folks in the GM family (rather than subprime lending their way over to Kia, Nissan and Hyundai).

        – A heavy refresh would be “relatively” cheap (meaning the new iteration could be profitable if sales remained steady over time).

        – A 35+ MPG Malibu helps offset the CAFE killing numbers of GM’s gas swilling trucks and SUVs…again, until a total switchover to EVs happens next decade.

        2. In favor of killing the ‘Bu…

        – (With all respect to those passionate posters here), broadly speaking, fewer and fewer people want sedans…and of the remaining herd (and much as it pains me to write), even fewer want or trust American sedans (thank you 1970’s – 1990’s). Put another way, Camry and Accord have a LOCK on 75 percent of remaining buyers, leaving only diehard GM fans like us that give a poop about keeping an American alternative in the fold. For GM to spend money to redesign a vehicle that most folks NOT working for Hertz don’t even know still exists, arguably is just shoving money up the ass of a dead horse.

        – GM has the very good (and well received by the public and media) Trax and Trailblazer – both selling for roughly the same price as the Malibu, both getting the same or better MPG…and with neither being built Stateside by that pesky union that was in the news recently. Put another way, the Malibu is arguably redundant to those CUVs and certainly no more profitable.

        – GM has announced that Malibu’s Fairfax, KS assembly plant is gonna be retooled to build EVs…meaning that a next gen ‘Bu, for the moment, has no factory!

        – That aforementioned union added (per the media) nine billion in costs for GM over the contract’s four year life. While the company has said they can absorb the hit, spending hundreds of millions to heavily refresh a car that, again, is likely not all that profitable (even with paid tooling and ancient parts)…well, seems like perfect “dead weight” to cut?

        I’m sure others can add a point to one side or the other, but from the above…and again, much as it pains me to write it (FYI, I’ve owned two Malibus in the current generation), there doesn’t seem to be sound (read: profitable long term) reason to keep the Malibu. The Trax and Trailblazer are price equivalent (or even cheaper!), roomier and equally or more fuel efficient, and don’t carry the baggage of union labor costs…or three+ decades of failed X-cars, Cavaliers, Luminas, etc., etc. I’d surmise that the Malibu is sadly toast after 2024. 😔

        Reply
        1. Thinking of the 2025 Malibu update….You think the Trax powertrain could work in a car that big?

          I would like to see a very low starting price with a six speed auto. But the mid and higher level models should be hybrid. They made a hybrid version of the Malibu in this generation but they didn’t try very hard to market it and ultimately canceled it.

          Reply
          1. The current Malibu still uses the same 1.5T with only 160 HP and 184 torque that it was introduced with in 2016. The Trax has 137 HP and 162 orque so that would be a further downgrade. I would at the very least like to see the 175/203 version of the 1.5T as used in the Nox and Terrain in the revised 2025 Malibu and 180-190 HP in the 2025 version of the Nox/Terrain.

            Reply
        2. A well stated common sense post, nicely done. They’re gonna rip you up. LOL

          Reply
  6. How boring the Malibu is, unfortunately, in ALL aspects (speaking for myself)! It merely is a value leader, though. That’s in its favor, but it’s SO bland. Sad to think of what might have been if the GM suits paid more attention to the Malibu. Now it’s merely a value machine, do to speak. Nondescript!

    Reply
    1. I think it’s better than the Altima. My honest opinion.

      Yeah I’ve been exposed to all mainstream mid sized cars when I travel for work. I rent them. Malibu is one of my favorites. It’s very easy to live with.

      Reply
  7. Imagine that, a sub $30k vehicle selling thru available inventory. Update the interior and bring back the 3.8 married to hybrid, keep it at or below $30k, get rid of dealer network and sell direct to consumer.

    Reply
  8. The Malibu is a very under rated vehicle. It rides and drives well, it’s comfortable, has a usable infotainment system, it’s affordable, and it’s easy to get up to 40 mpg on flat, steady highway driving.

    I don’t know anything about that CVT or how reliable it is though.

    I would say that the Malibu is a popular sedan and don’t mess with success. But the redesigned Camry on the horizon is forcing Chevy’s hand.

    I think they need to update the ICE Malibu – bringing back the hybrid as a at least the standard powertrain a on higher trim levels.

    And they need to prioritize a similarly sized sedan for development on Ultium with a 300 mile range for Chevy, Buick, and Cadillac. Give the Cadillac the 5 link suspension and more expensive materials. The Chevy should focus on being a Model 3 alternative.

    Reply
  9. As someone who just bought a 2024 RS Malibu it is a comfortable decently equipped car for under $27000.00 . Yes it could use more power but it is actually peppy off the line when floored. The CVT transmission takes some getting use to (never had a car with one). I really like the styling on the outside especially with the RS package and the interior is decent. My only complaint with the interior are the gauges which look boring.Not everyone needs a suv or a pickup and GM offers nothing in a car anymore which is sad. The only other option I wish they had for it is a manual transmission

    Reply
    1. GM still offers the Cadillac CT4 and CT5 sedans. If you wanted something that wasn’t “boring”, you could have sprung for the CT4 for another $10K and had a traditional 8-speed auto, 2.0L turbo engine, and either RWD or AWD.

      Reply
      1. The Cadillac ct4 is priced in the low forties. That is an about 15 grand more than the Malibu RS I just bought. If you are looking under thirty grand gm has nothing in a sedan but a Malibu

        Reply
  10. Have a 2018 Malibu Redline Edition silver with 16,000 miles. Added hand black and red pin striping and black spoiler to complement Redline package. Also had all leather black interior added. Constantly get thumbs up from total strangers while out driving. While not the most economical around town I do average 40mpg on highway. With the minimal road time it sees it is a perfect 4 door sedan.

    Reply
  11. We have used many different rentals on business trips and was surprised how nice the Malibu was to drive. No it is not a sports car but it is pleasant and comfy on long trips. We needed a secondary car (main is a Tahoe) and we ended up buying a 2024 and love it.

    Reply
  12. They should put a Awd into it and bring the hybrid back . They should also upgrade the 1.3 have it make around make around 170 – 191 hp and 206 Torque . The RS deserve more love and should get the Cadillac CT4 2.7 engine and have it go against the Kia K5 Gt , Hyundai Sonata N line and the Nissan Altima Sr turbo

    Reply

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