2020 Chevrolet Malibu (2024)

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Chevrolet Malibu Overview

The current 2020 Chevrolet Malibu sedan hit showrooms in 2015 as a 2016 model. Chevrolet’s entry in the fiercely contested mid-size sedan segment, the five-passenger Malibu features Chevrolet’s distinctive familial exterior styling and reasonably contemporary interior design. A mild exterior refresh in late 2018 brought a larger grill and an 8-inch infotainment screen as standard equipment. Powertrain choices include a turbocharged 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine mated with a CVT or a 2.0-liter four-cylinder that shifts through a nine-speed automatic. Far from the most exciting entry in the segment, it offers a comfortable ride for those with little interest in spirited driving.

Trim Specifications

Chevrolet Malibu Specification

Chevrolet Malibu Safety

Launched as the upscale variant of the Chevelle, the Malibu offered an uptick in material quality and styling. Affixed to coupes, sedans, convertibles and wagons, the Malibu name became esteemed on its own.

The Malibu, along with its Chevelle stablemate, featured entirely new sheet metal for 1968. While the new semi-fastback design remained consistent for four years, Chevrolet continuously updated the Malibu with minor styling changes to the front and rear fascias. Arguably the most widely recognized of all the classic Malibu models, the second-gen Malibu has achieved iconic status.

1973 brought a major redesign that failed to capture the same level of excitement as the previous generation. The Malibu nameplate was downgraded for 1974, Chevrolet reassigning it to identify the entry-level Chevelle model.

Chevrolet ditched the Chevelle name entirely in 1978, placing the entire weight of the brand’s mid-sized offering on the Malibu moniker. Smaller and devoid of the curves of previous generations, the fourth-gen Malibu was available as a coupe, sedan, and station wagon.

Appearing over a decade after the Malibu nameplate last saw the light of a Chevrolet showroom, the front-wheel drive fifth-gen Malibu sedan was cut from an entirely different cloth. Aimed at the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord, the modern, front-wheel drive sedan disappointed more than few devotees of the marque who felt the Malibu moniker deserved better than to be slapped on a front-wheel drive economy car. The fifth-gen Malibu received only minor cosmetic and mechanical upgrades over its run. The fifth-gen Malibu remained in production for rental and fleet buyers even after the sixth-gen Malibu replaced the consumer model.

Offered either as a four-door sedan or a five-door hatchback known as the Malibu Maxx, the sixth-gen Malibu continued to hone the small-sedan formula with mixed results. A Malibu Max SS model arrived with a 240-horsepower V6.

Extensively redesigned for 2008, the seventh-gen Malibu received nearly unanimous praise from the motoring press. Stylish and well-equipped, all trims benefitted from standard anti-lock brakes, traction control, OnStar and six airbags. The hybrid version of the seventh-gen Malibu was discontinued in 2010.

The eighth-gen Malibu went on sale in 2012 as a 2013 model. A true global vehicle, the eighth-gen Malibu was sold in markets across the globe with only minor powertrain, tech, and styling changes made to meet local regulations or regional stylistic tastes. The eighth-gen Malibu was sold alongside the new ninth-gen Malibu as the Malibu Limited for 2016.

The current ninth-gen Malibu debuted at the 2015 New York auto show as a 2016 model. The redesigned 2016 Malibu marked the first appearance of Chevrolet’s Teen Driver safety feature, which records data points such as maximum speed, distance driven, stability control activation and forward-collision alerts so parents can access them later via the infotainment screen.