The 2024 Chevy Malibu Barely Beats the Toyota Camry in Only 1 Area
The Chevy Malibu and Toyota Camry are two trusted names in the ever-shrinking world of midsize sedans. They have a few things in common, like similar pricing, interior space, and standard features. So, which of these midsize family sedans is better in the 2024 model year? The Camry has the advantage over the Malibu in many ways, but the Chevy sedan manages to squeak out a rare win in one area.
Which is better, the Chevy Malibu or Toyota Camry?
When you compare the 2024 Toyota Camry and the 2024 Chevrolet Malibu side-by-side, the Camry is the winner on paper in almost every category. The standard engine in the Malibu makes 163 horsepower and returns 30 mpg, according to the EPA. Meanwhile, the base engine in the Camry produces 203 horsepower and returns 32 mpg. The Camry is available with AWD and a hybrid powertrain, but you can’t get either of those things in the Malibu. The Toyota also has a potent V6 engine available, but the former sporty engine in the Chevy was discontinued in 2022. So, under the hood alone, the Toyota Camry has many advantages over the Chevy Malibu.
What about standard features? The standard Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ system in the Camry bundles automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, road sign assist, and automatic high beams. The Malibu comes standard with the similar Chevy Safety Assist system but doesn’t have adaptive cruise control. This convenient feature is standard on every trim of the Camry and none of the trims of the Malibu.
Another feather in the cap of the Toyota Camry is the IIHS Top Safety Pick+ designation. This is the highest award given by the safety watchdog group. The Chevy Malibu doesn’t earn this honor or even the non-plus Top Safety Pick award.
1 area where the Chevy Malibu barely beats the Toyota Camry
There’s only one area where the Chevy Malibu beats the Toyota Camry, if only by a little: cargo space. The trunk in the Camry has 15.1 cubic feet of space, while the volume of the Malibu’s trunk is 15.7 cubic feet. That’s a nice perk for the Chevy, but it’s not a big enough difference to make the Malibu a better buy than the Camry.
As for the interior space of the rest of the car, the front and rear legroom are almost identical between the two. The Malibu has slightly more front headroom, and the Camry has slightly more rear headroom.
What other midsize sedans are available?
The midsize sedan segment has gotten smaller as SUVs keep getting more popular. However, it’s still a competitive class. Other options include the stalwart Honda Accord, the stylish Kia K5, the high-tech Hyundai Sonata, the sporty Nissan Altima, and the AWD-equipped Subaru Legacy.
Of these options, the Accord, Camry, and Sonata are available as hybrids. If you’re looking for a lively sports sedan in this class, the Kia K5 GT and Nissan Altima SR VC-Turbo are competitive with the Toyota Camry TRD.
Although the Chevy Malibu has the benefit of a low starting price ($25,100), it’s priced close to the Hyundai Sonata and Kia K5, and the Subaru Legacy is even cheaper, starting at $24,895.
We don’t want to be hard on the Chevy Malibu, but compared to its tough competition, it’s hard to make a case for the Malibu as a good buy in midsize sedans in the 2024 model year.
