Starting With the Base
Exterior appearance really sets the mood for a vehicle. Luckily, Chevy knows this. The looks slightly vary by trim, and the 2021 Chevy Malibu comes in five different trims. These include the L, LS, RS, LT, and the Premier. Let’s take a look at the exterior trim by trim, starting at the base-level option. The L trim only comes in 2 colors, which are Silver Ice Metallic and Summit White. It has standard 16-inch aluminum wheels and optional deflectors for an extra 89 dollars. This is the most basic available trim. It doesn’t include any additional package options.
The LS trim comes in 5 optional colors, including Silver Ice Metallic and Summit White, alongside Mosaic Black Metallic, Shadow Gray Metallic, and Black Cherry Metallic. This model also comes with 16-inch aluminum wheels, but it has more add-on options than the L trim. These add-ons include a rear spoiler, front and rear splash guards, a dark chrome grille, body-colored power outside mirrors, an illuminated black bowtie emblem, or front and rear black bowtie emblems.
Mid-Level Trims
The RS trim comes with six exterior colors, which are the same as the LS’s colors with the additional Cherry Red Tintcoat premium option, which costs 495 dollars extra. This trim comes with larger 18-inch aluminum wheels and optional front and rear splash guards. All the other add-ons are not present on this trim. Its main aesthetic difference lies in its extra premium color option. Otherwise, the LS comes with more exterior add-ons.
The LT comes in seven exterior colors, all the same as before with the additional Northsky Blue Metallic option. Additionally, this is where the wheel variety comes into play. This trim comes with 17-inch aluminum wheels, but you can add either 18-inch machined aluminum wheels with Lunar Gray pockets, 19-inch black painted wheels, 19-inch black painted wheels with red hash marks, or just plain 19-inch aluminum wheels. You can also choose between two different sizes of all-season blackwall tires.
To top it all off, the LT comes in the Redline, Midnight, Sport, and Appearance package options as well, which include their own special customization options. These vary, but the Redline’s theme is based around red accents, the Midnight package offers a blacked-out aesthetic, and the Sport and Appearance packages offer their own unique features.
The Top-of-the-Line Trim
The Premier trim is the highest trim, and it also comes in the same seven exterior colors as the LT. It has standard 19-inch aluminum wheels and optional emblem and fender hash marks like the LS and LT trims have. Otherwise, the Premier’s benefits lie in its standard tech and interior features. Its exterior isn’t much different than the aforementioned trims.