I think you'll probably find those that say the 2.4 is fine and others who say it isn't, seems like a personal thing for many. I had a 2.5L V6 in my old car and got a 2.4L in the Malibu and it seems fine to me. Granted I don't even have 400 miles on it yet so I haven't been racing around in it or anything but I really think it is going to work well for me in this car. If you can, test drive one with a 2.4L and see what you think of it.