https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/2019-chevrolet-malibu-rs-cvt-driven?utm_medium=social-media&src=socialflowFBCAD&utm_campaign=socialflowFBCD&utm_source=facebook

Let me know if the link works. 

8 hours ago, regfootball said:

Let me know if the link works.

The link worked for me. 

ok, doesn't drive faster, and mpg might go up 1 mpg city.  What is the point of the CVT then?  Save fifty? or a couple hundred bucks? a car because the new CVT is cheaper and made in Mexico?  So good old GM, it has to come down to $$$$

Why not use the higher power 1.5 and 9 speed from the Terrain in here?  The mpg may go down a bit.  But it would help with the low end acceleration issues.  The 1.5 fwd Malibu only has a 2mpg advantage over the Terrain 1.5 fwd 9 speed.  Which i bet is a lot because the aerodynamics and weight of an SUV vs sedan accounts for a lot of that 2 mpg.

I don't like the RS spoiler.  Will heated seats be an option with cloth?  Moonroof?  What's the point of a sporty car without a sunroof?

Chevy should provide a 2.0 option on the RS that does not require you to go all the way up to a Premier.  I bet it would be popular.  Oh but, CAFE.  That whole attitude is shitty because Chevy could move a lot of 2.0/9 speed Malibus i feel if it were a more price friendly upgrade.  An "RS 2.0 performance upgrade package" would do it.  The 2.0/9 speed plus enhanced suspension settings and maybe even brakes.  Maybe the 'RS performance package' has a unique cloth / leatherette seat design too.

Like the new front end a lot, the RS wheels are really nice.  Hate the spoiler but from some angles it looks purposeful.

Edited August 28, 20186 yr by regfootball

I think American carmakers simply do not want to try to make decent midsize sedans. They don’t have the patience of Hyundai and Kia and then when cars perhaps come back in another form they will be left stranded

3 hours ago, regfootball said:

Oh but, CAFE.

You sound like you don't think that's a real thing.

https://www.autoblog.com/2018/08/27/2019-chevrolet-malibu-rs-first-drive-review/?ncid=edlinkusauto00000021&yptr=yahoo&utm_source=spotim&utm_medium=spotim_recirculation&spotim_referrer=recirculation

Quote

Don't expect any contribution to the sportiness from the powertrain. The 1.5-liter engine and CVT are adequate — but neither rises beyond that descriptor. Frankly, the Malibu feels immense, but as we found out in 2016, it's not terribly heavy, so the 1.5 works just fine here. Its ride, handling, and power delivery are unremarkable — few demerits and certainly no plaudits. Steering duties are begrudgingly handled by a leather-wrapped steering wheel that looks a bit like a caricature of itself – cartoonish and distorted. The profound adequacy extends to the seats, which support well for about an hour and then begin to wear on the back. Little offends, but little impresses – the initial, almost neutral pleasantness of the Malibu RS wears off, like you've been inside it too long and it is trying to let on, quietly, that you've overstayed your welcome.

The CVT itself has no glaring vices, but also isn't nearly as sophisticated or slick as the latest units from Nissan and Subaru. What is shocking is that the RS isn't available with the 2.0T and nine-speed automatic — a more natural fit for a "sporty" trim. It's not even an option. Just like the word "coupe" has been twisted to encompass a broad variety of vehicle types, in the sedan world, "sporty" is not what it seems. From a dynamic standpoint, "sporty" is an antonym for "Malibu RS". 

yes, BUT CAFE

Edited August 28, 20186 yr by regfootball

https://www.cnet.com/roadshow/reviews/2019-chevy-malibu-preview/

 

https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2018/08/2019-chevrolet-malibu-rs-first-drive-curiously-viable-transportation/

 

Quote

This is, by far, the best CVT I’ve ever driven. Most transmissions of this nature make the driver feel as if there is something wrong with the car — the engine hangs at a higher RPM level, causing noise, or the needle might move up and down the tachometer in steady-state driving on the freeway. Disconcerting noises plague most CVTs. Not this one. Had I not read the literature on this car or attended a morning briefing before hopping behind the wheel, I don’t know if I’d have noticed the lack of traditional gears.

 

Just something about the RS package I like.....

12 hours ago, regfootball said:

What's the point of a sporty car without a sunroof?

What's the point of a sporty trim if nothing about it is sportier than the base model? 

27 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

What's the point of a sporty trim if nothing about it is sportier than the base model? 

Sounds like it's just an appearance package.  

1 hour ago, Cubical-aka-Moltar said:

Sounds like it's just an appearance package.  

Exactly... RS used to mean sporty trim and now it's just an appearance package. 

When the youngsters get in for that test drive for their first car they will buy with a car loan and they hear that engine scream for redline while the cvt is scurrying to do its thing, they’ll think that’s purfurments

oh and the leather wrapped wheel no need to go to Pep boys for a steering wheel cover 

17 minutes ago, ccap41 said:

Exactly... RS used to mean sporty trim and now it's just an appearance package. 

But is it EXCITEMENT!?

 

 

 

Edited August 28, 20186 yr by regfootball

 

 

NOW THIS!  IS EXCITEMENT!!!!

WHY DIDN'T THE RS MALIBU GET WHITE FACE GAUGES FOR THE CVT?????

 

 

that were the golden years my friend

WHITE FACE GAUGES

 

 

Reg has a bug up his butt about white gauges- pass it on!

AFAIK, Chevy's RS package has always been an appearance package.

14 minutes ago, ocnblu said:

AFAIK, Chevy's RS package has always been an appearance package.

I think so, like on the 1st gen Camaros--they had SSes, RSes, and SS/RSes.  Also Z/28-RSes.   SS and Z/28 were the performance packages, RS added trim like the hidden headlights and different taillights. 

Edited September 13, 20186 yr by Cubical-aka-Moltar

14 hours ago, ocnblu said:

AFAIK, Chevy's RS package has always been an appearance package.

I had to do some research and you are correct. I originally thought the RS(Rally Sport) was an actual performance package but it wasn't. It was: "The Rally Sport (RS) appearance package brought deluxe interior trim and hidden headlights with it". Back then it was available with the V8 option though, so there's that.