The product people behind the Camry, a form of toaster sold by Japan’s Toyota, recently thought it a wise idea to festoon this perfectly boring appliance with quad exhaust tips, flared bumper work, and darkened wheels. This was in hopes to further differentiate itself from norm-core crossovers that have been eroding at the market share of the still-substantial sedan segment, as a “sportier” way to sit in 405 traffic. Being that the Camry is a leader in the segment, this immediately caused a ripple effect.
And so, here we are. The 2019 Chevrolet Malibu RS, attempting to appear sportier than before.
We’ll start by saying that we don’t think there was anything wrong with the design of the pre-facelift Chevy Malibu of this generation. The fascia was well proportioned, the sheetmetal had athletic creases, and it all came together without appearing too overdone. But with strong offerings from the rest of the segment ever present, something had to be done to keep the Malibu fresh for the 2019 model year. That something was a new grille, which Chevrolet describes as a “logical progression,” and the introduction of the RS trim level, which tests the appetites for a continuously variable transmission and darkened looks on Chevy sedan customers. The thrills don’t stretch beyond that. For the core market, they will think these thrills are plenty, as they dare to sample mild hot sauce for the first time. Mild hot sauce with a CVT, at that.
General Motors has traditionally avoided the continuously variable transmission, and the fact that there’s now two passenger cars that feature this transmission design (three if you count a certain Chevy Cruze fleet model) is practically breaking news. As reference, the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu RS sends 163 hp and 184 lb-ft through a proprietary bees nest to return an EPA-estimated 27 mpg city, 36 mpg highway, which seems great on paper only. Start/stop is present and undefeatable.
It’s hard to endorse this decision of a CVT in a *ahem*Â “sport-inspired” sedan when the nine-speed that’s in the Malibu Premiere, which is excellent, should have been the go-to choice. A CVT – this one with fake shift points – is neither refined, nor sporty. But its design does package extremely well, is less costly to implement, and it’s supposed to return better fuel economy numbers. But the sanity of the buyer will be questioned for embracing 3,000 RPM drones for the sake of a mile per gallon or two. To say nothing of the over-styled looks.
At $24,995, the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu RS is just the right level of nice on the inside, where the tech-focused layout remains unchanged. Cloth seats and textured fabric cover the cabin in conservative colors, centered by a standard 8-inch touchscreen with the latest operating system, dubbed Infotainment 3. The user interface is very akin to that of a tablet, and there are apps such as Weather Channel and Pandora, along with the ability to download other third-party apps as they become available, as well as order things like coffee on the go. And don’t forget, like every other Chevrolet vehicle, there’s 4G LTE wifi as well. The technology and partnerships that GM has made over the years also means that Amazon can deliver packages directly into the trunk of the car. The 2019 Malibu RS is also compatible with side-hustle-friendly peer-to-peer car sharing through Maven, GM’s in-house mobility solutions platform that offers everything from hourly rentals, to leasing out non-personal vehicles for ride-share platforms such as Uber and Lyft. And for emergency situations, OnStar is present and accounted for.
Where the styling and new transmission leave more to be desired, the overall ride and copious technology are major strongpoints for the 2019 Chevrolet Malibu RS. Especially if convenience and gadgetry is the priority, then there’s really no better choice than the 2019 Malibu. Hopefully customers like the design.
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Comments
Sounds like a decent repackaging. Where is the CVT sourced from?
The price and value equation looks promising.
The lack of a defeat for auto start/stop is a nonstarter for me (no pun intended). So is the lack of all wheel drive.
Consecutive variable transmission?
I’ve been familiar with continuous variable transmissions for decades, but this was a new one on me.
So, I Googled it. All of the results are “continuous variable transmission”. I have asked a couple of other auto journalist friends, and they have never heard of such a thing.
Please enlighten me.
The crisis has been averted.
Another crisis may be brewing. Cylons are not known for their sense of humor. Your use of the racial epithet TOASTER can anger Cylons. If you are not familiar with the Species Cylon, there is a very informative documentary about them. It is called Battlestar Galactica.
I am ok with the styling.
Add a defeat on the start stop.
Give it a 9 speed and 2.0 turbo option if it is to wear a RS emblem.
That would fix much of what is wrong.
Curious, the 2019 Cruze will have a defeat for the start / stop. Why not the Malibu?
Because they’re different product lines… or because Chevy/GM hasn’t found a way to sync up its product lines so that they’re uniform. Either one of those is probably right on the money.
Actually it may have more to do with off cycle emissions credits.
To meet specific numbers some car and engines need off cycle credits. If the can not meet them with a defeat button they do not get it.
Off cycle credits are emissions credits that can not be measure in a real world way due to variables. Companies are given credits by the EPA toward these emissions goals.
Many things are considered for credits like solar glass, reflective paints, high efficiency alternators and even climate controls seats.
In short it is a work around that companies can use to their advantage to better meet the numbers needed.
GM may either needed it in the Bu or just made the call to add it as they will need it in the future based on future numbers and engines.
Sorry this is a very basic explanation of a very complicated topic. There is more to it and more debate about it.
Many people have no idea about them at all too.
One of the prime off cycle tools is the AFM systems. Since there is no set way they function on dropping cylinder in the real world since everyone drives differently they are given a specific credit.
I hate CVT’s.
Hope the primer have LED
The 2019 Malibu Premier does, indeed, have LED headlamps standard. It also has standard LED taillamps, making the car’s entire lighting LED-based.
I hope you can get the hybrid in the Premier trim.
That would make the Malibu an interesting choice to me.
Sheesh. The CVT as expected isnt anything to write home about, however other reviewers did say it at least tones down the constant droning compared to other car makes.
This is essentially an appearance package for lower end trims. GM is hoping people see the value proposition with the Malibu RS. A high styled mid sized sedan with good fuel economy at a very reasonable price.
It’s a way to make the lower trim Malibu’s more appealing.
But I hope they don’t bring new buyers into the showroom and into a Malibu only to have rhsm saddled with a crappy CVT. Nissan’s CVT’s have had a lot of issues.
And no one seems to know where the Malibu’s CVT came from.
Seems to be a GM in house job. Its called VT40 and uses a chain driven system instead of the usual belt driven system. GM’s VT40 CVT system tries to simulate an automatic transmission as much as possible. Need more in depth information about it and its characteristics.
The first thing that popped into my head when I saw 2019 Chevrolet Malibu RS was possibly that the Malibu was getting the 200 horsepower LWC 1.6L DOHC-4v 4-cyl turbo from the Buick Cascada matched to a 9-speed automatic transmission; but when you see CVT, you know the Malibu RS is a horror story and no one in their right mind should consider buying.
So let me get this straight. They spent all that time and money to certify a new transmission only to return identical MPG ratings as last years normal non drone oriented 6 speed automatic? Are they losing their minds today?
So let me get this straight. They spent all that time and money to certify a new transmission only to return identical MPG ratings as last years normal non drone oriented 6 speed automatic? Are they losing their minds today?
Read more: http://gmauthority.com/blog/2018/08/2019-chevrolet-malibu-rs-first-drive/#ixzz5PfLM0yeg Daily
Nothing to say but a beukhh, not interesting just 163 hp 1.5 engine and a cvt. sorry but GM is going wrong.
The car is very beautiful with sporty design looks very prominent and luxurious in the interior.