regfootball

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2019-02-05/chevy-silverado-pickup-trucks-will-pay-for-gm-s-electric-future

And best includes a CVT now.

DING DING DING! You are correct sir, that is the ultimate goal. SUV's = more $$$$ If that car doesn't sell, they can shut down the US plant. Also, they think they can survive as a company selling all higher priced stuff. Next recession, plus higher gas prices, it's always around the corner. Then you've got nothing on the lot to sell to the people who are buying. I get it, bigger prices and profits make more money and keep the company in business. But there is still a market share component to remaining a big player. Look at how GM gets caught with pants down when they dive into the SUV's and then there is a quick market shift. Auto loan defaults are currently a bubble waiting to ruin the market again. https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/detroit/2019/02/15/car-loans-payments-recession/2858394002/ It's still a good idea to keep competitive, not only cost wise but also driving quality wise in the lesser price segments. I think eventually we'll see Hyundai keep pushing the easy credit and more and more models and they will cut into GM and Ford's business more and more. GM and Ford still have to be players in market volume, despite what they believe. If GM and Ford lose mainstream status, they'll be done. They'll lose to Japan and Germany in near lux and lux perception market all the time. Another strategy here would be to at least offer the powertrain upgrade then. Make the CVT standard on the LS and LT but give a powertrain upgrade option for the 9 speed plus higher hp 1.5. Bring the 2.0 option to the LT and RS also. Even though its sinfully ugly, I think I will be forced to take an Accord 1.5 and Sport 2.0 out for a spin now just to compare.

and a much higher price tag. make the 2.0 and 9 speed a standalone option for the RS and LT trim then that is a legit question. the 2018 has a 27/30/36 EPA. new one is 29/32/36. The city and combined are improved, but that could honestly be more throttle programming than the fact it has a CVT. And the highway rating is not improved, which is baffling. The real world highway fuel economy of the six speed is amazing. And considering how much you have to lay into it with the CVT, at the end of the day it's likely to be a wash in the real world. So CVT's may do better on the EPA cycle. Again, GM caving to CAFE, and trying to save a few bucks (which they will end up giving back in more incentive money). To make the car less appealing. Why not put a CVT in a Cadillac then also? Hey if it's about saving money...... I wonder how cheap those CVT warranty claims will be......

DRIVEN: 2019 Chevrolet Malibu 1LT 1.5 with CVT, cloth, MSRP just a little over 29,000 my previous review of current gen Malibus are here, where I cover a lot of the highs and lows. https://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/topic/86223-2016-chevrolet-malibu-1lt-15-update-2-hybrid-20-2lt/ Also in reader rides is a link for my lease experience with a 2016 Malibu LT 1.5 to date (now pushing about 40,000 miles). Therefore, I will try to address what is fresh / different on the 2019 car, most specifically the odd decision to swap out the 6 speed traditional automatic for an all new, in house, GM designed CVT transmission. NEW HIGHS: -Revised new front end clip is a legitimate style enhancement from the 2016-2018. It may look like a bigger gaping fish mouth, but it every line about it fits well with the design of the vehicle. Also, in RS trim, when blacked out, looks more like it means business too. -Available RS appearance trim package (more on this later). -Dual zone climate control now standard on LT model. Too add to that, heated seats with cloth are standard on LT as well, now. (to see what you lose off LT standard equipment, read below) -If you have to put a CVT in a car these days, this CVT actually seems to do a good job in comparison to past CVT's I have driven and other CVT's currently out there. It has the simulated stepped gear effect that most have adopted now, and it responds about as quick as most CVT's are wont to do these days. It doesn't have so much of the rubber band or catch up effect as older CVT's. I think it is just the state of the breed these days that some of the real performance agitators from the older CVT's keep getting lessened all the time. The fact that this is an in-house GM designed and manufactured unit is even more impressive, especially considering the disaster in the mid 2000's with Saturn's CVT's the first time around. So despite all of this..... (read below). NEW LOWS: -This all starts with the absolute tool move by Mary Barra and GM to fix or replace what was not broken. The 6 speed automatic was a great match to the 1.5t motor, and together the engine and transmission made the most of not a lot of power in the small displacement motor. The transmission was never a reason to consider the car less than capable, or loud, or unrefined. The 6 speed, despite only having 6 speeds, got the most performance and refinement it could out of that fuel economy conscious powertrain. The powertrain was not a source of excess noise or unwanted refinement. The Malibu WAS a fairly quiet car for its price and class. So the new CVT by my sampling should be among the good CVT's out there today. BUT IT STILL RUINS / CHANGES THE CAR. Roll on acceleration at speed is still responsive and good. But starts and stops, yes, now you have the loud drone. And you really gotta pound the gas to get the turbo kick, where with the six speed it is nice easy throttle foot. Even the lesser doses of all the traits that make CVT's annoying still tend to be highly annoying. When you step on it with the 6 speed, the car kicks down and it doesn't DRONE the same as the CVT does. And it really is just less refined, and MORE LOUD CABIN NOISE. To the point that it changes the car and I think many people will not be on board with it. I am sure more miles with it may help the uncaring get used to it, but to buyers on a 4 mile test drive, this doesn't bode well for GM to stoop to other carmakers level here. -LT cloth trim (most popular trim) of Malibu gains dual climate, and heated cloth, but now Chevy takes away your standard leather wrap wheel. BUT WAIT, you get a leather wrap wheel on the RS (but you don't get remote start, heated cloth or dual zone on the RS). WTF Chevy. And, no moonroof available with RS. WTF. An RS with dual zone, remote start, heated cloth, audio upgrade, moonroof (and no CVT, why not the higher HP 1.5 and regular 9 speed from the Terrain too?)...wtf Chevy that would sell to the young buyers you want to court here. You probably spent more than 200 bucks on that tacked on trunklid RS spoiler you can't delete, and many wouldn't want with the lines of this car. OR, hey, why not a 2.0 engine option on the RS? -Still no shut off for autostop. -still hard to get Chevy to move away from these drab, all black, everything black interior trimmings. Mix in more lighter tones in contrast please! -The salesguy made a great point. Unprompted he talked about how if Chevy had an all wheel drive option for the Malibu it would help it to not lose sales to CUV's or other sedans. I had noted even the Altima had AWD now and that's when he said people look at the Malibu and when they find out the Malibu doesn't have AWD option, they immediately turn and move on to something else. So the Malibu is getting interest and maybe it's time to think about that AWD option. (Right now Ford has a Fusion SE AWD package with a big discount for the 2.0 and AWD that you can spec out one for about the same price as this Malibu 1.5's MSRP). SUMMARY: Well, a CVT is something a person can always get used to. But here, Mary Barra and GM and their beancounters did something that they didn't need to do, and shouldn't have. They tried to change what was working and in the name of what? Virtually no change in EPA ratings. So what, then? Well, I believe i read somewhere and I will have to dig this up where it said that by using the CVT in lieu of the regular automatic, that GM was saving 200 bucks per car by switching to the CVT (which is made in Mexico). This was a matter of fact change that in this article even, no one from GM could seem to endorse why. https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a22835282/2019-chevrolet-malibu-rs-cvt-driven/ https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/malibu/2019/2019-chevrolet-malibu-rs-first-drive-review/ It really is about the money, and just wanting to force a new tranny into use that they may need for future models....except into an existing model that worked well enough, and better! with what it has. There is no improvement and in fact it hurts the car. An absolute tool move by GM. They will need to put more than that 200 dollars a car in extra incentives to try to keep a buyer interested after they hear the drone of that CVT.....especially GM fans who are among the most CVT averse buyers in the industry. In the showroom was a new 2018 with the leather and moonroof and the 1.5 with the six speed automatic. If you want one of those, get it before it's gone!

rather fitting that when the Blazer comes out, there's a lot of cheap lease offers on Acadias going on

a more plausible option down the road would be Cadillac + GMC retail stores. Rather than just folding Buick. I think if Buick can ever equip their vehicles as truly a half step up over Chevy, it's fine as a niche brand co-existing to help justify a GMC trucks retail outlet. GMC and Chevy can never universally share a showroom because it would ding both their truck lines.

Buick does make more sense as a ‘trim package’ for a brand, at least much more so than having Cadillac be a trim package. I am looking towards the tourx as my next ride. I agree, interior could be nicer, but I think when it goes away as a choice, if I don’t have one (I especially want the big moonroof) I’ll have missed an opportunity.

Perhaps, someone who wants to move up a bit from an Equinox and no third row. I think if it were priced better, that group would be quite large. But now I know why they are making it in less volume and higher prices in Mexico.

The blazer is then priced miserably compared to both. At least in lower spec trims.

Compare MSRP’s. The explorer in base and xlt trim will compete favorably as an option regardless of 2 or 3 rows

I am quite a bit looking forward to seeing how badly the 2020 Explorer tramples all over this thing.

DRIVEN: 2019 Chevrolet Blazer LT AWD 3.6 (MSRP around 40k) HIGHS: -Blazer name is back! -Unique, sporty CUV style, drawing inspiration from the Camaro. Be seen. Looks good in person, even in a bad color. -Nice new interior design, including ball blower vents down low. That will be a godsend in summer. I liked the gauges, displays, controls, and touchscreen. -Cargo area seemed more useful in size than I imagined. If I recall, the rear seats can slide forward and back to help out with that. -If you are averse to 4 cylinder engines, Chevy has you covered here. Most of the Blazers will be had with 3.6 v6. And with enough throttle foot, and after you let it wind up, and if the tranny actually kicks down, it scoots pretty well. -Fans of CUV's that are heavy and sit high will be like pigs in slop in the Blazer. LOWS: -There are probably a lot of people that won't be into the styling. -Drivetrain doesn't seem refined. Sorry, another one of these GM drivetrains with the common 3.6 that underwhelms. Slow transmission kickdown. Feels like driveline has a lot of slop. Lack of useful torque. Grainy sounding, revs slow, throttle response is a dud. -Interior space is not exactly a middle spot between the Equinox and Traverse. To some it will feel not much larger than an Equinox inside, which is either a compliment for the Equinox (wasn't intended to be) or a rip on the Blazer (maybe that's where I was going). Perhaps how high you sit on the queen perch exacerbates the truckiness of this thing, but it feels narrow in relation to it's size, and it's easier to knock elbows with your neighbor than it should be in this thing. -There is nothing about the ride and handling that stuck in my mind as impressive. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Now, maybe the RS is better, I don't know. -Irregardless of whether a vehicle being heavy is a good or bad thing, it's that the Blazer actually feels porky or even porkier than it is / isn't. -The elephant in the room on this thing is price. This lightly equipped LT was near 40 grand. In the same showroom is an almost equally equipped Traverse for an almost equal price. The versions that are in the high 40's and 50's, it's a real SMH to me. -An all around feel about the vehicle that it was just a cobbled together parts bin ride (which historically has been GM's PENCHANT). The Blazer is a vehicle that feels old by several years on the market, right when it's introduced. SUMMARY No compelling reason to pick this vehicle on the market other than if you are a GM fanboi/girl or you've gone sick on the styling of it. If it's the former, its another case of GM missing an opportunity to provide class competitive or better vehicle refinement and dynamics and missing the mark. If it's the latter, then the styling ends up being the sole purpose for the vehicle to exist in the market. If it doesn't have more than that, than it's hopes for being a long term success are pretty thin. I don't need to dive much more into this one. Reviving the Blazer name and throwing it on something that evokes the Camaro in styling is about all there is behind this effort. Nissan came out with the Murano in 2003? 2004? And Chevrolet finally has something to compete with it in 2019. The list of vehicles that are better options to this for your money, whether 2 or 3 row, are in the dozens. As far as Chevy, if you really want size, immediately bypass the Blazer and just go straight for the Traverse. For performance and refinement, it's entirely possibly that a well loaded Equinox with the 2.0 engine is a much more enjoyable vehicle for a majority of people. And don't forget the GMC options too. Other makes and models, Santa Fe, Atlas, Edge, Passport, all better. I might be here all day if I list all the better options. It doesn't make it bad to like the Blazer and I wouldn't criticize anyone for buying one. I just think GM mailed it in here, which they seem to be doing with increasing frequency here. All you get here is a name and some style. Bless ya if that's what you want. I may try the 2.5 FWD for contrast, but i think I can 99% safely say one of these will never be in my driveway. Continuing to lose more and more faith in GM and Chevy all the time.

I sort of like this little rig. May be a nice used car find in a couple years, if you have spare dough and want a 3rd vehicle for top down summer cruising.

"MY GRILLE IS BIGGER THAN YOUR GRILLE"

yes, they are. but the dealer has to pay money to hold the car in inventory on the chance someone walks in and buys it that day. The dealer wants to make that sale immediately when the customer is on site. And so by only offering black, they play if safe and it takes away more possible customer objections. that's why for luxury cars, if we offer more colorful choices inside, i think it has to become a custom sort of process. for the non sport models, cadillac actually on some trims at least has a tan and gray palette available. that alone is a godsend. Look at chevy. I think 90+% of the cars on their lots are all black inside.

I am so tired of all black interiors. Its partly that way because its a cop out that the car can't be sold at a dealer unless it has a 'safe' color. The dealer folks will say a colored interior may keep the car from being sold. I think this is actually a big opportunity for manufacturers to develop a custom build process then.

technically, compared to a standard XT5, the wheel size shouldn't raise the vehicle. Or do you mean with it being a crossover it just naturally sits high...because the whole idea with crossovers is that they are at 'slide in' or 'step in' height. Not 'step up' height like trucks. Also, 'sport' vehicles, the connotation is that they typically have 'lowered' suspension compared to plain jane variants. (sorry I just offended Janes out there). I am just being snarky about the idea of possibly a 'lowered' vehicle, but now you are having to 'step up'. And also at least when i was in the car biz the stigma was you put step bars on vehicles for old folks.

But ‘assist steps’. C’mon.

Neither the CTS-V or the CTS V sport have available AWD. It would have been nice for Cadillac to have included it as an option, at least on the V-Sport. Interested to see what the new Ct4 or 5 or whatever is like, although if the interior is like the XT4, it's nice but its not luxury....

Since when does a 'sport package' include 'side assist steps' ??????? Cadillac Introduces Limited-Edition XT5 Sport Package Where's the hopped up motor?

2016 Malibu is noted at 3,159 pounds in Car and Driver's road test of the 2016 model. Car and Driver's road test of a 2014 with the 2.5 Ecotec is listed at 3,571 pounds. The 2016 (new) Cruze they have noted as 2,944 pounds, and the LTZ of the old 2011 Cruze is listed at 3,206 pounds in one of their articles. The AWD 2018 Buick Regal GS (platform shared) is listed as 3,820 pounds. The 2014 Regal GS AWD that C/D tested was listed at 4,022 pounds.

These are 225’s. I can’t recall if the LS has 205’s or 215’s on 16 inch instead of 17. Your point is quite right. Narrower tires allow more weight per square inch that grabs onto the road.

Well, winter broke me. Despite not having that much left on the lease, in order to get around, and safely, I had to break down and get some tires. So I chose to get some winter tires. I may have preferred to get Nokians, but the Michelin X-Ice was available and in stock (which is tough in February), so I got those. With the weather assault the last couple weeks, it's been really nice to be able to get around and turn and brake with stability. Now, ice is still ice, and other stupid drivers are still out there to compete with. In fact, even with these new winter tires, I couldn't make it up an ice glazed inclined road the other day and in fact had I not bit some of the snow still left on the side of the road, I would have slid backwards (even with brand new winters on). The Malibu has been decent in winter to this point, no real complaints till the last couple weeks. The car is super light for its size. Coincidentally the internet sales gal at the dealership called the other day with enticements to get out lease early. She shared with me that she has a Malibu also and she says the same thing. The lightness of the car, and its obvious fuel economy benefit, can be a limitation in the winter. The Cruze she had previously, she said was better in winter (no problems). This winter may the winter that has finally broken me to saying I would prefer AWD and a heavier vehicle again next time possibly. A light car is nice for fuel economy, which I like good fuel economy also. It's just a good example of the tradeoffs in these big CAFE pushes. Lighter vehicles and their improved fuel economy is in competition with something larger and heavier and possibly AWD, which is what more drivers are finding more useful all the time. Since even middle and bottom feeders like the Altima are offering AWD on the newest version, maybe even the Malibu line in addition to the Regal needs to look at offering an AWD option.

Most of the XT5’s listed on fuelly.com show it averaging a bit over 20 mpg. Like 20-22 range.