Taxi fleet owners and North American Police departments take note. The Chevrolet Impala apparently doesn’t want to be associated with you any more.
Since 1958 the Impala has been Chevrolet’s signature full sized sedan. From its very outset, the Impala was positioned by General Motors as a prestige car within the reach of the average American citizen. Through various incarnations, the effectiveness of that positioning has ebbed and flowed. Recent versions of the Impala drew their sales volume more from their appeal to fleet buyers, rental companies, taxi operators and police departments than to any true appeal from the general populace.
However with the launch of the 10th generation of the iconic Impala, the 2014 edition has made some dramatic improvements to its styling and overall design to where it’s actually becoming somewhat of a head-turner once again, as well as a vehicle I was eagerly looking forward to taking out for an Enviro Dad Test Drive.
AT FIRST GLANCE
I first had the opportunity to see the all new Impala during a special preview event prior to the 2012 Los Angeles Auto Show. I distinctly remember having to ask some of the P.R. people I knew from G.M. if this really was an Impala, for it looked so much different than its predecessor. I had a significant dislike for any Impala made in the last decade, but the new design is a remarkable improvement over what had been attached to the nameplate before.
The exterior design is muscular, yet stylish. Its long and low proportions give it a wind-swept and motion inducing profile. The new front end, especially on the LTZ trim is particularly attractive with HID headlamps and LED daytime running lamps that sweep around the corners and frame a wide grille, while a power dome hood conveys performance with style.
Inside the Impala, the improvements are noticeable as well. Chevy’s recognizable dual-cockpit interior combines with more modern styling cues such as a bold instrument cluster with an informative 4.2 inch colour display with reconfigurable features for the driver information centre. Ambient lighting provides a contemporary touch, while on LT and LTZ trims an 8 inch touch screen with concealed storage behind it offer solid amounts of usefulness and functionality.
The new Impala is also a 5-seater that truly has the ability to comfortably sit 5 adults. It’s deceptively cavernous with enough leg and shoulder room in each row to make longer drives enjoyable.
BEHIND THE WHEEL
Cognizant of consumer preferences towards more fuel efficient vehicles, the 2014 Impala for the 1st time offers not one but two 4 cylinder engine options, in addition to a single V6. A 2.5L 4 cylinder engine is the base offering on all trims and puts out 196 hp and 186 lb/ft of torque. Also available is a 4 cylinder engine with GM’s eAssist technology. This ‘hybrid-light’ combination pairs a 2.4L engine with a 15 KW electric motor that combined puts out 197 hp but with about 12-15% better fuel consumption. Rounding out the trio of engines is a 3.6L V6 putting out 305 hp and 264 lb/ft of torque. All engine options are paired with a six-speed automatic.
Of the 3 engine options, the only one I’ve yet to drive is the 2.4L with eAssist. Expectations are that I should be able to try it this spring, but of the other two, I found I was most impressed with the V6. While nobody is calling this a performance sedan, it nonetheless provided enjoyable acceleration and push when called for.
As this is more of a cruiser than a racer, handling on the Impala is geared more towards comfort. Performance junkies won’t have much fun, but those looking for a smooth and reliable ride won’t be disappointed.
ECO FACTOR
If fuel efficiency is a major driver in your decision making, than the 2.4L with eAssist is the Impala choice for you. G.M. posts fuel ratings of 8.7 L/100 KM (City) and 5.8 L/100 KM (Hwy) or 7.4 L/100 KM (Combined). Having not driven this engine yet, I can’t verify the numbers.
The 2.5L engine which comes as the standard engine across all trims provides posted fuel ratings of 9.9 L/100 KM (City) and 6.3 L/100 KM (Hwy) or 8.3 L/100 KM (Combined). These are generally impressive numbers but after spending a week in an LS trim, I found myself hovering closer to 10 L/100 KM combined.
The optional 3.6L V6 which is available on the LT and LTZ trims posts fuel ratings of 11.1 L/100 KM (City) and 6.9 L/100 KM (Hwy) or 9.2 L/100 KM (Combined). I drove this engine in an LTZ trim from my home in the GTA to Detroit and back when attending the North American International Autoshow, and I was impressed with its consumption during the long highway drives. They weren’t as posted, but that’s to be expected given the unrealistic speeds that are used to generate the test results. On average I was seeing my average fuel rating hover around 8.0 L/100 which for a 300+ hp V6, is not too shabby.
FAMILY FACTOR
As mentioned above, there is plenty of roominess in the new Impala. 2nd row seating is generous and will have little difficulty in accommodating up to 3 adults. Rear legroom is plentiful at 39.8 inches.
With 18.8 cubic feet of trunk space, there is also plenty of room to fit the weekly groceries, a big hockey bag or even 2 to 3 sets of golf clubs. Where extra room is needed, the rear seat back provides 60/40 fold-down capabilities.
FOR THE TECHIES
For techies, the biggest feature in the Impala is the next-generation MyLink infotainment system which is standard on LT and LTZ trims. Easier to use than some of its competitor’s equivalents, MyLink covers everything from navigation to phone to music apps such as Stitcher and is designed to accommodate new features and enhancements to be highly customizable. It also represents Chevrolet’s first use of natural language voice recognition that allows customers to safely place calls, enter destinations, browse media, play music and control other functions simply by telling the vehicle what to do.
I’m quite fond of the GPS navigation system now found in the Impala and other GM products. I especially like how when driving in a downtown area of a major city, you also see 3D renderings of actual office towers, and notable landmarks which helps with visualizing where you are.
SUMMARY
It’s hard to overstate just how transformative the 2014 Impala really is to this iconic nameplate. The design team has created a stylish, modern and very attractive full sized sedan that clearly states it no longer wants to justify its existence through fleet sales.
To be fair, there is still plenty of fleet potential with the Impala where the base LS trim is concerned, for at the bottom end there remains a sterile, non-descript and generic aspect to the new design. However, when moving up the trim chain, especially with the top end LTZ, there is more than enough to justify itself as a viable and legitimate alternative to anyone considering competitors such as the Toyota Avalon, Hyundai Genesis, Nissan Maxima or even the new Kia Cadenza.
The one problem I foresee with the new Impala as it reaches for new heights is pricing. GM may well have created a new Impala worthy of a $47,000 price tag when you fully load up an LTZ, but the public is going to need time to adjust to that way of thinking. Even at $39,645 for a base LTZ w/ V6 engine, the MSRP is perhaps 5 – 7% higher than I think it should be for it to reach full sales potential.
That being said, there is plenty of upside to what I’ve experienced with the 2014 Impala, and there is no doubt in my mind that there will be a lot of consumers who, like me, will see this latest incarnation as a vast improvement over what the Impala has been for the past decade or more. After watching people do a double-take and slowly check out my tester while at a highway road stop – something you’d never have seen with more recent versions – it seems clear to me that the new Impala is ready to take on all comers once again.
BY THE NUMBERS (Out of 10):
LOOK/DESIGN: 9.0
DRIVE: 8.5
GREEN FACTOR: 8.0
FAMILY FACTOR: 9.0
TECHIE STUFF: 8.0
VALUE: 7.5
(MSRP AS TESTED –
LTZ V6 $46,785)
OVERALL: 8.5
Chevrolet should take a page fro Cadillac M O . and that is …pick a bench mark to reach for as Caddy did when they seemed to set it at BMW. It even showed up in their ads…Finally after copying Caddy now has decent models and are competitive . Keep copying and save a lot of engineering. As far as BMW, they must be happy to be the bench mark, also good advertising and it is paid by GM. Every body wins….