The first thing you should know about the 2014 Chevrolet Impala is it’s a head turner. Within days of driving the new full-size sedan, three people stopped me to compliment or talk about the vehicle. Watch video
DETROIT- The first thing you should know about the 2014 Chevrolet Impala is it’s a head turner.
Within days of driving the new full-size sedan, three people stopped me to talk (or gesture) about the vehicle.
The first was a woman most likely in her 40s. She purchased a 2013 Chevrolet Malibu last year and said she couldn’t wait to pass it down to her daughter or trade it in as soon as possible to get the new Impala. “They have really stepped up their game,” she told me inside a parking garage in Detroit.
The second surprisingly came when I was driving the vehicle. Stopped at a red light in downtown Detroit, I heard aggressive honking to my left. When I looked over, it was a city bus driver giving me the thumbs up and pointing to the vehicle.
The last was a 69-year-old man from the suburbs. He said, “If it wasn’t for the name on the side, you could tell me it was a Lincoln.” While some might not think that’s a compliment nowadays (Consumer Reports), he meant it as one.
The attention the vehicle brings is exactly what General Motors Co. was attempting to do when it pledged to resurrect the Impala from a lackluster, yet profitable, fleet vehicle to an iconic car like many of its previous generations.
A 2014 Chevrolet Impala (right) sits next to an eighth-generation Chevy Impala.The 2014 Impala delivers on nearly every level. It’s roomy, luxurious (even the base model features an array of options) and stands out thanks to its aggressive interior and exterior. It’s attracting attention from people of all ages, races and lifestyles.
Mentioning the two previous generations of the Impala seems almost disrespectful since this article is about the 10th-generation, so I’ll just say, the 2014 model puts them to shame.
The first thing you notice when getting into the driver’s seat is the cockpit-feel reminiscent of the second-generation Buick LaCrosse, which it shares the same platform with.
Driving the Impala, like the LaCrosse, is smooth and quiet. And while the vehicles share a number of the same characteristics, the Impala’s design just stands out in a way it hasn’t in decades.
Overall, GM expects the new vehicle, which debuted last year during the New York Auto Show, to substantially increase retail customers; up leasing by about 35 percent; grow the entire full-size segment; and bring in new, younger customers.
As I wrote before, many people wouldn’t have even batted an eye at that statement a decade or so ago. Things were good. GM, like the Impala, appeared too big to fail. But nowadays, those are some lofty goals as large sedan sales have driven off a cliff, consumers are demanding more fuel-efficient vehicles and mid-size sedans are getting bigger. Not to mention, the Impala had close to a 0 percent leasing rate, only 30 percent retail sales and an average customer age in their 60s.
In 2007, large sedan sales in the U.S. topped 1.1 million units and represented 7.1 percent of the more than 16 million vehicle market, according to Edmunds.com. In 2012, large sedan sales were around 560,000 units and represented only 4 percent of the 14.5 million vehicle market.
Having pointed those road blocks out in the last two paragraphs, GM’s goals are not impossible.
Since 2010, Impala sales have remained between 169,000-172,000 units, including 169,351 last year. The vehicle, even with its conformist design, has been the best-selling large sedan since 2004.
When launching production on the Impala at GM’s Detroit-Hamtramck facility earlier this year, Don Johnson, vice president of Chevrolet sales and service, said he expects Impala sales this year to top last year, with help of the Impala ”Limited” that will only be offered to fleet customers.
Johnson said the Limited model, which is essentially the ninth-generation, will continue to fill fleet demand as the new Impala attracts new buyers to Chevrolet dealerships.
“There’s still very good demand for an Impala like the Limited that is out there,” he said. “By having both vehicles, we’re going to maximize both our retail and our fleet opportunity.”
The only downfalls to the 2014 Impala are pricing and, to a lesser extent thanks to the upcoming eAssist model, fuel economy.
Although pricing for the vehicle starts just under $28,000, like most cars today, add a few bells and whistles and you’re price increases a few grand, sometimes more. The sedan will be offered in LS, LT and LTZ models, and three direct-injected engines: a 3.6-liter V6, new 2.5-iter four-cylinder and a 2.4-liter four-cylinder with eAssist. The 3.6-liter, 305-horsepower-engine came to market first, with a starting price of $30,760 for the LT and $36,580 for the LTZ, including $810 in destination charges. The 2.5-liter engine is priced as follows: $27,535 for the LS; $29,785 for the LT; $34,555 for the LTZ. Pricing for the 2.4-liter engine with eAssist will be announced closer to its launch in the fourth quarter of this year, officials said.
The 3.6-liter LTZ model I drove with most, if not all the add-ons, costs about $39,900; which makes in-line with many of its main competitors in the full-size sedan segment for luxury, but above the majority of starting prices for base model Cadillacs.
The Impala’s top five competitors are Chrysler Group LLC’s Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300; Ford Motor Co.’s Taurus; Toyota Motor Corp.’s Toyota Avalon, which was redesigned last year; and the Nissan Altima, which went into production in July.
Impala chief engineer Todd Pawlik said the 2014 Impala with the 3.6-liter engine can achieve 29 mpg on the highway and 19 in the city. Expected fuel economy ranges for the other engines include 21 mpg city and 31 mpg highway for the 2.5-liter and 25 mpg city and 35 mpg highway with the eAssist engine. Only the 3.6-liter has been certified by the EPA, he said.
For the 2013 model year, fuel economy for the non-hybrid large sedan segment with front-wheel-drive ranged from 26 combined mpg for the 2013 Ford Taurus with a four-cylinder to less than 20 mpg combined.
While the fuel economy of the 2014 Impala is great for the segment, getting less than 30 nowadays just doesn't seem right with the advancements in technology.
The traditional 2.5-liter and eAssist engines should boost the fuel economy up quite a bit, but this vehicle, like the classic Impalas of the ‘50s and ‘60s, deserves at least a V6 engine under the hood.
GM has built about 16 million Impalas since introducing the nameplate in 1958. The vehicle was previously redesigned in '06, '00, '94, '77, '71, '65, '62 and '59.
If the 2014 Impala can live up to its iconic heritage is yet to be seen. But one thing is for sure, the vehicle’s design and performance already show that GM is serious about attempting to revive the nameplate as well as the large sedan segment.