The new Impala is an upscale vehicle without the upscale price
It’s been a long time since I could honestly say that I really enjoyed driving a larger car like the Chevrolet Impala. This vehicle, as far as I am concerned, is equal in many ways to its high-end competition at a much more reasonable price.
Today’s styling is a big part of selling your luxury car, and the Impala is chopped liver. Styling is not too wild, and almost a little conservative, but enough that individuals interested in cars will notice the soft, yet stylish lines. I have to admit that it took me a few days of repeatedly looking at the car to really appreciate its lines. On the practical side of things, the Impala is easy to get in and out of, as the doors are wide allowing for easy opening and access.
Once on the inside, the Impala is styled like any high-end vehicle with all the amenities you will find in European and Asian vehicles at much higher prices. I personally liked the comfortable seating with unique suede inserts both front and rear. These seats even offered heating to the back, bottom or both. Standard equipment is 8-way power driver’s seat that made finding a comfortable seating position fairly easy unlike some luxury cars.
The only couple of drawbacks I found with the interior was the GPS navigation system and steering wheel controls, as they required time to figure out and I had to read the manual for assistance. A couple of things I enjoyed about the interior lighting were the bright LED interior lights, which made hidden things easy-to-find and the neon-like accent lighting on the doors.
Depending on your model of choice, the 4-cyclinder is standard while a V6 is optional. Both engines are double overhead cam; I had the 3.6 L V6 model with 305 hp and variable valve timing. Equipped with a 6-speed automatic, this larger vehicle was surprisingly quick. On twisty roads, the Impala handled pretty well with the ride on the softer side of things, which seemed to grow on me during my time with the car.
Hauling this 1754 kg/3800 lb car are high performance 4-wheel disc brakes on 235/50R18 tires on aluminium alloy wheels. The combination of tire and wheels enhanced the Impala’s braking ability, which is very good and on par with other luxury vehicles.
Being on the larger side, cargo room in the truck was not as big as I expected.
This is something owners of vehicles of this size do consider when buying.This is not to say you can’t get a couple of golf bags in the back, I just expected more of a deeper trunk.
If General Motors can up the stakes with inexpensive luxury cars like the new Impala, they will be a force to reckon with in the future. The new Impala is an upscale vehicle without the upscale price. My test car is listed for $40,600 and it was very well-equipped. With a base price of $33,000, the Impala is well worth a look for those who might be considering a larger, luxury car.
By Glen Konorowski
