2014 Chevrolet Impala gallops into the New York auto show
Chevrolet completes an overhaul of its line of passenger cars with the latest iteration of the Impala large sedan.
- North American Car, Truck and SUV of the Year (NACTOY) Awards Juror
NEW YORK--The 2014 Impala debuts with a new, muscular design that calls on equal parts Malibu and Camaro to create a look that Chevrolet says "looks much more expensive than it is." Classic Impala design cues, such as the leaping Impala emblem on the C pillar and the raised Impala lettering on a rear chrome bar, blend with the more modern Chevrolet design language to create a large sedan that, while a bit visually busy from certain angles, is athletic and muscular.
Chevrolet's MyLink infotainment system will grace the Impala's dashboard with its large 8-inch color touch screen, keeping the driver and passenger informed and entertained. Skip the MyLink system and you'll still find yourself looking at a smaller 4.2-inch display. And keeping the passengers safe are a selection of new safety features, including full-speed-range adaptive cruise control, collision mitigation braking, forward collision alert, lane-departure warning, side blind-zone alert, and rear cross-traffic alert. There's also an industry first front-center side airbag that, aside from being a mouthful, inflates between the front seats in a side collision to keep the front passengers from re-enacting an episode of the Three Stooges and knocking heads together.
The new Impala will be available with the driver's choice of three engines, all of which featuring direct injection technology. The most powerful option is a 303-horsepower 3.6-liter V-6 engine. A new 2.5-liter Ecotec four-cylinder is the middle-of-the-road option, outputting 195 horsepower while delivering an estimated 30 mpg on the highway. At the most fuel efficient end of the scale is a 182-horsepower 2.4-liter Ecotec engine with the e-Assist mild hybrid system, which nets an estimated 35 highway mpg. Regardless of which engine you chose, the front wheel-drive Impala will feature a single-option six-speed automatic transmission delivering the power to the front wheels.
The 2014 Chevrolet Impala will go on sale in early 2013 in LS, LT, and LTZ trim levels. No word on whether we're ever going to see another Impala SS model, but I'll keep my fingers crossed.