First Drive: 2014 Chevrolet Impala LTZ V6

There are several reasons why Chevrolet’s so-called “flagship” sedan may have fallen off your big-sedan radar. There’s been the massive market shift from sedans and station wagons to crossovers. There’s been Chevrolet’s recent focus on filling up its small vehicle roster. But most of all, Chevrolet left the Impala too long on the vine, employing a GM platform dating back to when Brian (not Ben) Mulroney was our prime minister. With Chevrolet’s wholesale change in its marketing approach to its formerly famous flagship, you won’t be seeing the new 2014 Impala as a police cruiser or taxi, and less as a rental car. According to DesRosiers & Associates, the Chevy Impala was the top-selling fleet car in Canada last year. Of the 7,733 Impalas sold, only 1,042 were sold to actual new-car shoppers for personal use. For this all-new model, Chevrolet hopes to invert that sales ratio. But with such little recent good will in the full-size sedan segment, should you even consider the new big Chevrolet? One reason to put the new front-wheel drive, five-passenger 2014 Impala on your list would be its inherent value. Although it now shares GM’s latest global sedan platform with the more upscale Buick LaCrosse and Cadillac XTS, Chevrolet has kept the 2014 base model’s pricing within a few hundred dollars of the outgoing version (which will continue on as the Impala Classic to satisfy fleet managers for one more year). Although it’s just arriving at dealers now, the base model Impala LS starts at $28,445. That compares favourably with what Chevrolet thinks are the Impala’s two main competitors: the front-wheel drive, $28,799 2013 Ford Taurus SE and the rear-wheel drive $28,799 2013 Dodge Charger SE. When you’re replacing a car that’s fundamentally more than 20 years old, it’s no surprise the new Impala offers a lot more modern features than the older version; even the base 2014 Impala LS comes well-equipped. Compared to the standard kit found on a base Taurus SE, the Impala LS adds hands-free Bluetooth connectivity, heated mirrors, and rear side-impact and knee airbags. Over the Dodge, you get a six- instead of a five-speed automatic transmission and knee airbags, among other details. If you have the budget, you can work your way up through various Impala trim lines to the top-line, $39,645 LTZ, which can be fitted with luxury car features such as a full leather interior, heated and cooled front seats, navigation, forward collision alert, lane-departure warning, side blind zone alert, rear back-up camera and park assist, rear cross-traffic alert, adaptive cruise control, collision-mitigation braking and a state-of-the-art infotainment system with voice recognition. Of course, one way Chevrolet kept the 2014 Impala’s price in line is to offer a four-cylinder engine in the base-level LS. Instead of the larger (and much more powerful) six-cylinders found in the Ford and Dodge full-size sedans, the Chevy four-door makes do with a 2.5-litre with 195 horsepower, 187 lb.-ft. of torque, and two fewer cylinders.  Later this fall, the Impala will come with the electrically assisted eAssist 2.4-litre four (195 hp and 187 lb.-ft.), also found in the LaCrosse. If you do need a V6, a 305-hp and 264 lb.-ft. 3.5-litre unit is available in higher-end Impalas. Unlike its Buick and Cadillac platform-mates, or its Ford and Dodge rivals, all-wheel-drive is not available on the Chevy. Fuel economy for the Impala’s 2.5-litre mill has yet to be determined, but GM says the eAssist version scores an 8.5 L/100 km in the city and 5.6 on the highway, while the V6 is rated at 11.1 and 6.9 — comparable to the V6 Dodge and Ford sedans. Bland styling and its sheer ubiquity resigned the last-generation Impala to the background of any streetscape, but the 2014 model’s larger proportions and more sculptured sheetmetal make it stand out in a sea of crossovers and SUVs; however, as much as the Chevy sedan’s exterior is more interesting to look at, arguably the biggest improvements over its aging predecessor is what you’ll find once you open one of its four doors. Underneath the 2014 Impala’s swept back roofline, passengers will enjoy limo-like space. With a longer wheelbase than the outgoing Impala, front- and rear-legroom jumps up measurably. This is one of the few cars I’ve been in recently where three adults could spend some time together in the back without bruising ribs or smacking knees. And while its sedan configuration doesn’t offer the cargo flexibility that a boxier utility vehicle would offer, there are 532 litres of usable trunk space and a 40/60-split/fold-rear seat for longer loads. To say the design and use of quality materials in the new Impala is a step up from the last version is a huge understatement. Especially in the high-zoot LTZ versions (some with lovely, two-tone, leather-lined interiors), the Chevy’s cabin now competes with entry-level luxury sedans on presentation, features, look and feel. Of course, like almost every new car introduced these days, you can’t talk about the interior without mentioning some kind of newfangled “infotainment” system. In the case of the 2014 Impala, as an option, you can spec GM’s second-generation MyLink. Centred around a large touchscreen, MyLink, um, links you to all the audio, climate and navigation features. You can use its touchscreen or voice command. It can connect up to 10 Bluetooth wireless devices. And you can watch a movie when the Impala is parked (a poor substitute for owners who used to go to drive-in theatres). Thankfully, unlike the hard-to-fathom centre console in its Cadillac XTS platform-mate, there are plenty of redundant steering wheel controls and traditional knobs for audio and climate in the Chevy. While Chevrolet says it expects 75 per cent of Impalas to be sold in LT trim with the 2.5 four, for the two-day media drive that had us heading north from Toronto into cottage country and then back south to end up in the Impala’s birthplace at GM’s Oshawa assembly plant, we were only able to drive loaded LTZ V6 models — a combination anticipated to make up only five per cent of the sales mix. As the flagship trimline in Chevrolet’s flagship sedan lineup, the LTZ comes with all the above-mentioned goodies, and the top-level V6. More than $40,000 for a Chevrolet Impala may be a shocker, but at least in LTZ-spec, the Impala feels like a $40,000 car, backed up by a quiet and capable driving demeanour. For starters, Chevrolet says this is the quietest Impala ever, and I believe it. At highway speeds, all you’ll hear is a faint whistle from the rear-view mirrors, as tire, engine and road noise have been quelled nicely. Complementing the 2014 Impala’s coffin-like cabin is its high-level of on-road confidence. It’s no sports car. Heck, it’s not even what I’d call a sports sedan. But the Impala LTZ’s V6/auto combo is smooth, refined and alert, even if its claimed 6.8-second 0-96 km/h time is average. Chevy engineers have dialed in a nice compromise between a comfortable ride and decent handling. The Impala feels a lot more nimble than the Taurus and Charger. The lack of noise, vibration and harshness — a major flaw of the preceding Impala — is remarkably low. Ultimately, any verdict on the 2014 Impala is on hold until the four-cylinder models become available. For the first time in decades, though, Chevrolet dealers have a competitive full-size sedan to sell. And the 2014 Chevrolet Impala is a good value. While Chevrolet cites its domestic-brand Dodge Charger and Ford Taurus as natural rivals, the Impala is a much more modern and sophisticated machine, more on-par with import-brand competition like the Toyota Avalon, Volkswagen Passat and forthcoming Kia Cadenza. And I’m not sure why you’d pay more for a similarly equipped Buick LaCrosse or Cadillac XTS. If that’s now how you remember the Impala, prepare to be surprised.