2014 chevrolet impala

When it is redesigned for 2014, Chevrolet's midsize Impala will join the large-car class. See pictures of the 2012 Chevrolet Impala.
Chevrolet’s largest car finally gets a full redesign in a bid to wrest sales from Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Ford Taurus. The new Impala shapes up as a kind of bargain-priced Buick LaCrosse, but it won’t be the big-car bargain it has been.

What We Know About the 2014 Chevrolet Impala

It’s now the oldest car design on the American market, introduced for model-year 2000 and mildly updated for ’06. It’s built on a basic platform that dates from the late 1980s. It’s been left to languish for so long that it sells mainly to rental-car, taxi, and security-patrol fleets. We’re talking about today’s Chevrolet Impala, The Car General Motors Forgot.

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Trade weekly Automotive News explained how it happened: “The aging Impala reflects GM’s bankruptcy hangover. A rear-drive version that had been scheduled for the 2011 model year was scrapped as part of the deep cost-cutting of 2008 and 2009. Redoing the [existing] front-drive version then took a back seat to [rejuvenating] the rest of [Chevrolet’s] car lineup. The [new] Cruze compact and [2013] Malibu [midsize] sedan were given priority because they’re higher-volume vehicles and are sold globally. The priority GM put on the subcompact Sonic, [replacing] the subpar Aveo...now looks prescient amid $4-a-gallon gasoline.”

AN goes on to note that “the buzz around those cars is building as GM pivots to reposition Chevy as a not-just-trucks brand. It’s also heightening the anticipation around the next iteration of the Impala.”

Next iteration? Yes, there will be one at long last. The 2014 Chevrolet Impala will be virtually all-new, though major pieces of it are already out there. In fact, Chevy’s first large-car do-over in nearly 15 years is shaping up as a sort of restyled Buick LaCrosse (Allure in Canada) with fewer frills but lower prices. As such, it will be positioned above the new Malibu in price as well as size, aiming much more at retail consumers than fleet buyers--which means it won’t be another “more metal for money” proposition. What the next Impala should be is a far more competitive Chevy alternative to the likes of Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Ford Taurus.

The 2014 Chevrolet Impala will use the long-wheelbase version of GM’s Epsilon II front-wheel-drive platform, the same architecture that supports the latest Buick LaCrosse, as well as the Cadillac XTS premium-large sedan slated for model-year 2012. Predictably, Impala will be dimensionally close to LaCrosse inside and out, but will be styled in the current Chevy-brand idiom looking rather like a slightly scaled-up 2013 Malibu (itself a short-wheelbase Epsilon), with an in-your-face bi-level grille, a “platypus tail” rear deck, and taillights inspired by those on Chevy’s Camaro sporty/performance car. The family resemblance should continue inside, with a Malibu-like “twin cowl” dashboard, bold two-toning, and seating for five adults. Trim levels will follow Chevy’s usual pattern of base LS, volume-selling LT, and sporty LTZ.

Equally unsurprising, the 2014 Chevrolet Impala will borrow most of its under-skin hardware from LaCrosse and other Epsilon models. That means a 4-wheel coil-spring independent suspension with front struts, rear multi-link geometry, and an antiroll bar at each end, plus standard 4-wheel disc brakes with ABS and an integrated antiskid system with traction control. Look for LS models to come with 18-inch steel or aluminum wheels, other Impalas with 19- or 20-inch aluminum rims, depending on options.

Updated by Don Sikora II 5.2.2012

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