ls1mike
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Not sure why they did it, seems goofy to me. Maybe getting rid of what was left? I imagine they had a bunch of Impala stuff laying around. Must be two separate assembly lines. It does use the 3.6 and 6 speed auto.
Consumer Reports rates the new Impala best
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Originally Posted By: ls1mike
Not sure why they did it, seems goofy to me. Maybe getting rid of what was left? I imagine they had a bunch of Impala stuff laying around. Must be two separate assembly lines. It does use the 3.6 and 6 speed auto.
There must be a demand from fleet buyers for it. I am sure GM can sell the old Impala a lot less than the new one, so why not milk the platform a few more years?
Ford really should have done the same thing with the Panther platform and Ranger.
Not sure why they did it, seems goofy to me. Maybe getting rid of what was left? I imagine they had a bunch of Impala stuff laying around. Must be two separate assembly lines. It does use the 3.6 and 6 speed auto.
There must be a demand from fleet buyers for it. I am sure GM can sell the old Impala a lot less than the new one, so why not milk the platform a few more years?
Ford really should have done the same thing with the Panther platform and Ranger.
The funny thing is, I just rented a 2014 Impala LIMITED, as in LIMITED to the rental fleets (just so there's no more confusion).
I picked it up at 8am, ran it 650 miles, and returned it the same day at 9pm.
When it was moving, it was running between 75 and 80 mph. Remember, I covered 650 miles in 13 hours.
I got 28.5 miles to the gallon.
I'm not sure how many spark plug wires were pulled off of the plugs on cujet's 2014 for it to get as [censored] mileage as it got. Maybe all of the tires were half flat as well.
Maybe the last renter filled it up with E-85 to save a couple of bucks.
I don't know, 16 and 20 is tough to figure out... even with a 2014 LIMITED.
I picked it up at 8am, ran it 650 miles, and returned it the same day at 9pm.
When it was moving, it was running between 75 and 80 mph. Remember, I covered 650 miles in 13 hours.
I got 28.5 miles to the gallon.
I'm not sure how many spark plug wires were pulled off of the plugs on cujet's 2014 for it to get as [censored] mileage as it got. Maybe all of the tires were half flat as well.
Maybe the last renter filled it up with E-85 to save a couple of bucks.
I don't know, 16 and 20 is tough to figure out... even with a 2014 LIMITED.
Others have hit the nail on the head. GM wanted to keep resale on the new Impy high, so they are trying to cut down on fleet sales of the new one. Since the old one's assembly line has long been paid off and fleets still want them, it's a no-brainer for GM to sell the old one to fleets for cheap while selling the new one retail for much more.
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Others have hit the nail on the head. GM wanted to keep resale on the new Impy high, so they are trying to cut down on fleet sales of the new one. Since the old one's assembly line has long been paid off and fleets still want them, it's a no-brainer for GM to sell the old one to fleets for cheap while selling the new one retail for much more.
I still think GM should have sold old platforms under the Saturn brand. Those buyers didn't care so much about the car as much as the dealer experience.
Others have hit the nail on the head. GM wanted to keep resale on the new Impy high, so they are trying to cut down on fleet sales of the new one. Since the old one's assembly line has long been paid off and fleets still want them, it's a no-brainer for GM to sell the old one to fleets for cheap while selling the new one retail for much more.
I still think GM should have sold old platforms under the Saturn brand. Those buyers didn't care so much about the car as much as the dealer experience.
OFF TOPIC:
I am quite surprised that CR scored the new Mazda6 lower than other magazines have! The Camry is at the top though not recomended due to it's poor IIHS Crash Test. But, not on par with other members of the Auto Press. And the Accord being about on par with other mags. Scoring about 2nd-3rd place depending on Criteria. Though some mag's would score the Accord 1st!
The new Impala(being in a different catigory than the other cars I mentioned)is not quite on par with the other member of the press. Or the other members of the press showing the Impala being all over the place for their particular scoring methods.
I like the new Impala!...A bit larger than I'd like in a car but, has all of the makings of what I like in a vehicle.
I am quite surprised that CR scored the new Mazda6 lower than other magazines have! The Camry is at the top though not recomended due to it's poor IIHS Crash Test. But, not on par with other members of the Auto Press. And the Accord being about on par with other mags. Scoring about 2nd-3rd place depending on Criteria. Though some mag's would score the Accord 1st!
The new Impala(being in a different catigory than the other cars I mentioned)is not quite on par with the other member of the press. Or the other members of the press showing the Impala being all over the place for their particular scoring methods.
I like the new Impala!...A bit larger than I'd like in a car but, has all of the makings of what I like in a vehicle.
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Originally Posted By: sciphi
Others have hit the nail on the head. GM wanted to keep resale on the new Impy high, so they are trying to cut down on fleet sales of the new one. Since the old one's assembly line has long been paid off and fleets still want them, it's a no-brainer for GM to sell the old one to fleets for cheap while selling the new one retail for much more.
...and that's totally a great idea. The old Impala is a solid work-horse that's perfect for fleet use. But the act of having two completely different cars using the same name is dumb and confusing. It's like Hyundai using the 'Genesis' nameplate for two absolutely different vehicles.
There had to be a better way. Because I seriously doubt the average person picking up their vanilla sedan from Hertz cares what letters are on the trunk lid.
Others have hit the nail on the head. GM wanted to keep resale on the new Impy high, so they are trying to cut down on fleet sales of the new one. Since the old one's assembly line has long been paid off and fleets still want them, it's a no-brainer for GM to sell the old one to fleets for cheap while selling the new one retail for much more.
...and that's totally a great idea. The old Impala is a solid work-horse that's perfect for fleet use. But the act of having two completely different cars using the same name is dumb and confusing. It's like Hyundai using the 'Genesis' nameplate for two absolutely different vehicles.
There had to be a better way. Because I seriously doubt the average person picking up their vanilla sedan from Hertz cares what letters are on the trunk lid.
I took a look at the Impalas on the websites of the dealers around here. Every single one has a Jet Black interior, which I would hate. So I went to "build and price" one at Chevrolet.com. Guess what? You can't get into the nice brown color "leather-appointed" they show on their TV ads until you get into the LTZ model, which begins at almost $35K. The lower models all have "premium cloth" interiors -- all black or charcoal grey.
Is this the future? You get any interior color you want, as long as it's black, unless you pay a major premium -- and then you have only three choices?
Is this the future? You get any interior color you want, as long as it's black, unless you pay a major premium -- and then you have only three choices?
GM REALLY screwed things up when they decided to call the Holden based police car, the 'Caprice'.
The ALL NEW Impala should have been called the 'Caprice'.
The Holden based model should have been called a 'Bel Air', 'Police Pursuit' or something else. Who really cares, there won't ever be many of them here in the states.
HOWEVER, now that the mistake has been made, and it is too late to go back and correct it...
GM should have used the "Classic" designation on the old-body style model, as they did when they pawned off all of the old body style Malibu models onto the fleet customers in the middle of the last decade.
Call the old-body style model a 2014 Chevy Classic... and the new-body style model would be the 2014 Chevy Impala.
I also think back to when Ford made the outstandingly stupid decision to push aside the Taurus name, and call the new big car a 'Five-Hundred'.
We all know how long THAT lasted...
The ALL NEW Impala should have been called the 'Caprice'.
The Holden based model should have been called a 'Bel Air', 'Police Pursuit' or something else. Who really cares, there won't ever be many of them here in the states.
HOWEVER, now that the mistake has been made, and it is too late to go back and correct it...
GM should have used the "Classic" designation on the old-body style model, as they did when they pawned off all of the old body style Malibu models onto the fleet customers in the middle of the last decade.
Call the old-body style model a 2014 Chevy Classic... and the new-body style model would be the 2014 Chevy Impala.
I also think back to when Ford made the outstandingly stupid decision to push aside the Taurus name, and call the new big car a 'Five-Hundred'.
We all know how long THAT lasted...
Knowing enough about GM and their marketing practices, they also didn't want to screw up their fleet sales while keeping whatever name recognition the Impala name has in the retail market. Fleet buyers have been buying W-body Impalas for a long time now. Convincing their fleet buyers that their good ol' Impala was really the same car as before if they had renamed it "Classic" instead of "Impala Limited" would have been a struggle. They also must have figured that the Impala name still had relevance and good standing, so why spend the money to introduce a new name when the large Chevy sedan has been named Impala for the past decade?
In other words, GM tried to have it both ways. We can see how well that is working, as it's confusing the daylights out of folks.
In other words, GM tried to have it both ways. We can see how well that is working, as it's confusing the daylights out of folks.
Originally Posted By: sciphi
Convincing their fleet buyers that their good ol' Impala was really the same car as before if they had renamed it "Classic" instead of "Impala Limited" would have been a struggle.
I'm not positive on this, but I don't think fleet buyers give a flip about the model name, as long as it meets certain specs/requirements for a certain price. The W-body Impala is very good at meeting a wide range of basic requirements for fleets at a very good price.
If model name mattered in fleets, GM would still offer the Astro. Those things rack up 300K+ like it's nothing. The driver's door handle will be broken and it will say "service engine soon," but it will be running and driving. I have worked on one with over 500K on it. A pair of needle nose pliers replaced the key for ignition, but it started up and ran like a champ.
Convincing their fleet buyers that their good ol' Impala was really the same car as before if they had renamed it "Classic" instead of "Impala Limited" would have been a struggle.
I'm not positive on this, but I don't think fleet buyers give a flip about the model name, as long as it meets certain specs/requirements for a certain price. The W-body Impala is very good at meeting a wide range of basic requirements for fleets at a very good price.
If model name mattered in fleets, GM would still offer the Astro. Those things rack up 300K+ like it's nothing. The driver's door handle will be broken and it will say "service engine soon," but it will be running and driving. I have worked on one with over 500K on it. A pair of needle nose pliers replaced the key for ignition, but it started up and ran like a champ.
Originally Posted By: Cujet
Just rented a brand new 2014 Impala.
NOPE! Not for me.
The back seat has insufficient leg room. I can't believe it, but the car is big on the outside and small on the inside, like the poster above says. I'm 5 foot 10, 190 pounds and can't fit in the back unless the seat is moved up 4 inches!
It's engine is as refined as a 2003 Honda V6, which is to say, quite refined, but not world class. It's still 10 years behind the best of today's engines.
The transmission is standard GM fare. Smooth and unresponsive, slow and gentle shifts, and takes 2 seconds to upshift in manual mode, once commanded. Ugh.
Steering is much like the previous Impala. OK, but not sports car taught. The steering wheel is huge and blocks some of the controls for the display, no matter the position of the wheel. Why are we still having these issues??
The ride is EXACTLY like GM cars from years ago. It feels like the suspension is populated with large, fresh, rubber bushings. It's a typical GM feel and owners of those big 1978 Gran Prix's will feel right at home. The cornering is fairly capable, as GM did a good job keeping the wheels planted accurately on the road.
The car accelerates well enough, once floored, but torque steer is enough to pull you out of your lane if you are not "on top of it".
Conclusion: It feels exactly like an older, large GM vehicle, with a few added bad habits, worse throttle response and insufficient rear seat room.
22MPG in mixed driving.
Edit just read the thread and saw you were referring to the rental special.
Just rented a brand new 2014 Impala.
NOPE! Not for me.
The back seat has insufficient leg room. I can't believe it, but the car is big on the outside and small on the inside, like the poster above says. I'm 5 foot 10, 190 pounds and can't fit in the back unless the seat is moved up 4 inches!
It's engine is as refined as a 2003 Honda V6, which is to say, quite refined, but not world class. It's still 10 years behind the best of today's engines.
The transmission is standard GM fare. Smooth and unresponsive, slow and gentle shifts, and takes 2 seconds to upshift in manual mode, once commanded. Ugh.
Steering is much like the previous Impala. OK, but not sports car taught. The steering wheel is huge and blocks some of the controls for the display, no matter the position of the wheel. Why are we still having these issues??
The ride is EXACTLY like GM cars from years ago. It feels like the suspension is populated with large, fresh, rubber bushings. It's a typical GM feel and owners of those big 1978 Gran Prix's will feel right at home. The cornering is fairly capable, as GM did a good job keeping the wheels planted accurately on the road.
The car accelerates well enough, once floored, but torque steer is enough to pull you out of your lane if you are not "on top of it".
Conclusion: It feels exactly like an older, large GM vehicle, with a few added bad habits, worse throttle response and insufficient rear seat room.
22MPG in mixed driving.
Edit just read the thread and saw you were referring to the rental special.
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Originally Posted By: kkreit01
I've still only seen 1 new Impala on the road. You'd think with all the positive press, more would be buying them.
I see them everywhere, usually with FL plates. The snowbirds seem to be taking quite a shine to them.
I've still only seen 1 new Impala on the road. You'd think with all the positive press, more would be buying them.
I see them everywhere, usually with FL plates. The snowbirds seem to be taking quite a shine to them.
Originally Posted By: RDC
I think the new Impala is nice, but for $35k I'd buy a Cadenza instead.
I really like the way the new Impala looks.
I also really liked how the Envoy looked when it was new. The Saturn Vue, the Chevy.... etc etc etc.
Gm burned me on all those vehicles. The old "We are new, reliability is better, build quality has improved" line was good at first then they all started to fall apart.
I agree with RDC. For $35k, I can get a really nice loaded up new Camry or Accord.
I think the new Impala is nice, but for $35k I'd buy a Cadenza instead.
I really like the way the new Impala looks.
I also really liked how the Envoy looked when it was new. The Saturn Vue, the Chevy.... etc etc etc.
Gm burned me on all those vehicles. The old "We are new, reliability is better, build quality has improved" line was good at first then they all started to fall apart.
I agree with RDC. For $35k, I can get a really nice loaded up new Camry or Accord.
Originally Posted By: [email protected]
I agree with RDC. For $35k, I can get a really nice loaded up new Camry or Accord.
Yeah, but there is something to be said for having a car that you don't see rolling down the road every 30 seconds. The new Impala is a genuinely nice car and at this point it's pretty rare. Maybe that will change over the course of a couple of years, but at this rate it doesn't seem like it.
I agree with RDC. For $35k, I can get a really nice loaded up new Camry or Accord.
Yeah, but there is something to be said for having a car that you don't see rolling down the road every 30 seconds. The new Impala is a genuinely nice car and at this point it's pretty rare. Maybe that will change over the course of a couple of years, but at this rate it doesn't seem like it.
A "well done" to the General.
Originally Posted By: mrsilv04
Originally Posted By: RDC
I think the new Impala is nice, but for $35k I'd buy a Cadenza instead.
For that much money, I'd hope that Credenza comes with a pair of chairs as well.
Regardless of whether you approve of the new Impala, doesn't a 30 or 40k Hyundai/Kia sound a bit odd?
They seem to have given up their value based marketing, eh?
Originally Posted By: RDC
I think the new Impala is nice, but for $35k I'd buy a Cadenza instead.
For that much money, I'd hope that Credenza comes with a pair of chairs as well.
Regardless of whether you approve of the new Impala, doesn't a 30 or 40k Hyundai/Kia sound a bit odd?
They seem to have given up their value based marketing, eh?
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