With the all-new Chevrolet Impala expected within the next year or so, it was only a matter of time before spy shots found thier way online. What we see from the photos ties in to what our sources have shared with us, in that the new Impala will be based on the same platform as the new Chevrolet Malibu, Buick Regal, LaCrosse and Cadillac XTS.
This means that it will be front-wheel-drive-based, lining it square with the Ford Taurus in terms of competitive likeness. And while we can’t make out much of the body due to the extensive use of camo, we’re told that the new Impala’s appearance will resemble the design language of the new Malibu Camaro, which we are fond of.
The interior spy photos also reveal a new steering wheel, while sharing similar Chevy interior traits, such as the retro-inspired gauge cluster, a touchscreen that will presumably feature Chevy MyLink, and a blurred face of some unsuspecting engineer. Look for engine variants to be as small as 2.0 turbocharged liters, and as big as perhaps a twin-turbo V6. An eAssist setup is most likely in the cards as well. And if RWD sedans are more your thing, sources tell us you won’t be disappointed down the road. For a full gallery, visit the source link below.
Source: Motor Trend
Comments
I think the light looks as aggressive as the Sonic
I think they would be well-served to make it look more like……the Sonic. Yeah, yeah, yeah…I said it…I actually dig the Sonic’s styling… I just can’t stand the name and the thought of the silly drum brakes at the rear. Okay…rant over. LOL.
That interior is messing with my head. You have to look real close to spot any parts shared with other GM cars. The blinker stalks are all I can point out. The steering wheel reminds me of an S-Class and the whole interior design reminds me of a Ford! Ecspecially the Focus style gauges
I’m kinda worried now in terms of the interior since it’s kinda going to overlap with the Buick
Exceptional dash. The tombstone for the W’s can’t come soon enough if the replacement looks as good as that.
To Manoli: a friendly correction, its appearance wont be a more aggressive take on the Malibu’s design language. It will take design and styling cues from the Camaro, where the Malibu also got some of its styling cues from too.
I definitely see some Camaro styling cues in the rear. This makes sense as the new ‘Bu has those Camaro-esque taillights and Chevy likes to maintain family resemblances. From the looks of the overall shape, it does look like a Buick. The last thing GM needs is for its divisions to be poaching sales from each other.
I’m very impress with the look of the dash. I’m heartened to see large, round knobs that make it easy to adjust infotainment volume, climate control, and other often-used functions. Not everything should be behind 2 or 3 layers of a touch screen. I also quite like the steering wheel. It looks like the larger version of the one found in the Ford Focus (not a bad thing at all) and I like the placement of the steering wheel controls.
So far, thumbs up for the new, long-awaited Impala replacement.
Also, the steering wheel looks like an upside down version of the steering found in the 2000 Impala without the spokes. I gotta like the way Chevy brings back memories of good time 😀
pardon my french , dear GM is the lead designer on drugs . What the he** is wrong with you guys . the impala has been around for soo many years I can not belive you guys would f%%% up a american icon , REALLY i have been a impala fan sence day 1 . You need to fire the design team , put some design guy that can make a better Impala . i think its better to have the same motor as the caprice 9c3 but with a tune and a manuel trans ,BUT IT HAS TO BE REAR WHEEL DRIVE OR ALL WHEEL DRIVE . There are sooooooo many people wanna see what u guys did like back in the years of 91-96 to me i will never agree on any impala u guy design till u do it wright . be honest its not a impala its a chevy lumina
1 more thing if u build a bad ass impala it will sell . stop cheating with other models heck forget about the taurus try and compete with the dodge charger
@Brian I had a 1996 (I think) Chevy Impala SS. It was the last year they were made with the big rear-drive Caprice body and a Corvette engine. Mine was black and silver. It was, hands down, the worst car I’ve ever owned. It also holds the record for the shortest ownership period I’ve ever had – 2 weeks.
The day after I took possession, I noticed that the fuel gauge hadn’t budged. It went into the shop that day because I didn’t want to drive a car without a properly functioning gas gauge – a factory defect. They determined that it had a bad sending unit; but they didn’t have the part to fix it. That was a Friday. I finally got it back the next Wednesday, all fixed and ready to go.
I drove it another couple days. I noticed that all the power windows, locks and seat switches on the driver’s armrest were the same size and shape and you constantly hit the wrong button. Oh yeah, they didn’t light up at night, so you really cursed the engineer who decided that was a cool, ergonomic idea. Handling wasn’t that great and acceleration was a bit disappointing, considering the size/power of the engine.
That first weekend, on Sunday, four of us got tickets to some show at the Shubert Theater in Century City. To get there from my home (around 5 miles each way), you have to drive through Beverly Hills. On our way home, at night, in residential BH, the car died. Remember, this was before everyone had a hand-held cell phone, so I had to walk a bit to find a payphone. When AAA got there, I was told that the car had run out of gas. So wonderful Mr. Goodwrench had either installed a 2nd defective part, or they misdiagnosed the problem or they really hadn’t done anything. Regardless, I had to have AAA put some gas in the car so I could drive it to a gas station with all my guests. I was pretty pissed off.
I had had it it with that piece of s**t, so the next day, Monday, I contacted the dealer, told them about the problems, told them I hated the car and that I wanted them to take it back. I thought it was a “lemon” but it wouldn’t qualify for lemon law protection until it has more problems. They agreed to buy it back from me. It was a special order car and had every option and they knew they could resell it as it was already considered a “classic.” I got rid of it the next day. I lost tax and license as well as a small cash down. I’m sure if I had kept the car, it would have retained great value as it was the last of a dying dinosaur breed, a symbol of a failed GM that was only going down hill. But how much would it have cost in repairs and maintenance to keep it? More than I was willing to spend, that’s for sure.
So, if GM ever resurrects a rear drive Impala (like the one sold to police departments), I sure hope it will be much better than the last rear drive Impalas from the 1990s. It couldn’t possibly be worse.
hey todd sorry to hear about that. ive never had prolbems except for the opti spark being soo expencive . i totaly under stand were u are coming from but i still like them they r big and slow but there are a great car to mess around with some oof the guys i know have some pretty fast impala and caprices my choice is a 92 i never had any big prolbem except the intake gasket . i had that chevy for years it was handed down threw my dad . the only resion i got rid of it because some drunk decided to smash it over night it had 425k miles all orignal, but i see why u were mad at the car if u are ever wondering how big the collectons of these cars are just go on you tube . but i doo hate seeing them with huge tires and stupid paint jobs .
@Brian – I know they (the old Impala SSes) have a cult following. Around LA, I see heavily customized ones at low-rider shows. Some just heinous bastardizations, some are works of art. I prefer the “stock” version of just about any car.
I think GM needs a rear-drive Chevy sedan to compete with the Dodge Charger. The Impala nameplate would be perfect, but that ship has sailed as this new one is the direction GM is going with the Chevy brand, with the exceptions of Corvette and Camaro.
I fear that Chevy and Buick are poaching the same customers. If the Impala is going to be the size of a Regal or LaCrosse. The Verano and Cruze, while not the bad badge engineering of the past, are essentially the same size and share some drivetrains. And I’m not sure what they are thinking by giving Buick a small CUV based on a Chevy Sonic. You know, it won’t be long before there is a Chevy version of that. Hell, why not a GMC version too?
I’d love to see a revised and restyled version of the Pontiac G8/Impala Police package made into a real serious rear-drive Chevy sedan. Oh, it could even be a Chevelle if they don’t want to use the Impala badge as the Impala is a major fleet player. Who knows.
That’s exactly why I’m a proponent of the idea of moving Buick to be a direct Lexus rival at its core. It doesn’t need to make wanna-be-sporty vehicles with no guts (like the Lexus F line), but it should be a luxury experience that’s soft at its very core.
Soft ride, soft handling, isolated driving experience. I’m not talking about the boats of the 70s and 80s. I’m talking about replicating the Lexus experience that has made it the #1-selling luxury brand for 8 of the last 9 years.
That kind of Buick could beat Lexus at its own game, since Lexus needs to compromise a bit to not be too soft — it does get cross shopped for BMW, Audi, and Benz, after all. But GM has two luxury brands that can offer totally different luxury experiences.
Buick could be soft luxury, Caddy could be (and is becoming) performance luxury. Who said that all luxury cars need to be sporty?
Alex – if only the masterminds at GM would listen to the outsiders who seem to clearly see the necessity for brand differentiation/distinction and don’t want to see more cannibalism. Buick and Lexus are a good match, particularly since a huge chunk of Lexus sales are for the slushy ES350 (a Camry) and for the RX350 (a Highlander).
Chevy needs to stick with its roots, not moving upscale to compete with Buick. Cadillac, hopefully, will be performance luxury. I have high hopes for the upcoming rear drive ATS.
That said, I don’t see why Chevy can’t have a 2-door performance car (Camaro) and a 4-door one with whatever badge-from-the-past GM can slap on it. They already have the platform, drivetrains and crash testing done for the Police Impala/G8 – a civilian version should be a no-brainer.
Brian, please, you’re arguing for a garbage B body from 20 years ago to return to a segment that is largely indifferent of powertrains and drivetrains. Also, it’s imposible to screw up an “Icon” such as the Impala just because of it not being RWD with a V8; the present Impala handily outsells the old Caprice. Besides, the LT block is long gone, thankfully. Even the present Impala, will all of it’s shortcomings, is infinately better than the Caprice/Impala trainwreck of the early 90’s.
Besides, if you want your lazy barges from yesteryear, have you already written off the G8 and the CTS? Heck, you can always train to be a cop and hope to get into a new Caprice.
Long story short, get over it. This isn’t the same world as it was 20 years ago and GM is under absolutely NO obligation to build cars that mirror or resemble cars from the past simply because of “tradition”.
This isn’t a general motors vehicle I don’t see any resemblances besides the chrome trim on the outside. The steering wheel screams ford because of the two four way buttons on each side. I have also never seen a steering wheel like that on any other gm product, and considering the direction the xts steering wheel styling is going I have even more doubts…
I just thought about it, don’t you think this Impala is riding on the Alpha Platform?
I have a thought, don’t you guys think that the Impala would be riding on the Alpha Platform?
Nope. It’s on Epsilon Super (XTS).