Poll: Is GM Making A Mistake By Not Offering AWD On 2014 Impala?

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• Im dissapointed with the engines, I really don't think it should have the 2.5 unless it competed better with the taurus's 237 hp I4. I really hope that there is a new eassist engine soon too.

• Cars that low to the ground end up riding up onto the snow cause the suspension to be lifted and then the vehicle looses traction. I have a friend who has a Subaru WRX and it's horrible in snow, I have another friend with a Mazda Speed 6, also not that great in deep snow, either.

  Here is a good video on Youtube with a 95 Subaru Legacy that can barely get through any snow. I don't care what you say, awd or not. With out ground clearance your car will not move in deep snow. The only car/wagon with awd ground clearance was the AMC Eagle.

  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXGO5kRTznw

  • Ultimately, wading through 16 inches of snow is extreme and will most likely not be attempted by most "normal" drivers, AWD or not.

    The fact of the matter is that Chevy will lose those customers who absolutely think they must have AWD to the competition... whether that's a real necessity is a whole other question.

• AWD is a necessary fact in northern states and Canada - it would behoove GM to offer a fulltime or partime all-wheel-drive version of Impala...EXCEPT - except for the fact that if GM truly wanted to leapfrog the marketplace, they'd offer a true e-drive ( say in-wheel electric motors ) 4 wheel system.

  Listen, the Impala is a boat. It's a pretty boat, don't get me wrong, nice job on the design guys... But in today's realities, the pain at the pump is getting more painful all the time. Taurus is a boat - those other cars mentioned - boats. 4 wheel complexity = weight and reduced mileage.

  It's not gonna happen - but wouldn't it be fantastical to see the TRU140S come out as a Tesla-type EV? Under 4 secs to 60 is possible with GM's HUGE...and I say, HUUUGE design and engineering budget. Tesla gave us the Roadster, which was limited production - small company against the world, $109,000 endeavor-stuff....GM has the oomph to produce cars that go 200+ miles on a battery charge like the Tesla, but in a mass-produced, more affordable sports car. Wouldn't it be amazing to see Voltec tech show up in an Impala? A Malibu?

  Sure it would. Aint gonna happen....BUT WHY NOT? This is my question o' the day.

  • I don't know where u get that AWD is necessary in the northern states or Canada. Like some other Canadians here have said. You don't see AWD cars here very often. I bet I've seen more Ferrari's than AWD cars (other than Subies). It's not even promoted here by anyone other than Subaru. I didn't even know the Fusion had an AWD option until a guy at works brother had problems with his. Same goes for the 300. I've seen maybe a handful of them. It's more money and a fuel economy penalty to boot.

• So, to answer the question, I don't think GM is going to lose many sales because they don't offer AWD. The average Chevy Impala customer is not likely to go out for groceries in the middle of a blizzard. They're also not part of the demographic that straps snowboards to the roof and heads to the mountains for the weekend. As others have said, good all season tires will probably get the car through most of the situations the average buyer is willing to attempt.

  They'll lose a couple buyers to the perception that AWD is safer, but the governing factor in safety is simply the (safe but boring) lifestyle of the typical Impala owner. ;) I kid, but seriously....

  • I wonder how many buyers that is, though. Are we talking about 10% or 25%? I know no one publishes that kind of information, especially Ford... but it would be very interesting to find out.

    • For GM? Number of buyers who want an AWD Impala but wont buy a Lacrosse AWD or Impala FWD?

      Id say maybe 5%, Definitely not more than 10% . Of course this is all speculation so we could be totally wrong.

• One thing that is being glossed overin these discussions, it is not what people NEED, but what people WANT. People want to have the safety and security, even if only a perception, of the AWD. I have an Impala and maybe have only had a need for a 4x4 or AWD once or twice every winter. I still got around without problems, but would have been happy with the security of AWD. Where I would have used it is during heavy rains we have here in the spring. But there are people that want that option, or feel they can't live without it. And if it isn't availble, they will go to a competitor for to buy it. And it is an option where money can be made. So the discussion about no one needing the AWD isn't really the issue, it is providing what the motoring public WANT to have and will pay to get. And they may not want a Buick or the extra cost to buy a Buick AND the AWD option. GM needs to give the public what they want in order to sell more cars, not withhold an option simply because it may dig into the profit of another division.

  • Precisely. The fact is that consumer demand exists for AWD in the full size sedan market... Whether that demand is "justified" or "correct" -- which seem to be the major topics in the discussion hitherto -- is completely irrelevant.

    People buy AWD in full size sedans. Chevy and the new Impala will be at a disadvantage by not offering it, resulting in losing sales to the competition.

    • ummmm alex what are you smoking. i live in one of the most challenging places in terms of snow and ice in fact we are still getting snow and there is like 5" on the roads over night. and the rate i see awd cars is next to nill. so i dont see a reason.

      • You are missing the point in all this discussion. It isn't what people NEED, it is what the WANT! People buy AWD for peace of mind, because the think they need it, and in some cases (like my wife) really do need the AWD to get around. So, Chevy is missing out on sales to Ford, Dodge, and others simply because the want something they think they need. And they don't want the Buick, which is butt ugly in my humble opinion, and they don't want a Caddy. So, Chevrolet is missing out on sales simply because of this.

        Please don't confuse the needs of the customer with the wants of the customer.

        • "It isn’t what people NEED, it is what the WANT!"

          And if last gen Impala sales are anything to go by, the buyers looking at the Impala don't need OR want AWD.

          The only really bargining chip some of the "AWD impala" crowd have is the slim and near impossible chance of an SS version that has AWD. Since there there is no need or demand for such a car, you can write off an SS impala too.

        • The last-gen was a fleet queen more than anything else, so we can't use its sales as a valid determinant of market-place success.

          Sales of the Taurus are around 15% AWD on a nationwide scale (including SHO). Since the new Impala targets a similar customer (much more so than the last-gen), it's a much better measurement of true demand.

        • ken what i'm saying is that from what i see (and yes alex it's not mathematically correct but it is scientifically correct as i am observing an drawing my conclusion from what has been observed) people aren't wanting awd in cars.

        • Wouldn't a scientifically correct approach assume a quantitative/objective method? What you're referring to is a pure seat-of-the-pants experiment that's not scientific at all, but rather subjective in nature...

          Fact is, people are buying AWD vehicles. There's a reason Subaru does so well in the states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming, just to name a few of the Mountain states. By not doing so, Chevy will lose out on sales.

        • sure mabey but honestly i don't see the demand now however if it were an ss model like mentioned previously awd would be a must then it wouldn't eat into lacrosse or xts sales then it makes sense. and the money they lose in awd sales they will for sure make up in fleet sales of the 9th gen.

        • I'm in the industry (Fleet Manager) and I can tell you that what my drivers are asking for in the upper midwest and in Canada they are asking for AWD cars. I live in Nebraska and have an Impala and have no problems getting around. That said, I'd prefer to have an AWD Impala. My Minnesota offices have AWD, my Canada offices have AWD, my Wisconsin offices have AWD, etc. And what do they have? Subaru. 25% of my fleet is Impalas by the way.

      • Is the unscientific rate at which you see certain vehicles on the road relevant, accurate, or truly representative of the market place? I don't think it's either.

        If we're going to have an informed and educated discussion about this, let's refer to real data, rather than bringing up man-says examples that are as inaccurate as a cat doing multiplication... (I thought that was a pretty good analogy).

        Here's something to ponder: I just confirmed that in 2011, the Taurus AWD was responsible for 15% of total U.S. Taurus sales.

• Food for thought: Ford is selling the new Fusion as a world platform, it will also be the Ford Mondeo in Europe. AWD is a big selling point in Europe so selling some Fusions here in N. America as AWD is not a big added expense or leap of faith.

  Impala, on the other hand, is a N. American vehicle. I haven't heard of any plans to sell it overseas. Some manufacturers in tight competition for a segment will spend the extra in engineering, manufacturing and tooling for an AWD variant. Take Toyota and it's Sienna minivan. People in northern climes will buy the N. America-specific Sienna's AWD version. The top selling minivan in the segment is Honda's Odyssey by a wide margin. Honda offers no AWD version. Toyota can make up some of that gap with it's nearly even-spec'd and rated van by adding the 4 wheel functionality. Still, the Honda outsells it.

  To me, adding an AWD variant to Impala would be cost prohibitive unless GM decides to sell it worldwide.

  • Considering that the Impala's very similar platform mate, the Caddy XTS, has AWD and is made on the same line, I find it hard to believe that it will be financially unfeasible to offer the option on the Impala... The same goes for the LaCrosse, even though it's made elsewhere.

• If the R&D is already paid for (by the other models on this platform) why not offer an AWD variant of the Impala?

  If other full-line auto manufactures are offering a certain feature, then Chevy is at a disadvantage.

  If AWD Impala sales are going to cut into Buick sales, who cares? The money is still going back to GM.

  • Exactly! This is always the dilemma faced by the intersection of a flagship model from a mainstream brand and that of an entry luxury model from the same manufacturer's luxury division.

    For instance:
    Lexus ES vs Toyota Avalon
    Lincoln MKZ vs Ford Taurus
    Audi A4 vs VW Passat
    Infiniti G vs Nissan Maxima

    The prices are relatively close, as is the equipment offerings. It's up to the consumer to pick the model he wants. Overall, a good problem to have.

• avalon awd? i dont think so

• Huge mistake....try living up in WI like I do. I would have been all over the Impala if it was AWD....got a 2014 SHO instead. This is my 4th AWD company car....I wouldn't have it any other way.

• Personally I think it's a mistake because the competitors will outsell it once people realize that they offer AWD.
  Not everyone can afford the Equinox or Traverse, so why Rob the Impala of AWD?
  Bad move GM, very bad movie.