Having completely overhauled the Chevy Impala for the 2014 model year, putting the full-size sedan on the Super Epsilon platform. For the 2016 model year, Chevy is giving its full-size sedan some interesting changes and updates.
To start, the 2016 Chevy Impala loses loses six exterior colors, while gaining five new ones.
Deleted Colors
- Autumn Bronze Metallic exterior color
- Red Rock Metallic exterior color
- Crystal Red Tintcoat exterior color
- Ashen Gray Metallic exterior color
- Silver Topaz Metallic exterior color
- Champagne Silver Metallic exterior color
New Colors
- Siren Red Tintcoat exterior color (extra cost) (late availability)
- Citron Green Metallic exterior color
- Heather Gray Metallic exterior color
- Mosaic Black Metallic exterior color (late availability)
- Green Envy Metallic exterior color (extra cost)
Inside, the 2016 Impala loses the Jet Black/Brownstone interior color combination. Plus, the Leather Package, which featured sueded microfiber on the 2015 Impala, does away with the suede and features exclusively leather. On the mechanical side, the 2016 Impala swaps out the 2015 Impala’s 900 cold-cranking amps battery for an 800 cold-cranking amps unit. The move is somewhat puzzling to us.
In addition, the 2016 Impala adds adding wireless device charging to its equipment list, while the CD player is now part of the Technology Package, which is standard on the LTZ trim level. The 2016 Impala also features all kinds of other package-level changes.
As we wait for Chevy to roll the Impala out in China, we’re somewhat disappointed to not see all-wheel drive or the very well-received Impala Blackout package added to the lineup. Here’s to hoping that 2017 will be the year when that happens.
Check the official RPO-level changes for yourself just below.
Deletions
- (G1F) Autumn Bronze Metallic exterior color
- (G7P) Red Rock Metallic exterior color
- (GBE) Crystal Red Tintcoat exterior color
- (GLJ) Ashen Gray Metallic exterior color
- (GWS) Silver Topaz Metallic exterior color
- (GWT) Champagne Silver Metallic exterior color
- (H0T) Jet Black/Brownstone interior
- (K3W) 900 cold-cranking amps battery
New Features
- (G1E) Siren Red Tintcoat exterior color (extra cost) (late availability)
- (GA1) Citron Green Metallic exterior color
- (GA6) Heather Gray Metallic exterior color
- (GB8) Mosaic Black Metallic exterior color (late availability)
- (GC8) Green Envy Metallic exterior color (extra cost)
- (K4C) Wireless Charging for devices
- (VQK) Front and rear splash guards, LPO
- (K4F) 800 cold-cranking amps battery
Changes
- Side Blind Zone Alert now includes Lane Change Alert and the RPO code is now (UKC)
- Package name changes:
- (PCN) LS Convenience to Protection Package
- (PCU) Advanced Safety to Driver Confidence Package
- (PCV) Premium Seating to Leather Package
- (PCX) Premium Audio and Sport Wheels to Technology Package
- (PCH) Comfort and Convenience to Enhanced Convenience Package
- (PCJ) Premium Audio to Advanced Technology Package
- (UE1) OnStar Directions and Connections plan for 6 months, changes to Guidance plan included for 6 months (trial excludes Hands-Free Calling minutes)
- CD player is now part of the (PCX) Technology Package, and standard on LTZ
- (PCV) Leather Package sueded microfiber changes to leather seating surfaces
Comments
Very odd. This car should have awd. It’s Chevrolet’s only full sized family sedan. Isn’t this their halo model too? It should be available to option with whatever the customer wants. Even if it’s for company nameplate elevation. No need to lose a sale to Subaru or Ford over lack of options like that. Such a good looking car too.
The issue is pricing. The car is already over $45K loaded now and adding AWD would make it close to $47K. At the same time you can get a Lacrosse with more features for the same price.
I think they are just leaving the AWD to Buick. Ford has no other brand option and Subaru is going to get the sale no matter what as they are a lot cheaper even vs the FWD model if that is what someone wants.
If they added AWD it may add 12K units in sales at best. The Impala is not a volume car like it used to be.
The bottom line is how much will someone pay for a Chevy? Also you have the SS at nearly the same price.
We may see this change in the next gen Impala but for now with Buick lurking in the same price range I see it remaining with Buick to do the AWD deal alone for now. GM has to keep some difference in their models or they will get in the same trouble as last time.
Scott,
Don’t know were you are getting the $45K for a loaded Impala. I’ve configured an LTZ with every option including adaptive cruise control, and your at $42K.
No one looking for an AWD Impala is going to be cross shopping with and SS anyhow. Some of us folks in the Northeast and Midwest prefer an AWD vehicle because of weather. You can please spare me you don’t need AWD. This is my preference and many people in the area I live agree.
Chevy should be thrilled to add 12K in volume since this would be about 8-10% increase in sales.
I happen to think the current Impala is one on the nicest looking cars in GMs portfolio and cannot say the same for the Lacrosse!
You can get an awd ford fusion and ford taurus starting around 26,000. AWD is an option I can’t go without so I would go with the ford options over chevy for that reason alone
Once you cap Chevy, the goal is to move you to Buick. Once you cap Buick, your supposed to move to Cadillac.
Not that it really plays out that way, but I think thats the design. Lose a sale to Buick or Caddy and your A-OK.
The Impala actually loses a 7th exterior color, Rainforest Green metallic. I wonder what the new shades of green will look like.
The package name changes are a bit confusing, and in the case of the premium audio and sport wheels package being renamed to technology package, doesn’t accurately represent its content anymore. Technology package includes 19″ wheels and spoiler… maybe they should have called it the “technology and stuff” package. Also, disappointed with the fact that the CD slot is deleted unless you opt for the technology package (which is restricted to require ALL of the other packages for a net add of about $4000 just to get a cd slot).
Also too bad they are doing away with the sueded interior, which I find to be preferable to leather, and taking with it the unique brown interior without adding another color to take its place. Choice of black or gray interior, *yawn*.
800 CCA is more than enough to crank over that motor. My Silverado uses a 700 CCA and it starts in -40℃ every day of the week
Still no Apple CarPlay?
Yes. 2016 Impalas have Apple Car Play. Nothing yet for Android.
Thank god I don’t have to sell impalas any more. Without a 5 grand rebate plus 0% they rust on the lot… No marketing wiz a in the world can make that animal fly..
GM quality bankrupt the company because people didn’t want to buy rust buckets that lasted 2-3 years. I hope GM understands this. I still refuse to buy a GM as they still haven’t upgraded their quality to an acceptable level.
I want to buy a car I can pass on to my children or at a minimum keep past 5 years.
My favorite is the 2012 Impala , but this begs a question ….how do you find out how many Impalas sold last year were the new design ? It appears GM lumps the two together in its monthly sales chart . Though I have no evidence to support it , as I see lots of the previous gen Impalas on the road but very few 2014 models that perhaps most of the sales are the previous gen….to fleet owners ? Are the changes to the 2016 model going to make any difference in the sales ? I can’t see it for with the price asked for the top end model , there appear to be more buyable products avaiIable , elsewhere !
http://www.goodcarbadcar.net/2011/01/chevrolet-impala-sales-figures.html
It does not say a split but you have to consider a few things too in the last year of the old one.
The old model was sold dirt cheap often for as low as $17,000 as my buddy paid for his. They were discounted to dump them out and finish the line. So they made money but not nearly the same kind of money the new model has made with the higher price point.
You can compare the 2011 vs the 2013 and get an idea of numbers for each body style but keep in mind profits would be twice if not more on the new model per unit sold.
Last year they sold about 120K plus of the new models which Is a good number for a car in that price range. As to seeing them just depends were you live as they are common here in the mid west.
If the Chevy Impala goes to the Omega platform for 2017, then it should get the same EVT that the Cadillac CT6 is getting, making this the third hybrid Chevy vehicle (after the Volt and Malibu).
This is where I kind of expect the to go.
I have wondered if the SS and Impala both will merge into one Omega unit.
Many dealers already list the SS as the “Impala SS”
Dealers are hardly a worthy/reliable source of information.
Typical GM nonsense. Remove the CD player and kill off the best interior color combo leaving us with god forsaken gray and black as the only choices. Pathetic! Meanwhile Chrysler has added two new interior color combos to it’s 200 sedan. Glad to see the cost cutting hasn’t changed at GM.
Yeah, no one uses CD players any more so its a waste of money to include it in the car. I haven’t used a CD since 2003.
Speak for yourself. I know plenty of people that have oodles of CD’s which if you have noticed are still being sold in stores and online. This is purely a way for GM to cut yet another thing out of this car while both raising the price and grabbing the customer more money to get this feature back!
Just grabbed a silver 2016 basic model @ $10,000 off of sticker–> $23,000 + tax.
Very pleased : ]
I’m with you, My iPhone has 5,000 songs why would I use a CD player. I think I’ve used it a few times only to play a CD I just purchased from the store. Then I go home and add it to iTunes and then have no need for the CD.
I have a 2014 with the tricoat white and the Mojave/Black interior. Best looking interior they have in my opinion. And the car includes a flash card reader which we have roughly a thousand songs on not to mention the CD(which they said was still included on the LTZ) and streaming BT. The CD player has maybe 5 minutes use in the 25 months I have the car.
And the list on the car with ACC and every option available short the lighted sill plates was just over $42K as mentioned including the paint charge. I paid just over $36K with my Aunt’s GM discount.
Best car I have ever owned.
They can play with features and specs as much as they want, I am still not convinced that it meets minimum quality standards as far as I am concerned. I rented one a few months back for the weekend. it had a couple of hundred km on it and squealed like a pig. Sorry GM still has to do a lot more for me to think about buying them
2016 Impala Auto Stop Feature (11K Miles)
Issue 1: While in Auto/Stop mode, when you release brake, all doors unlock, lock then the car starts. Occurs about 10% of the time.
Issue 2: You assume the car is in Auto/Stop, but it is OFF. You are required to put the car in Park and turn the key to start car. This has a occurred (9) times as of 5/20/2016. This is a safety concern, especially in heavy traffic.
Issue 3: Check Engine light comes on and off at various times. Light is on about 30% of the time.
Issue 4: Theft Deterrent warning light comes on and car will not start. If you remove the key and try again and it usually works. Occurred about (5) times.
Dealership Trip 1: Mentioned issues during and oil change. Dealer could not find anything wrong.
Dealership Trip 2: Took to dealer for issues and they said my key fob needed to be synced with car. Issues 1 and 3 occurred within 2 hours of repairs. Now my second key fob no longer works.
Dealership Trip 3: Scheduled 05/23/2016
What is it going to take for GM to start producing quality cars without TSBS recalls and etc.??????????????????????
I rented a 2016 Impala last week with a few hundred KMs squeek squeek and more squeek but then when I looked it up on the internet 64 TSBs. Are the engineers at GM awake ? are there any engineers at GM? or have they all been replaced with used car salesmen?
If I am going to buy a brand new GM that has more or the same problems as a European or Japanese secondhand car then guess what we will not buy a GM cars and GM is going to face yet another bankruptcy very soon and the only car producers that will be left arent going to be form the good old US of A.
Goodluck GM yet another piece of junk that I am not going to buy
I owned a 2014 Impala Lt and had no issues with the car during the 36000 miles that I drove it. In fall of 2016 I was at the dealer and they had a black LTZ with every option including the Mojave/Black leather interior. I bought the car even though I didn’t need it because I liked the options – nav, sunroof, heated steering wheel, heated seats, auto dimming mirrors etc.
So far I have owned the car for 3 months and it has been problem free in the 8000 miles I’ve put on it. The car had a big wife acceptance factor to.
Both cars gave me excellent fuel mileage when driven properly. The interior is limo like in size and the trunk is large. The only complaint I have is that the front seat headrests are huge and you have to be careful at a stop sign before pulling into on-going traffic to be sure there is no one coming. The ride is very nice on good roads but is a little too stiff on inner city roads with bad pavement. The engine noise is almost imperceptible at any speed. The 6 speed tranny shifts almost unnoticeably.
I’m not a die hard chevy guy and have owned all manufacturer cars in the past – foreign and American. This is just a good all round satisfying vehicle for me and I recommend people consider it if looking for this style of car. My friend liked my car so much he bought one to.
Wild stuff.
King Ranch Edition anyone?
Although occasionally beleaguered, still rated as best big car value in America (domestic).
Very poorly marketed, though!
Jas. McH.
PS You don’t need all of the bells ‘n whistles to enjoy!/jm
Furthermore, GM/CHEVY has a real, well-desigjned sleeper model on its hands yhat demands some Paul Revere-esque attention–> Even some radical, two-tone/hip paint jobs!
—JMcH—
I have the 2015 Impala in Autumn Bronze with the leather suede package. I get enormous comments on this car. Too bad these were both removed. BUT I may now have something special on my hands due to this one being only made for one year 🙂