This Is What The Chevy Impala Should Have Been

"TheSixSpeed" (the-six-speed)
12/02/2019 at 17:26 • Filed to: Chevrolet, Impala, Opinion, OPINIONS

What happened to the Impala? It went from being a beloved large sedan with some muscle to a bargain basement rental at Enterprise.

Josh Byrnes made this render as a retrospective into the Impala (which you can read here:)

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-and it looks fantastic. You know, depending on your definition of fantastic. Looks are subjective. But I think it looks quite good. Anyhow:

How did something like this:

A large, big block RWD sedan,

Become this?

A FWD V6 snooze mobile that no one wanted, and thus has it’s writing on the wall? This render honestly has me in a twist.

Now to be fair, the Impala was always meant to provide large comfort at an affordable price point, that much hasn’t changed. But that’s the point. We no longer live in a market that values large, comfortable sedans. SUVs and Pickups have taken that crown from them. Once that side of the market started drowning Chevy should have been smart.

They should have made the Impala a Charger competitor. A ying to the Camaro’s yang. A partner in crime. A big block sedan with the potential for great comfort and speeds well above the posted limit if desired. But they didn’t play that game. They decided to let it languish as the sedans corner of the market crumbled, and here we are, about to say goodbye to a nameplate that’s lasted since the 50’s.

Now you could argue “Hey! Wasn’t that what the Chevy SS tried to do? No one bought it! It even came in a manual!”

And yes you’d be correct. Counterpoint: Chevy made no effort to advertise let alone let the public know of its existence, and its ho hum styling did nothing to help it’s case. Call the Charger whatever you want, heavy, brash, old as hell, but the Charger aced one thing that the SS could not: make a statement . The Charger, especially in Scat Pack and Hellcat trims, is seen as an aspirational product. Nobody except hardcore car nerds lusted after the SS. And that’s a damn shame. It was a great car. Just like the Impala could have been.

In the end though, I’m not going to miss the Impala. I’m going to miss its potential.

DISCUSSION (36)

jimz > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 18:37

I think rose colored specs are tinting your vision. The Impala spent most of its early life (1950s-1970s) as nothing more than a high end trim level of Chevy’s full size car. The Delray was the entry level, then the Biscayne, then the Bel Air, and finally the Impala. All trim levels on the same car.

So in spirit, the current Impala is just like the original. The top level of Chevy’s sedan lineup. And as far as “muscle” goes, the current Impala would spank any classic one in any performance metric you care to think of.

Discerning > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 18:37

I really don't like those renderings. I like the 4th gen and 7th gen, but I do not dig those renderings one bit.

TheSixSpeed > jimz
12/02/2019 at 18:44

YOU, SIR,

are correct. But damn if I don’t wanna dream of a proper Charger competitor.

LJ909 > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 18:51

If GM had been smart they would have given us an Impala or potential Caprice like this at the beginning of this decade. I don’ t see how no one but FCA saw that there is still a market for the big American rwd sedan with a V8? Dodge and Chrysler sell boatloads of Charger’s/300's and Challengers .

It would’ ve been simple . Give it a retro inspired design. Nice interior. Base 3.6 that they use in everything. Optional V8 pulled from the Silverado possibly. LS and LT trims make up the bulk of sales for budget buyers and rental duty. Have RS trims be available with the V6 and a luxury Premier trim available with either V6 or V8. And have top dog SS trim to run with the SRT’s and surprise the Germans at stoplight races. So simple. But nope.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 18:55

“A FWD V6 snooze mobile that no one wanted,”

GM Impala Brand Manager’s response after “listening” to you:

“ I hear what you’re saying. We appreciate your feedback.

So for you, we plan on bringing back the Ecotec 4 cyl hybrid... but this time with a multi-mode two motor, electronic continuously-variable automatic transaxle.

We know you’ll be extremely excited over the prospect of having the same driver-oriented hybrid powertrain currently sold in the Malibu now offered in the Impala as well. ”

shop-teacher > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 19:21

That is gorgeous.

punkgoose17 > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 19:24

Yes we all miss the Holden Commodore. We can hope the next Camaro platform has an Impala/Commodore sibling.

TrickJos > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 19:50

I wouldn’t mind an electric version of this.

TrickJos > TrickJos
12/02/2019 at 19:53

Now that I actually clicked the link I see that an electric version was discussed.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 20:23

Because Chevy SS (the G8 turned bowtie and a bit blander) did so well...

There are even some doubts about Malibu’s future, and it seemed fairly well received.

Everybody who wants a big Chevy is buying a Suburban or Silverado. Maybe a Traverse.

How well are Buick and Cadillac sedans doing?

And even in non-sedan segments , Silverado fell to third place among trucks, as well as Camaro in third place among full-size sport coupes, and I doubt Traverse is competing well with Explorer, even with Ford’s quality control problems.

BahamaTodd > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 22:19

Impala was going to go RWD 10 years ago on the Zeta platform used by the 5th gen Camaro, Commodore/G8 etc. But then the bankruptcy happened. We were also going to get a RWD fullsize Buick.

coqui70 > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 22:41

Read “Car Guys vs. Bean Counters” by Bob Lutz. It will tell you all you need to know about GM’s failed management that let it to bankurpcy and now mediocre product as the norm.

It’s frustrating, with such a deep brand catalog every single winner gets buried:

Cadillac CT6-V and CTS-V wagon

Camaro looks to be on the chopping block

We’ll see what happens with the Corvette

The whole damn Pontiac brand

Any attempt at a competitive compact

It’s all crossovers but when they all look the same who cares? Sad. The other day I saw a pristine 1984 -ish Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme Coupe (The RWD long-nose cousin to the GNX). Cars with that style and modern mechanicals would sell! People don’t buy American sedans because they are applicances - Dodge sells because they have the guts to make it different.

MM54 > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 22:49

I dig the rendering

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > TheSixSpeed
12/02/2019 at 23:10

The idea of a V6, V8 and electric version is a great idea. I would also add in the 2.0T hybrid from the CT6 as well.

The issue I have is typical GM bean counting would mean that it wouldn’t be all that it could be even though it would make sense to use the architecture to build a performance coupe (Camaro), sedan (Impala) and crossover (Blazer?, Nomad? ) out of the design

gmporschenut also a fan of hondas > LJ909
12/02/2019 at 23:42

300s have been @50k chargers 80-90k and challengers 65k. They seem so many as the designs are so long in the tooth. If they expanded the caprice, how many new sales would they actually make vs diluting the market.

LJ909 > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
12/03/2019 at 00:01

They sell more then enough thats for sure. If Chevy had expanded and entered this market, it wouldn’t have diluted because there arent that many choices. Like I’ve mentioned before, cars like the Charger/300 and the Genesis G80 punch way above their price bracket simply for being big RWD sedans. You have to spend way more to get that at other brands.

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > TheSixSpeed
12/03/2019 at 01:00

He’s not THAT correct— in some ways the first 409 Impala SS WAS the catalyst for the muscle car era. And it was a 1961 model year offering.

It was far more “OK” with GM brass to tart-up the B-Bodies than it was the mid-size cars like the LeMans and non-descript Oldsmobiles.

And, make no mistake, that RPO bringing a 409 to your dealer was serious power. 11:1 compression, forged internals. It wasn’t just a dress-up kit...

https://musclecars.howstuffworks.com/classic-muscle-cars/1961-chevrolet-impala-ss-409.htm

SBA Thanks You For All The Fish > Manwich - now Keto-Friendly
12/03/2019 at 01:01

Of course, they’ve sold LOTS of “snooze-mobiles” and very, very few of the Chevy SS so maybe GM knows what business they are in?

CobraJoe > jimz
12/03/2019 at 09:38

Counterpoint: Any successful long term model line has tweaked it’s formula to better fit the era it is in. Keeping it the same will only result in flagging sales.

The Mustang is perhaps the most obvious proof of this, but it’s not the only example.

Right now, people have to choose a sedan over a similarly priced CUV, and the current Impala is not giving much of a reason to choose it.

jimz > CobraJoe
12/03/2019 at 09:44

I guess that in essence I’m disputing the idea that making it a four-door Camaro would help at all. with rare exception, cars don’t lack for performance anymore. We’re not still in the era where the base engine for a monster like this is a ~115-120 hp six cylinder.

Kinja'd!!!

CobraJoe > gmporschenut also a fan of hondas
12/03/2019 at 09:47

And last year the Impala sold only 50k, while it was at 90k 2 years ago and 150k 5 years ago . The Charger ha s remaining steady at 80-90k during that same time (and has been quite steady since it was introduced) .

I think this shows that the market for a bland sedan is drying up. People need a reason to want a sedan. Styling and driving experience seem to matter in the sedan market now.

I think the charger proves that while the market isn’t huge, it is fairly steady.

Thisismydisplayname > coqui70
12/03/2019 at 09:54

Lutz understood how much design means to a vehicle. Cars are still an emotional purchase for a lot of people. But there are also a bunch of people that don’t give a damn. But Chrysler has been able to build a brand on their big power sedans and SUVs, and even if people don’t actually buy the big power versions, they can have the same styling and get a discount on the price. But they still can get the feeling that they have a badass sedan, even if it’s the base engine. Good marketing and good styling.

CobraJoe > jimz
12/03/2019 at 10:08

I guess that in essence I’m disputing the idea that making it a four-door Camaro would help at all.

I completely agree there. Any sedan built to be a pure “Sports sedan” has a hard time finding buyers here in the US. (Plus, I’m not sure the Camaro’s styling fits on a 4 door very well)

with rar e exception, cars don’t lack for performance anymore.

And I completley agree there too. Besides, like I mentioned, any design focused on being “sporty” doesn’t seem to inspire sales. Perhaps looking only at performance is not a great solution for the current sedan market.

But, that’s not the only way. Dodge has seemed to prove that you can get pretty reliable sales by making something interesting to look at and somewhat interesting to drive. It doesn’t look like or drive like the average “mom mobile” of the past 20 years, so that seems to be enough to make people want it on it’s own merit.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
12/03/2019 at 10:23

Tied in with that, the vehicles people say they want are often very different from the vehicles they actually buy.

Stephen Rivers > TheSixSpeed
12/03/2019 at 11:04

Great piece again amigo. Mind me mentioning this in a piece I’m working on?

TheSixSpeed > Stephen Rivers
12/03/2019 at 11:08

Thank you! And no not at all, do what you want.

M.T. Blake > TheSixSpeed
12/03/2019 at 13:16

THE CHARGER FIGHTER WE DESERVE!!!!! ALL COMPACT SUV’S NEED TO DIE!!!! FOLLOW ME INTO THE MAELSTROM, TONIGHT WE DINE WITH DEATH!!!!

GLiddy > TheSixSpeed
12/03/2019 at 15:19

Impala? When I saw that render, I immediately saw Chevy Nova.

Kinja'd!!!

Duck Duck Grey Duck FTMFW! > TheSixSpeed
12/03/2019 at 17:41

Holy shitb alls!!! I would drive the hell out of that!!!!

cluelessk > TheSixSpeed
12/03/2019 at 18:22

Bad photoshop is awful.

It a stretched Camaro with a Silverado grill.

The only reason it makes sense for Dodge to keep selling the Charger is the tooling a development have long since paid for themselves. It’s a decades old design and they have nothing else to offer that really appeals to people. What other Dodge car is even competitive in the market?

When the market is going the other direction in terms of size and fuel economy why would Chevy introduce this?

cluelessk > Discerning
12/03/2019 at 18:26

It’s a Camaro streched with a Silverado grill. It’s brutal.

Really make you appreciate good design.

But my now Uncles will tell me all about that new Impala they saw on Facebook. Just like the new “Trans Am”(Camaro body kit) GM is going to be releasing any day now.

cluelessk > shop-teacher
12/03/2019 at 18:28

Take a second look. It’s a Camaro stretched(literally ) with a Silverado grill.

It’s pretty bad overall. “SHARP EDGES MEANS AGGRESSIVE”

shop-teacher > cluelessk
12/03/2019 at 19:15

Its a stretched Camaro for sure, but that's not a Silverado grill. The front fender shape is very evocative of mid-late 60's Impalas. I think it looks great. Not that it matters, they'll never make it or anything like it again.

MKULTRA1982(ConCrustyBrick) > SBA Thanks You For All The Fish
12/03/2019 at 20:02

I think this is more specific to the Super Sport nameplate than it is the the Impala model as a whole. It being RWD live axle and big block outside of the sporting trims was just a result of it being a regular car and compared to more sporting cars it was likely still a snooze , the same way the modern Impala is a FWD V6 bore.

Oscar > TheSixSpeed
12/03/2019 at 20:17

Im building a 68 impala 4door sporty blac w 22s i hope i can show the beauty of this car soon. . stay tooned emailme at oscar23df@aol.com for picts

arl > TheSixSpeed
12/04/2019 at 09:42

Wow, that’s a great render.