It has been rumored for the last few months that Chevrolet would be soldiering on with a front-wheel-drive Impala for at least the next few years. The recent contract agreement between the Canadian Auto Workers union and General Motors appears to cement this rumor as fact. According to the signed pact, GM promised to keep the Oshawa Assembly plant, where the current-generation Impala is made, open until 2012 -- two years longer than first planned. The Impala is a pretty good seller for the General, so we're not too surprised that upper-level management would want to leave it alone, but that doesn't stop us from wanting to see Chevy's bread-and-butter full-size sedan return to its roots by going rear-wheel-drive.
One thing is for certain: by the year 2012, the W-Body platform of the current Impala will be absolutely ancient. On the other hand, we've had nothing but good things to say about the new Zeta platform which underpins such enthusiast-friendly vehicles as the new Pontiac G8. Therefore, we can at least hold out some hope that GM will find a way to offer as many vehicles as possible using the new chassis architecture, whether they are named Impala or not. Anybody want to see a new Nova?
[Source: The GM Source]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
mikomi @ May 23rd 2008 5:32PM
Before I read the title or saw the badge, I thought it was the picture of an older model Camry or Maxima.
Dave @ May 24th 2008 7:19AM
You forgot the Accord. All these cars are bland looking and I actually found the previous Impala more attractive. Accept maybe the Maxima, the Camry, Accord, and Impala are all real good reliable cars and they sell well regardless of their appearance.
mikomi @ May 24th 2008 7:56AM
Nah, it seriously only reminded me of an older Camry or Maxima at first glance, but that's not a bad thing necessarily.
That being said, there is a market for FWD, cheaper to make and maintain. An additionally, like someone else had mentioned, in areas with winter, FWD is a better choice over RWD. Sure, the car enthusiast will want the RWD, but this is an appliance to a lot of people. Although an extra 2 years, that's going to get long in the tooth in terms of styling if there's no refresh. At least it's not an offensive design, more benign than anything.
Esprit bird @ May 23rd 2008 5:42PM
I wanted to see where they would take the Monte Carlo...the 06-07's where looking decent...I'd love to find a cheap one and drop a 6 speed in it and really haul something.
Duders @ May 23rd 2008 11:21PM
Haul something? I think you mean ass.
Esprit bird @ May 25th 2008 12:48AM
Yes, i guess i could mean that.
geo.stewart @ May 23rd 2008 5:47PM
other than being a little wider than the malibu, I'm not sure why Chevy sells this. dimensions are quite close and pricing in the same range. guess these will be the new fleet vehicle that allows the malibu to stay off those lots, like the old malibu classic.
Xcountryflyer @ May 23rd 2008 6:17PM
You said it: fleet sales. This car is perfect for fleet sales and GM avoids new Malibu fleet sales so the used prices stay higher. It can fit 6 people, good-sized trunk, decent MPG and so its perfect for fleet and old people.
Dan @ May 23rd 2008 9:31PM
The other thing about fleet sales is the only thing they hate more than bad design is change.
When your service department has experience with and parts for an existing model, throwing that away for better steering feel etc. that you can't put a dollar value on is as good as throwing away dollars.
Dave @ May 24th 2008 7:25AM
Yeh, you would think they would downsize their line up and discontinue it but it is still a top 10 seller. I guess its similar over at Toyota where they have the great selling Camry and the similar but weak selling Avalon.
Phillip @ May 23rd 2008 5:49PM
By 2012 it won't be that old. It was updated quite significantly when it was last restyled including aluminum front and rear sub-frames as well as other areas of the unibody.
Martman @ May 23rd 2008 5:49PM
Those of that live with winter LIKE the FWD platform just fine. No amout of traction control or other gizmos will make a RWD with huge wide tires and wheels, (as is the current trend) will work in snow and ice.
Richard @ May 23rd 2008 6:21PM
+1
I always enjoy watching cars will RWD, TC and all season tyres when it snows here in RI.
Ha!
Judy Zik @ May 23rd 2008 7:45PM
Totally agreed. Unless we are talking about a sports car for summer only use (which an Impala obviously isn't) I don't see the point to RWD. I have lived the nightmare of trying to climb a snowy hill with a RWD sedan. Not fun. The Corvette needs to be RWD. The Impala doesn't.
Russell @ May 23rd 2008 11:19PM
I am on the market for a new car, but I will never consider FWD car, ever.
goat @ May 25th 2008 10:31AM
I don't know where you get the idea that wrong-wheel drive (FWD) is so great for snow; it's not.
If you live in a place where there are hills, you find out pretty quickly that when you are trying to go uphill, weight shifts to the rear wheels. This is not helpful if your drive wheels are in the front.
When you are going downhill, you are concerned mainly about brakes, which is unaffected by which wheels are driven.
The one advantage I can see for FWD is starting out from a stop when you are on a flat surface. But I don't think it's that big of an advantage. I live in the foothills/mountains and drive a rear wheel drive car. When it gets too slick to get around without them, I put on my chains. I would have to do the same with FWD.
On non-icy pavement, however, RWD just drives better. And that's what I'm driving on 95+% of the time.
Martman @ May 26th 2008 9:50AM
Goat
I live in western Canada. Our roads are flat and we get lots of snow and heavy ice. RWD cars just don't cut it here in the winter time. Most of the newer cars have huge 18 inch wheels with very wide low profile tires that just sit there and spin. I have used both and I will never have a RWD car again just for that reason. I can not justify spending $1000 plus dollars to buy winter tires and wheels etc. I work in the automobile shipping business. try to load a mustang onto a truck in January around here and see what happens. Nothing it just spins.
A realtive has a t-bird and he can not get up his drive way with it on some winter day, yet with his impalla and good all season tires it is no problem. Now if I lived in the sun belt that would be a different story then it would RWD for sure. The new G8 looks wonderful but with RWD and v/8 power and gas at $5.76 per gallon here now I will just not be practical for most people. My Bonneville and Caravan now costs $70.00 each to fill up and we are told it will be $6.38 per gallon by July here.
Dan @ May 23rd 2008 5:51PM
Wonder if this applies to the platform mates.
Lacrosse sales were down 33% year on year last year, but up 5% through April this year.
The (really pretty awful) Grand Prix dropped 20% in 2007, and 78% (!) through April.
Impala sales were up 7% last year, now down 10% through April.
I really like the Lacrosse Super even if it wrong wheel drive and overpriced.
Matt Keller @ May 23rd 2008 6:10PM
Maybe that's because the GP is being discontinued?
Volk @ May 23rd 2008 10:35PM
Where do you get numbers? Do you have sales numbers for G8? I'm afraid that with such gas prices, G8 will have the same fate as the last GTO... :-(