Comfort and Luxury Coexist in the 2015 Chevrolet Impala
In 2014, Chevrolet introduced the newly redesigned Impala and its latest iteration, with a sleek exterior and luxurious interior, is even more impressive. When I scored a 2015 Impala 2LZ sedan for a week-long test drive, several of my neighbors came running up the block to check out the shiny new car.
They were excited by the sparkling metallic finish, the trunk (almost 19 cubic feet of space) and remote start. One of them was shocked, though, that the Monroney sticker didn’t give the overall length of the car. Apparently, in NYC garages, you pay more for a long car. For the record, the car is 201 inches long; the new Lincoln Navigator, by comparison, is 207 inches, while the Ford Fusion is 191 inches. Just so you know.
Most striking was the two tone interior, in jet black and mojave (what us regular gals would call ‘sand’). The soft leather seats, which could be heated or chilled, offered lumbar support. The heated seated are standard; cooling was part of the comfort & convenience package option.
Sexy at (almost) Sixty
Chevy Impalas have led Chevrolet’s fleet of sedans since 1958, setting the standard for comfy cars with lots of room in the trunk (yes, like those mom jeans). But the latest Impala is all that and much more.
WiFi? Yes, please
At my daughter’s technologically advanced school, teachers post homework at night, and on the weekends, through a portal that can only
be accessed on the web. The 4G hotspot in the fully loaded car is a great way to avoid those meltdowns when your kid realizes she needs to get the history assignment, or when the adults need to work. When my husband and I drove the car to New Jersey, we took turns, with the passenger using a laptop in the car. How cool is that?
And when you turn off the car, you don’t immediately lose connectivity. The auxiliary functions: lights, radio, and WiFi, stay on for a few minutes so you can save a document and not lose your last 45 minutes of work.
OnStar and more connectivity
The Impala also comes with six months of Chevy’s signature OnStar, which offers directions and an auto crash response. We luckily had no need to test out the crash response, but we did get directions, which are so easy; you are connected to a real person, and say where you are going. Then, turn by turn directions are downloaded to the navigation system.
You can also go ‘old school’ and enter your destination on the eight-inch touchscreen, but OnStar is faster, and of course much safer if you are driving alone. If you prefer to add an address manually, you can do this while the car is in motion.
Easy navigation
However you enter a destination, the nav system is easy to follow. And this one has a bonus; it warns you of an approaching toll booth. This is very useful if you have to get over to the left, say, for an EZ Pass only lane, or start scrambling for cash to pay a toll.
There is a second, small screen on the steering column so the driver doesn’t get distracted looking over at the touchscreen.
Safety on board
The car is loaded with all the latest safety features, including forward collision alert, rear cross traffic alert, lane departure warning and side blind zone alert. If you drive on very congested roads like the West Side Highway in Manhattan during rush hour, the systems will be alerting you constantly; NYC cabs cutting me off at 50 mph from all sides set off a chorus of beeps.
About the only thing the Impala doesn’t have is adaptive cruise control- but since I am not all that familiar with this feature, I didn’t miss it.
Chevrolet Complete Care
It would be pretty hard to run out of gas in the car; (which gets decent fuel economy – we got about 26 miles per gallon) there is a countdown, which tells you your remaining range. But if you did run out, the Chevrolet Complete Care, which is included, offers fuel delivery. The comprehensive package also includes scheduled maintenance, for two years, towing, flat tire changes and jump starts – no need for AAA.
All the extras
In driving the car for a week, I found much to love in the car. There are some nifty touches, like the side view mirrors lighting up when you unlock the car. This serves as a great reminder to pop the mirrors back out if you parked in a tight spot, and offers extra illumination when getting in the car at night.
There is also a ‘secret’ hiding spot for a phone, credit cards, or dark chocolate, behind the center console.
What We Loved
- The interior space – plenty of front and back leg room
- Large trunk and fold down backseats
- Hidden compartment in center console
- Light up side view mirrors
- All the latest safety features
- Ten standard air bags, including driver and front passenger knee airbags
- Chevrolet Complete Care
- WiFi Hotspot and OnStar (six months free OnStar included)
What You Need to Know
- MSRP $35,290
- Price for the model we drove, with premium audio system and ‘comfort & convenience’ package, $38,295
Decent gas mileage: 18 city, 28 highway
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Takes regular gas
- 36 month / 36,000 mile bumper to bumper warranty
- 60 month, 100,000 mile power train warranty AND roadside assistance
Note: Chevrolet provided the car for my review. Opinions are all my own.
