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Old 08-21-2013, 01:25 PM   #1
AVANTI R5
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Default Chevy Impala Beats European, Asian Rivals in Magazine Tests



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The Chevrolet Impala, for years the ubiquitous, dowdy rental car that had many travelers clamoring for an upgrade, has suddenly risen to a level of quality, comfort and driving dynamics. shared by luxury models from Audi, Lexus and Acura.

At least that’s the conclusion Consumer Reports reached in its latest automotive roundup. The Chevy, which was redesigned for the 2014 model year, scored 95 out of 100 points in the magazine’s latest automotive roundup. The score puts it close to the heels of the Tesla Model S, the electric car that got 99 points earlier this year – tied with a 2007 Lexus LS for the highest score ever.

The magazine, which is known for thorough, no-nonsense and unemotional car evaluations, said the Impala’s improvement reflects a broader comeback for U.S. car makers, which have rolled out a number of new models that have excelled in its road tests.

Indeed, the new Impala bears no significant resemblance to its predecessor – a design that had seen scant improvements since the 1990s. The previous Impala scored an uninspired 63 in Consumer Reports’ testing. The new one, however, is competitive with cars costing $20,000 more, like the Audi A6, Lexus LS 460L and Acura RLX, the magazine said.

Driver’s Seat reviewed the Impala car in April and found it on par with European luxury sedans for interior room, ride, comfort fit and finish.
“The Impala is the latest in a series of complete overhauls that have demonstrated that GM is serious about producing competitive products in every segment in which they participate,” said Alec Gutierrez, a senior analyst at Kelley Blue Book. “With the 2014 redesign, GM has been able to shed the Impala’s reputation as a forgettable value priced fleet queen,” he said.
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Old 08-21-2013, 01:31 PM   #2
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No freaking way they just said the impala is competitive with the Audi A6 and Lexus LS460L.

CR you have officially gone full retard.




PS. I think teh new impala is a magnificent step forward for GM, and I also think it is a good looking car, but to compare it to those two performance and luxury leaders, is just a complete joke.

The paragraph in the article said it perfectly. "unemotional car evaluations"...

I would not want to be praised at all by a company that cannot connect emotionally with a car. THat is 50% of reason to buy a subaru...
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Old 08-21-2013, 02:45 PM   #3
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Sorry Chevy, but you can't expect the public to forget 20+ years of rental quality engineering just because you released one barely visually appealing halo sedan. But hey, tourists deserve a nicer ride, right?
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Old 08-21-2013, 02:56 PM   #4
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actually, this car can be a turning point. It is a nice car to look at. I would rather have it than the ungainly Ford Taurus.
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Old 08-21-2013, 03:08 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by Dex View Post
Sorry Chevy, but you can't expect the public to forget 20+ years of rental quality engineering just because you released one barely visually appealing halo sedan. But hey, tourists deserve a nicer ride, right?
Pretty much.

CR doesn't carry much weight with me and GM is going to have to build more than one good car for a significant period of time before I buy in.
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Old 08-21-2013, 03:16 PM   #6
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Originally Posted by SCRAPPYDO View Post
actually, this car can be a turning point. It is a nice car to look at. I would rather have it than the ungainly Ford Taurus.
Mods, somebody hacked Scrappy's account!
:-P

Yeah, the Taurus is pretty bad too, way too corporate looking. I'm also biased as I work for the city and we have a **** ton or Tauri and other mundane USDM cars.
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Old 08-21-2013, 03:16 PM   #7
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Why do people that actually like cars follow or care about CR's ratings of automobiles? Their reviews are clearly for people that don't care about cars and just want recommendations on purchasing generic transportation. They are more concerned about things like cupholder location, outward view from the driver's seat, and infotainment ease of use than driving dynamics and ultimate performance.

That said multiple outlets have praised the new Impala so I tend to believe the car is more competent than GM cars of years past.
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Old 08-21-2013, 03:45 PM   #8
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Why do people that actually like cars follow or care about CR's ratings of automobiles? Their reviews are clearly for people that don't care about cars and just want recommendations on purchasing generic transportation. They are more concerned about things like cupholder location, outward view from the driver's seat, and infotainment ease of use than driving dynamics and ultimate performance.

That said multiple outlets have praised the new Impala so I tend to believe the car is more competent than GM cars of years past.
It probably is a great car, it's just ridiculous that it look Chevy this long to make something competitive.
And yes, CR is for librarians and accountants. Their reviews are very dry and more focused on value and, as you stated, amenities.
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Old 08-21-2013, 05:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by heavyD View Post
Why do people that actually like cars follow or care about CR's ratings of automobiles? Their reviews are clearly for people that don't care about cars and just want recommendations on purchasing generic transportation. They are more concerned about things like cupholder location, outward view from the driver's seat, and infotainment ease of use than driving dynamics and ultimate performance.
That is why Subarus are doing so well in CR ratings. Look at the demographic. Also note that the CR reliability ratings are from the vehicle owners, not the staff's feelings or views.

GM has to produce product like this for 5+ years to really start being taken seriously.

Peace,

Greg
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Old 08-21-2013, 07:33 PM   #10
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Originally Posted by heavyD View Post
Why do people that actually like cars follow or care about CR's ratings of automobiles? Their reviews are clearly for people that don't care about cars and just want recommendations on purchasing generic transportation. They are more concerned about things like cupholder location, outward view from the driver's seat, and infotainment ease of use than driving dynamics and ultimate performance.

That said multiple outlets have praised the new Impala so I tend to believe the car is more competent than GM cars of years past.
Precisely. I suppose CR does a decent job ranking transportation devices, but I don't think their scoring really captures the things that make cars desireable or not desireable.
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Old 08-22-2013, 02:32 AM   #11
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Has anyone talked about why the big change, err why they actually tried this time around?
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Old 08-22-2013, 10:29 AM   #12
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Has anyone talked about why the big change, err why they actually tried this time around?
I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that every other lower end company has pulled way ahead in style and quality, and left them in the dust. Aside from Chrysler, nobody really makes cars that are so unappealing that they stricken to the fleet life.

There was a time when Ford, Kia, and Hyundai made equally crappy and unappealing cars. They've since made progressive step to leave that stigma. Now it's it's time for Chevy to do the same.
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Old 08-22-2013, 12:12 PM   #13
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Precisely. I suppose CR does a decent job ranking transportation devices, but I don't think their scoring really captures the things that make cars desireable or not desireable.
Yes, and that is by design. We have plenty of rags talking about "gotta have it" factor and what not. CR reviews their cars the same way they review TVs. I think it compliments the "real car magazines" quite well. And while CR tries a bit too hard to be contrarian, at least it's not influenced by advertisement.
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Old 08-22-2013, 02:10 PM   #14
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I saw one parked near my office recently and I have to say, I was drawn to the look of it. They seem to have done a good job with the design of the car. How things go as far as real quality and reliability goes, we will have to see.
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Old 08-22-2013, 04:20 PM   #15
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I don't know if the change has come with the bankruptcy, new gov't/EPA fuel economy standards, or some realization that the market is changing and they have to adapt, but it is something visible within GM. The current round of vehicles being produced appear to be under a lot more scrutiny from the engineering side of things. Part design, function, features, validation, quality, all of it. The program I work on just encountered a 1 year delay because the current set of pre-production vehicles didn't turn out as desired. Too expensive, poorer than targeted ride and handling performance, and too heavy to meet planned fuel economy targets. So they're back to the drawing board making chassis improvements to reduce weight and improve dynamics.

So instead of shipping **** out the door they are spending a pretty good chunk of money to fix things before someone can be disappointed in them.



I happen to like the looks of the new Impala. I haven't had the chance to drive one yet, but I find it more appealing than anything coming from Japan. To me it looks better than comparable products from Mercedes, BMW, and Audi. I expect the German products perform better and have better options and features, but then they do cost quite a bit more.
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Old 08-22-2013, 09:55 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dex View Post
It probably is a great car, it's just ridiculous that it look Chevy this long to make something competitive.
This is undoubtedly true. They have made a bunch of good and decent cars though recently. Before it was just decent and poor
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Old 08-23-2013, 08:08 AM   #17
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GM has always been a producer of amazing engines/drivetrains, it's just the quality of the rest of the car that was lacking. Maybe this is a sign they are finally catching up in that latter category.
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Old 09-13-2013, 12:59 PM   #18
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Ive seen the new models and they look very nice compared to the older models
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Old 09-13-2013, 01:08 PM   #19
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The rear looks like the Sonata, but worse.
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Old 09-13-2013, 08:47 PM   #20
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A neighbor has one of these. Not really impressed. $40k??
Sorry I just dont see this as anything more than too little, too late. GM sucks and should have been allowed to die years ago. Maybe its 40 grand becausr they owe the US people billions of dollars.
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