ocnblu

The floor shots confirm it: this car is off the chain. I am not a sedan person, but I would drive this, rollin' up on 20s. Scorcher! This is what Impala was in its heyday, a family sedan with a sporty flair. The mojo is back.

vonVee, you are correct sir about these being 6-element tailights, with the center lens being clear, a la 1967 Impala, which is where the rear quarter shoulder line comes from as well. Cannot wait to see the live photos from the show, and more candid outdoor shots. With regard to styling theme, Ford did the same thing with the current Taurus: they blended Mustang with Galaxie cues, only I think Chevrolet took the theme and ran to a complete and successful conclusion with this Impala. This has instantly become the best looking, most fully realized design on the Epsilon platform, imo. The Cadillac XTS is not nearly as expressive as this car (and it's not even out yet, uh oh), and the LaCrosse, while nice, is suddenly long in the tooth. If GM design continues to explode like this, there's no stopping them. The brand new Malibu is a bit clumsy after seeing this Impala, and the Regal might as well be invisible. Buick design really needs to break away from Opel or risk falling behind quickly. Opel is fine for Opel, but Buick was founded as an American company... Buick needs more drama, NOW.

Looks fantastic! The new Traverse did turn out to be a huge clue as to the new Chevy front end, which I really like. I was hoping for a return to 6-element tailights, but this 4-light setup looks good on it... kind of a cat-eye thing like the '59. It looks big, stylish and sporty, like Impalas of the 60's. The powertrains are a nod toward business fleet customers, it seems, with the bulk of fleets going for the 2.5L I guess. I would only have the 3.6 in this car, but older folks who just want a big comfortable car might settle for the 2.5 as well, which is a safe, reliable alternative to the third available choice. I'm here now due to insomnia, but I'm sure we'll be discussing this knock-out for a good while. Good job, Chevrolet!

I like this update, and prefer the truckier-looking front end to the outgoing sugar scoop look. The dash is a nice upgrade without losing its basic style.

Yosemite Sam with guns a'blazin'? Nah they're Kia Genuine Accessory Mudguards and they attached perfectly with the existing wheel liner hardware.

Cool little fella!

They've been teasing a "Giant" on Facebook. I was dreaming of an upgraded Heavy Duty with more Cummins power and an air suspension... this is not that. The Pentastar/8 speed combo should be nice for base trucks and regular cabs. I wonder what the fuel mileage ratings will be... Dodge Ram trucks have never been known for good fuel mileage.

To me, the design is cold. Lacks warmth and therefore is not attractive. I'm not attracted to cold things. I see Volvo in the back half. Volvos have never been "warm" cars to me, until recently maybe when they went soft.

That's nice of ya, Mr. dfelt.

My memory may be clouded by time, but my impression of the 1LE option has always been that it was a bare bones car with performance hardware. This new one will sell for $40k? That's no stripper. Where's the a/c and radio delete? The minimal sound deadening? I wish for a road ready Camaro with the 6.2L/six speed manual and black Rally wheels like the base model. This ain't it.

Thanks, GMTG. And yup Mr. Dart and Moltie.

Thanks hyper, yup. I took a munt off from C&G to recharge my batteries, as it were.

corner

A couple of years ago, my mother was driving her '05 Cobalt base sedan and constantly complaining about how hard it was to get in and out of it. She became aware of the 3 boxy hatchbacks that were hitting the market... xB, Cube, and Soul. She was enamored, I was bemused. Until I realized that for a little lady of her age (4'11", age 65 at the time), the ease of entry and cabin volume with small footprint, affordability and good fuel mileage might be ideal for her. So after test driving the Cube and Soul (with her in the passenger seat, amusingly), she decided on the Cube for its laid back, rolling living room feel and "unique" looks. The flat seats and soft suspension seemed to be the way to go... to me, so she leased one based on my advice. But since then, every time she saw a Soul while I was with her, she lamented her decision (and I was subliminally reminded that I should never give her advice, even if she asks for it.) I don't work in the finance side of the business, so I was unaware that a lease could be traded in at any time just like a purchase. She had $3500 trade equity in her Cube, which proved advantageous to her in leasing a 2012 Soul + recently, in "Moss" (brown with a little bit of green cast in the sun). She's already customizing it. I had one of my guys install a pinstripe (sparkly gold, purely her choice). She's got mudflaps for me to install, and now she's demanding window ventshades. I draw the line at stick-on Ventiports, however. Really, it's like she's the kid, and I'm the parent. Glad she's having fun though.

They should change their naming scheme MO PDQ before they're SOL.

The new grille visually lightens up the sheer heft of the front end on this vehicle, which always seemed ready to tip up on its nose to me. Slimmer headlights would have been a nice change, as well imo, which would work to change the proportion of the front view from "high and narrow" to "lower and wider".

I'd be so stylin' and profilin' if I rolled up in that at the campground this season. Except for those ripped up seats in the cab, I'd have to have those redone. Wildman, you mention a 250 swap in your original post... don't you think a 292 would be even cooler, as I think the larger six was used in the heavier chassis in those days?

I followed a clean, white, uplevel Sonic sedan along winding roads back to my development the other day. I thought it looked pretty good in relation to the competition in the class. The giant LTZ wheels make the car, imo, sedan or hatch... I imagine a profile shot of a metallic red LTZ sedan could elicit some oohs and aahs of its own. When a girl I went to school with posted on Facebook that she was looking to replace her Hyundai Elantra, I spoke up and suggested she look at Fiesta and Sonic. She and her husband checked those two, plus the new Elantra and the Focus. They came away liking the Sonic 1.4t with manual transmission the most, and are now searching for one with the equipment they want. So hopefully I've helped sell at least one Sonic, even if Blackviper appears to have ignored my advice in his thread a while back.

Ya know, the internet forums were in the same uproar back when a similar thing was done to the Chevelle in 1972. Looking at the two side by side, I much prefer the newer version. It's cleaner in the front and much more interesting around the back. The interior modifications are fantastic. I think once ppl see it in the metal, the front end will be sufficiently detailed as to not appear generic.

Funny, on Cadillac's FB page there's a photo showing the interior of the XTS with a big ol' double panel sunroof. Coincidence, with Lincoln's "PANAORMAIC" (?) roof video making the rounds on the net? I think not. This will likely be a low take-rate option, and for good reason. If it were multiple panels that went down entirely into the trunk, it would be a semi-cool nod to the 60's Continental 4-door convertibles, but as it is, the opening is laughably paltry in exchange for the prospect of trouble this thing is capable of causing.

The first-gen CLS was a tough act to follow, I prefer it to the new one. It was such a pure design. I do find the A-class hatch interesting and distinctive, hopefully this new tiny CLS will be cool like the '59 190 sedan.

It's raining cars! Hallelujah! Here's the spot to post your interesting vehicle sightings.

New month, new Marching orders: if you see something interesting and unusual, new or old, post it here if you please.

Kubelwagen

Whoa, that really borders on a Chinese knockoff of a BMW, it's that close. Too close, imo.