Forza horizon 4: The last cool Impala

Having fought my way from the Horizon Winter Playlist to snag one, the seventh-generation Chevrolet Impala SS is now under my FH4 car collection and it's time to talk about what's what about the last cool Impala, meaning the last rear-wheel drive Impala before the switch to a rather boring front-wheel drive platform.

The Impala SS nameplate was revived in 1992 when it first unveiled at the Detroit Auto Show as a concept car until it became a living thing in 1994, running on a redesigned GM B platform. It is essentially a high-performance version of the Caprice, specifically the one with the police kit on it, meaning it has some of the upgrades that the police car. Under the hood lies a retuned 350ci LT1 V8 engine producing 260hp of power and 330lb-ft of torque while mated to a 4L60E transmission.

With the quick info done, let's take this last cool Impala for a quick spin on the woods at the dead of night, shall we?

Excellent. There's nothing more to talk about.

Forza Horizon 2: Cult Classic Impala

You know, I've never tried any classic American muscle cars here in Forza Horizon 2 but looks like my hairy-chested insticts told me that it's time for a change and I decided to try on one of these classic American muscle cars...except that it isn't one...



This 1964 Chevrolet Impala SS 409 may not be what a classic American muscle car should be but what this is is a cult classic. At first I thought it looks like the Supernatural car but no because our classic Impala is way more different than theirs. The reason why this particular model is one of the cult classics is simple, it's one of the cars that introduced car enthusiasts the trend of "lowriding".



Lowriding is a term that when a car is modded to have lower ground clearance than its normal specs and when you see other people gone lowriding their old cars, the hydraulics are a stand-out from the crowd. You see other lowriders bouncing their cars through insane heights and that's cool but here in FH2, hydraulics are off-topic but lowering this classic car is a lot more fun for the bravest of drivers many who wish who are looking for some all-show and no-go. Wait a minute... All show and no go? Some people are doing this most of the time.

This Impala maybe one of the cars that introduced us the lowriding trend to the ghettos but the engine that powers it is like what every classic American muscle cars should had. It has a 409-cubic-inch( or 6.7L in modern terms) engine equipped with the 2X4 carburetors producing 425HP of power and it's connected to a 4-speed manual gearbox.



That's a lot of power but handling one of these can be a nightmare even when you're very careful because of its less-sophisticated suspension setup that most classic muscle cars get. Just when I thought I got one of the best cult classics ever made, I thought I might get away with it but the handling is very punishable for me, meaning that I am already having a hard time getting this thing in control. It feels like it's not responding to my commands.

To demonstrate how punishing this car is, I signed this car up for the championship fit for Cult Classics like this but because I only have two championships left before the finale, there's no other way to do it than surviving the classic Impala's punishable handling.



Even with some improvements, it's still worth punishable for me to drive. Anyway, the road trip...



And now, the championship...



Man, this is the most frustrating drive I've ever experience but the important thing is, I survived and I won the Cult Classics championship, which means, I only got one more championship left before unlocking the finale.

I might think that this Impala is a nightmare to drive but for the car I'll be using in the last championship before the finale, this will be the most nightmarish to drive. What could it be? Watch for it!

Tenth Generation Chevrolet Impala

Let's talk about the Chevrolet Impala because ever since it came back in 1999, the Impala is now well known as being a rental car or Chevy's answer to a bunch of old Ford Crown Victoria taxis that you can expect in most US States. It maybe an ideal car for the fleet business in terms of taxi or rental but as an everyday driver's car, the Impala's a bit bland and when compared to the Taurus, the Impala's just shying away from its rivals. Now, if I might make a suggestion, it seems that this car is quite unattractive, obese-looking, and bland. Seems that the current Ford Taurus really took a hard beating over the Chevy Impala in terms of style, quality, performance, and convenience...

2014 Chevrolet Impala

...but now, what Chevrolet claimed that they made it even better for the Impala's full model change. First and foremost, the bland looking design from the previous model has now been thrown away and made the new Impala a more robust and dynamic stance as what Chevrolet might think about it for you. Also, having learned its lesson from the facelifted Traverse SUV, the traditional Chevy look of other Chevy's has been ditched and gave it a bit more...questionable front which, in my opinion, will spark some criticisms over Chevy loyalists. On the rear view, seems that Chevrolet is looking at the Lexus GS, Hyundai Sonata, or the Mazda Atenza for some inspiration. Imagine when this new Impala parked among those cars I've mentioned, this would lead to some serious guess knowing which of these backs came from and can't tell which of these cars is theirs.

2014 Chevrolet Impala interior

 While the outside is not quite as nice looking as its rivals from the block, get inside and what you found out is an interior design that will make you noticed. First of all, the traditional steering wheel of other General Motors cars is not here and the new Impala comes with a steering wheel that seems to be as obvious as a futuristic cruiser as well as its futuristic sci-fi-looking instrumentals, a bigger room space than the previous model, available Chevrolet myLink, and also, a secret compartment hidden behind the sat-nav where you can store your belongings. Sounds intriguing but what it feels like when sitting down in the new Impala has the same feeling when...you're sitting at a nice and comfy seat at your auntie's house in Quezon. It's like you want to come at a house where the sala's large, the other room has another TV, a long straightway to the dining room, and you really wanna wish you want to come back to your auntie's house.

2014 Chevrolet Impala

So, the interior is about as comfy as your auntie's house somewhere in Quezon, the engine that powers your so-called auntie's house will get you noticed. It's a 3.6L DOHC V6 DI engine with Variable Valve Timing which produces 305HP of power, meaning that's a lot of power than the Ford Taurus Limited or a V6-powered Chrysler 300. Also, this engine available as of launch time can do zero to 60mph in 6.8 seconds. It's not what you called quick but the new Impala really shake of its fleet car image or taxi car image. Guess this is not your taxi driver's Impala anymore.

Because it uses the same chassis applied on the Buick LaCrosse, which is the most beautiful American luxury sedan I have seen in my whole life, and the biblical terrible Cadillac XTS, I was going to expect that this car will fall into pieces every time when it sees a corner...but NO! Because the ride's low and the body's stiff, with the addition of some premium electric rack-and-pinion steering system, it seems that the new Impala's ride really doesn't make the baby move its eyeballs to some shaking stuff from the rear view mirror. It feels more relaxed as your kid taking a nap at his mother's lap after a hotdog day at the theme park and even though when it corners, your kid's still asleep...unless you bump into a speed hump but never mind about that...

Because this is a brand new car, the starting grade for the launch, a 2LT model, will cost you $30,760 (plus tax, title, license and dealer fees). That's about a price of three Nissan Latios as I speak but if you're urged to say "shut up and take my money", well fine. Just ignore the exterior design because this is far too obvious but it's a major improvement from the previous model.

So the verdict then is simple, the Impala may have a nice cabin but the exterior's not quite good looking as it seems to be. If you want a good-looking Chevy sedan, get yourself a Malibu but because of such issues...let's just pause this for a while until someone has the real verdict for the new model because for a car that was once a car made for rentals and taxi drivers...this is just too obvious...It's as obvious as your mom and dad watching a teleserye and blabber all the way at the end of the episode.

Available colors: Silver Ice Metallic, Red Rock Metallic, Summit White, Black, Ashen Gray Metallic, Blue Topaz Metallic, Silver Topaz Metallic, Champagne Silver Metallic, Blue Ray Metallic, Crystal Red Tintcoat, and White Diamond Tricoat.

Photo: General Motors