LONG POND - Bob Leffler Sr. has no trouble citing his first memory of the Chevrolet Impala. It was the late 1950s and he was a student at Our Lady of Lourdes High School in Coal Township.
"My first Impala recollection was Joe Senulis from the basketball team had a '59, maybe '60" model, Leffler said. "It had the big wings on the back."
Leffler was a sophomore or junior and Senulis, who now lives in Buffalo, N.Y., a junior or senior.
"He got a brand new car and drove it to practice," Leffler remembered.
Some 55 years later, Chevy's introduction of a totally redesigned Impala is creating new memories for fans of the long-lasting brand. The 10th generation of a car first introduced in 1958 is described by Chevy as a "stunning reinterpretation of the premium sedan."
So excited is Chevy about the new Impala that it bused some 100 of its dealers, including
Leffler from B&L Chevrolet-Buick in Coal Township, from throughout eastern and central Pennsylvania and the Baltimore region to Pocono Raceway on Friday. There, 100 brand new Impalas, all with the same blue ray metallic exterior paint, were lined up in rows in a soggy field outside the front stretch grandstands.
Dealers were invited to bring along a local media representative, and they drove home together for a firsthand experience of the new Impala.
Chevy also gave presentations on the 2014 Chevy Silverado, the 2014 Corvette Stingray and the soon-to-be launched 2014 SS. The Silverado was featured in an obstacle course and towing presentation, the mud from steady rain providing ideal conditions.
The group also received a tour of the garage area, although planned on-track ride-alongs in Chevy street cars with NASCAR Chevy drivers Kasey Kahne, Juan Pablo Montoya, Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard were canceled because of the wet conditions.
A bigger car
The Impala, which went on sale in April, first arrived at Leffler's lot Thursday. That black model was joined Friday evening by the one driven in from Pocono. Leffler welcomes customers to take a look at or test drive Chevy's "iconic flagship sedan."
It is Chevy's most expensive car, ranging in price from about $28,000 for the base LS and climbing with the 1LT, 2LT and 1LTZ and 2LTZ models to nearly $38,000. The Pocono test car was a 2LTZ, with a list price of $37,615.
The new Impala comes with three engine choices, including two four-cylinder powertrains and a 3.6-liter V6. An Ecotec 2.4-liter, available at the end of 2013, will provide an estimated 35 mpg highway.
(Since Chevy brought the Impala to Pocono, we find it worth noting the V6 tops out at 305 horsepower, still a bit shy of a NASCAR Sprint Cup Chevy's 850.)
Notable is that Chevy seems to have separated the Impala from the Malibu by making it larger. It now shares the same build platform as the Cadillac XTS. Chevy specs show the Impala with a 111.7 inch wheelbase. In a more practical measurement, Leffler said the Impala is 1.5 feet longer than the Malibu, which is 1.5 feet longer than the Cruze.
He likes the larger size, noting the success he had in the days of selling six-passenger sedans, something that went by the wayside with the advent of front-wheel drive and the subsequent loss of center-front seating.
Its more expensive GM sisters, Buick and Cadillac, have larger sedans, so did Chevy need one, too, even with the Malibu also regarded as a five-passenger car?
"I think they need a family sedan, so, yes," Leffler said. "The Impala may be more appealing" to a family than the Malibu because of its larger size.
New technology
The new model has technologies never before available in the Impala, including these safety features: collision mitigating braking, forward collision alert, lane departure warning, rear cross traffic alert and side blind zone alert.
The latter got a good test with faster cars passing by on the interstate ride home. Yellow LED-lit symbols appear in the upper outside corner of the side-view mirror when another vehicle gets within about one-car length from behind, then stays on until the passing vehicle is ahead of the Impala.
Also, Chevy's MyLink infotainment system debuts on the new Impala. Beautifully presented on an eight-inch touch screen, it features a smartphone-inspired interface and includes icons covering everything from navigation to phone to music apps. It also represents Chevrolet's first use of voice recognition that allows drivers to place calls, enter destinations, browse media, play music and control other functions simply by telling the vehicle what to do.
In valet mode, the touch screen raises to reveal a storage area for wallets, phones or other valuables. All MyLink data, such as phone numbers programmed into the system, are also "locked" while in valet mode.
Memories to sell
Leffler, who in the 1970s worked as a chemical engineer for Aramco, remembers driving a Caprice, then the luxury Impala model, from Amsterdam to Saudi Arabia with his family.
Little did he know that he'd some day be selling those and other vehicles for a living. Leffler, who became a Chrysler dealer in 1976, first sold GM products in 1992 and started selling Chevys in 1996.
His biggest question about the new Impala is whether a Chevy car that climbs into the upper $30,000 range can sell, especially in the Shamokin market.
But he does like the fact that Chevy has reinvented one of its legendary nameplates in such dramatic fashion.
"The car is nice, beautiful; it's a nice step up from what they've had," he said.
Memories are important in car sales, Leffler said, and he expects sales of the new Impala will be boosted by its heritage. In fact, he made a prediction about his old Lourdes buddy Joe Senulis.
"I'll bet you he comes to the next reunion in a new Impala," he said.