Photo: Chevrolet
Worried that the biggest full production sedan in Chevrolet's arsenal is a danger on the road that it will stab you with its cool but destructive steering wheel? Worry not, because this is the 21st century Impala, and it has just received a clean bill of health as far as safety is concerned.
The NHTSA has awarded the Impala with a full five-star rating after extensive tests proved it will protect occupants in the event of a crash.
“Safety is a key consideration for all car buyers, and Impala sets a new benchmark for Chevrolet’s flagship sedan,” said Gay Kent, GM general director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness. “The 2014 Chevrolet Impala is designed to provide excellent crash safety, and offers customers several safety technologies not previously available in Chevrolets.”
But even before the crash were to happen, the Impala is an advanced car and it employs radar based systems to detect dangers and warn the driver.
The available safety features and benefits include:
“Safety is a key consideration for all car buyers, and Impala sets a new benchmark for Chevrolet’s flagship sedan,” said Gay Kent, GM general director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness. “The 2014 Chevrolet Impala is designed to provide excellent crash safety, and offers customers several safety technologies not previously available in Chevrolets.”
But even before the crash were to happen, the Impala is an advanced car and it employs radar based systems to detect dangers and warn the driver.
The available safety features and benefits include:
- Full-speed-range adaptive cruise control – Radar technology senses traffic in front of the Impala to adjust vehicle speed, including stopping the vehicle in heavy traffic and accelerating again. It is the first application in a Chevrolet.
- Crash imminent braking – Another Chevy first: Radar technology detects a possible crash threat and alerts the driver. If the driver does not appear to react quickly enough or doesn’t react at all, this feature intervenes to apply the brakes in an effort to avoid the crash.
- Forward collision alert – Camera technology detects a possible crash threat and alerts the driver, giving him or her time to stop and/or change course.
- Lane departure warning – A camera-based lane detection system warns the driver of unsignaled lane changes. The camera, mounted near the inside rearview mirror, identifies traffic lane markings and provides audible alerts.
- Side blind zone alert – Using radar sensors on both sides of the vehicle, the system “looks” for other vehicles in the blind zone areas of the Impala and indicates their presence with light-emitting diode, or LED-lit symbols in the outside mirrors.
- Rear cross traffic alert – Based on the radar sensors of side blind zone alert, it warns the driver of vehicles in traffic when backing out of a parking spot – including angled parking. Visual and audible alerts are triggered if moving vehicles are detected.
- Rear vision camera with dynamic guidelines – With a display in the center stack infotainment system, the camera provides a view of objects directly behind the Impala, while the dynamic guidelines provide a reference that helps make parking and other maneuvers easier.
- Ultrasonic rear park assist – Uses sensors in the rear bumper to detect objects directly behind the vehicle and alerts the driver.
- Brake pre-fill feature – To quicken the response time of the brakes and help shorten stopping distances, this features “loads” the brake calipers in anticipation of hard braking by slightly increasing the hydraulic pressure in the brake lines whenever the driver lifts off the accelerator pedal. This feature is included on models equipped with adaptive cruise control and collision mitigation braking.
- Hill hold/start assist – Applies the brakes for about 1.5 seconds to prevent roll-back when the driver moves his or her foot from the brake to the accelerator pedal.
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