It Was Like My Childhood, Only WAY Cooler

We’re car people. That’s no secret to anyone who has been to our house. Right now, we have four cars in our driveway – though none of them domestic.

So when I got an email about test driving a GM vehicle for a week, I kinda went, “meh.” But that was mostly because I haven’t driven a domestic vehicle since our 1997 Tahoe and my 1990 Cavalier. Both had AMAZING air conditioning systems which, hello, the US wins that category hands-down!

We knew we were headed to Disney and the timing would be perfect for test driving a car of our choice. Last Wednesday, a 2014 Chevrolet Impala was delivered to my house. When I saw it, my head spun off! This car is FANCY, y’all!

I played around in it for a little while before packing up to head to Disney at the crazy hour of 3am. I could see my Volvo SUV in the garage frowning with sadness as I kept saying, “Wow! Whoa! OHMYGOSH there’s another USB port and cup holder!”

Once I picked Henry up, he immediately started begging to bring his computer with him. I kept telling him no, but apparently he’d done some back seat research and found out my argument that the battery won’t last long was null and void. Because there’s a real outlet back there!

We had a fun time on the drive down finding out about its features: rear cameras, MyLink (compatible with iPhones), collision alerts, blind spot alerts, OnStar (we didn’t have to test this out, thank goodness). We were in awe at the gas mileage – only having to stop about 30 miles outside of Orlando after driving nearly 450 miles.

The Impala held the road and had a tight handle. Really, it was delightful!

On the drive down, Jason and I were discussing cars from our childhood. It hit me then that the first car I remember my parents having was a 1975 Impala with a Landau roof. It was red with a white roof and had a back seat that went on for miles and miles. This 2014 version had a back seat that went on for miles and miles, too. In fact, it boasts 39.8 inches of legroom. HOLY. COW. My 6’5″ boss could sit back there, I think!

The drive home felt long. Naps were had and it was discovered that the front seat lays flat. Nice touch! Combine that with the air conditioned seats and you’ve got a good thing.

Once we were home, Atlanta got a blast of icy air. The next morning on the drive to work, I had to use the heated seat option. AND the heated steering wheel option. Both were a nice treat. My tooshie was happy and my joints in my hands were even happier!

We had to say goodbye to the car. But I’ve gotta say, if I were in the market for a car (that wasn’t paid off already and sitting in my driveway), this would definitely be on the short list. With a family of 3, a sedan like this, that is huge but looks and feels more compact, would be perfect. And the options it boasts definitely makes it attractive to the tech-needing me.

Specifications:

• 3.6L direct-injection V-6 with 6 speed automatic transmission
• 305 HP (@6800 RPM)
• 264 lb-ft (@5300 RPM)
• 19 mpg city, 29 mpg highway
• 18.8 cubic feet of cargo room
• MyLink, OnStar
• Rear park assist
• Collision mitigation braking
• A million other things!!

I told my parents they needed to get one. It would be like a throwback to the olden days of 1975, only WAY cooler!

Disclaimer: I was chosen to be part of a GM test drive program and was loaned a car to drive for a week. All opinions are mine and I was not compensated in any way other than to not have to put wear and tear on my car during our trip to Disney.