2014 Chevy Impala nets five-star crash rating from NHTSA [w/video]
Fri, 19 Jul 2013
The 2014 Chevrolet Impala is officially a safe car, earning a five-star safety score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program.
GM General Director of Vehicle Safety and Crashworthiness, Gay Kent, says that the 2014 Impala was "designed to provide excellent crash safety," and there's a long list of safety features to back up that statement, some of which are firsts for Chevrolet. Only a few years ago luxury brands, such as Mercedes-Benz and Volvo, were pioneers of radar-based safety technologies. Now the technology has trickled down to more affordable cars, such as the 2014 Impala, which also features traffic-sensing radar (a first for a Chevrolet), adaptive cruise control that adjusts vehicle speed and can stop it in gridlock traffic, crash-imminent braking, collision alerts and lane departure warning. The car also has a rear-mounted video camera paired with an ultrasonic system to help with parking, 10 airbags and the list goes on.
Of course, driver aides such as traction control, stability control and anti-lock brakes come standard on the Impala, too, as does OnStar, GM's GPS-based service that will send an emergency call for help if it senses the vehicle was in a crash.
Scroll down to read the press release about the full range of safety features that earned it a five-star crash rating, and be sure to check out the video of the crash test below.
2014 Chevrolet Impala Receives Five-Star Safety Score
Redesigned flagship sedan also offers safety firsts for Chevrolet
2013-07-19
DETROIT – The 2014 Chevrolet Impala has received the highest possible five-star Overall Vehicle Score for safety as part of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's New Car Assessment Program.
"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."
The redesigned, full-size sedan presents one of the most comprehensive collections of standard and available safety features in the segment. It employs advanced technologies – including radar – to help avoid crashes. Visual and audible alerts, depending on the alert feature, help drivers identify potential crash situations and even intervene when a crash threat appears more imminent. The alerts are designed to identify potential threats with sufficient warning to give the driver time to react and make changes.
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.
The advanced, crash-avoidance technologies complement the Impala's occupant protection features, including 10 standard air bags:
- Dual-stage frontal passenger air bags with passenger sensing system
- Driver and front passenger side-impact air bags
- Driver and front passenger knee air bags
- Rear outboard side-impact air bags
- Head curtain air bags with rollover sensing for front and rear outboard positions
- Safety belt pretensioners
- Child seat restraint system.
Impala also employs systems that enable greater vehicle control, including standard StabiliTrak electronic stability control system, all-speed traction control, four-wheel disc brakes with four-channel antilock brakes and electronic brake force distribution, which ensures optimal braking force at both axles for maximum stability under heavy braking.
OnStar is standard. It uses GPS and cellular phone technology to automatically call for help in the event of crash. OnStar service also includes MyLink mobile apps, which offer vehicle information and OnStar services via the customer's smartphone.
By Damon Lowney