ArcaMax

You may have seen Chevy's big ad campaign for the in-car WiFi "hot spot" now standard in all Impala trims. No need to find a Starbucks to get online when on the road. The WiFi also works outside the car - so you can set up some folding chairs, picnic, camp… and Google, too.

The other big news - not as well-known - is that you can now buy a compressed natural gas (CNG) version of the Impala. Actually, it runs on both CNG and gas - which gives you the flexibility lacking in most alternative fuel vehicles and much better performance, too.

WHAT'S GOOD

Three-fourths a Cadillac for less than two-thirds the price. Class-leading interior room (especially front seat legroom, of which there's three inches more in the Chevy than there is in the Cadillac). A handsome shell, too.

Available four cylinder engine - and $5k-plus lower sticker price than others in this class. Standard in-car WiFi, 18 inch wheels (not available - or extra-cost - in Avalon).

WHAT'S NOT SO GOOD

Four cylinder Impalas are great deals - but a great deal less quick than V6-equipped rivals. Four is only slightly more fuel-efficient than 100-plus hp stronger optional V6. AWD isn't offered (you can get it in the Chrysler 300).

UNDER THE HOOD

The Impala is the only full-size car currently available that you can buy with a four cylinder engine. The others in this class - Avalon, 300, Azera - all come standard with V6s.

The upside - if you buy an Avalon, 300 or Azera - is power/performance that would have qualified for supercar stardom when I was a kid back in the '80s. The downside is a supercar price tag. Well, maybe not quite.

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