2016 Chevy Impala vs. 2016 Ford Taurus
Chevy has asserted a strong presence in the sedan game recently, primarily because of the 2016 Chevy Impala . Taking a look at this car, the reasons are quite obvious as to why: It has a sleek, athletic design and a practical, good-looking interior. With cars, first impressions are everything. If the consumer doesn’t like it at first glance, chances are they never will. With that said, how does the Chevy Impala match up against the competition in terms of design? The 2016 Ford Taurus has seen multiple redesigns and upgrades over the course of its life as well, and is considered a titan in the American-made sedan market.
Both are made by popular brands and both vehicles are made with aesthetic appeal in mind but, who does it better?
Exterior Design
As far as full-size sedans go, the Impala has one of the nicer ones out there. The Taurus? Not so much…
Impala
Even if it wasn’t going up against the Blue Oval’s Taurus, the Impala would still take the cake. Why? Because, Chevy has a knack for making a really good looking front-end. It’s an extreme contrast compared to the front-end of the Taurus and looks chiseled, athletic, and bold. The Chevy bowtie sits centered proudly in the top-half of the split grille, with slender headlights that fit snuggly on each side. At the bottom, the LED daytime running lights border the lower-half of the split-grille, providing just the right amount of luxury. What does this front-end do for the Impala? It makes sure that no matter where you go, everyone will know that you’ve arrived.
The athleticism and boldness of the front-end follows through to the rest of the vehicle. The Impala seems to pose in an athletic stance, regardless of the angle you look at it from; just ready and waiting for you to hit the gas pedal. The body might not be as muscular looking as the old school Impala you see in the movies, but the muscle is still there. It’s just slim and toned instead of bulked-up.
This sets it apart from the other full-size family sedans on the market, and is a design that puts the Ford Taurus to shame.
Taurus
Compared to the bold design of the Impala, the Taurus seems bland. Sure, it has its upsides, but it still can’t hold a candle to the Impala. The best way I can describe the design of the Taurus is if you took a ball of Jello and threw it at high speed. That awkward oval shape it would make while flying through the air? That’s the Taurus. The design is too rounded, and it doesn’t leave a good first impression. The cab is set an awkward distance away from the hood, causing the back-end to look like the Taurus cut it off to escape from the jaws of a bigger and badder car. Overall, this creates a vehicle that looks horrendously disproportionate when viewed from the side.
For all its shortcomings, there are a few silver linings: it’s aerodynamically efficient, at least. But, it’s hard to not laugh after you realize it looks like it’s been cut out from a Jello mold, especially dressed in Ford’s “cough syrup” red paint.
Interior Design
If the outside design is the first impression, then the interior is a close second — and it appears to be the same situation with the interior. Just like the outside, aesthetic appeal and practicality are the first things patrons will pay attention to when they get inside.
Impala
I think the Impala looks best when equipped with the two-tone black on tan interior. The tan leather isn’t a common sight in a lot of sedans, and the blacked-out dashboard, lower door panels, and seat piping creates an aesthetically pleasing contrast. The stone-looking trim that’s scattered throughout elevates the uniqueness of the Impala even further, and the touch of chrome trim ties it all together nicely. Overall, it’s a very inviting design.
It also doesn’t sacrifice practicality for fun features, either. Actually, the design of the Impala seems to become more practical the more you upgrade the features inside. That seems odd, so I’ll elaborate. Take the 8-inch diagonal color infotainment display for example. This screen comes standard on the second tier trim, and it has a lockable and hidden storage compartment behind it. It’s a rare sight to see a vehicle that increases its practicality by upgrading a “fun” aspect.
The Impala also sports some great comfort features, like heated and ventilated front seats, and a noise cancelling cabin. The doors are triple-sealed to help inhibit unwanted road noise, and the glass is also acoustic laminated to aid in this endeavor.
Taurus
The inside of the Taurus matches the outside (with the exception of the Jello look): it’s bland and unimpressive. The higher trims have the potential to look nice, but the interior lacks the Impala’s edge. The single color interior looks bad, and the two-tone doesn’t contrast well, especially since materials look cheap. For example, the dashboard material looks like it got transferred from a bare-bone F150 from the 90s. You know, the cheap plastic looking stuff? Yeah, it’s essentially a glorified version of that. Not to mention, the seats look like a fake leather and are rather drab.
The Taurus doesn’t have nearly as many practical features. It fell into the typical sedan groove of attempting to promote comfort and convenience over practicality. Does the Taurus have more bells and whistles? Yes, but the extra bells and whistles are trying to fill the gaps in the impractical design, unlike the Impala, where some of the fun features are actually practical.
Closing Thoughts
Granted, to each is own. But, the differences between the Taurus and Impala are glaringly obvious. The 2016 Chevy Impala is a taut and handsome sedan, whereas the 2016 Ford Taurus looks like a marshmallow going down the road. The differences in interior quality and practicality are huge, and the Impala truly sets itself apart in this regard. It doesn’t favor the bells and whistles over quality and practicality.
Like I said before, the Impala grabbed the cake for Chevy on this one. When you see the price tag, it’s also obvious that Chevy wants to put the icing on top, and then eat it all themselves.
Price
The price of the 2016 Chevy Impala breaks down as follows: The base trim comes in at a starting MSRP of $27,095, the 1LT trim is $29,460, the 2LT trim is $30,435, and the top-of-the-line 2LTZ trim is $35,540. The Taurus’ starting MSRP is $27,110, which then goes up to $29,540, $34,460, and tops out at $40,275 for the highest trim. Those are some big price differences, and that’s not even taking into account the money you’ll save on fuel. The Impala is able to net 24 mpg city and 33 mpg highway with its base engine, and the Taurus is only able to get 18 mpg city and 27 mpg highway from its standard engine. Even Ford’s famous EcoBoost engines can’t beat the fuel economy of the Impala.
Just like the base trim, the reason the top-of-the-line Taurus costs five-grand more than the Impala 2LTZ is because it has more bells and whistles. Want a sedan that gives you the best value for your dollar, built with quality materials, more aesthetically appealing, with aspects that are both fun AND practical? Then the 2016 Chevy Impala is what you are looking for.
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