When it was first introduced, the full-size Chevy Impala stood as a titan of the early muscle cars. Available with big engines, big bench seats, and able to fit huge wheels between its fenders. The Impala quickly became a favorite of low-riders and donk-builders alike. A whole sub-culture surrounds the Impala, and those who seek to add the most bounce and flair to their rides.

This is a proper Impala, not the FWD monstrosity GM replaced it with

However, when GM brought the Impala name back for the 2000 model year, Chevy’s full-size offering returned as a front-wheel drive, V6-powered oddity that would find more homes with rental fleets than actual buyers. This commercial for the new Impala pretty much nails why.

We understand why GM likes to play up the heritage of its cars and the iconic names it has brought to the table in years past. The Impala is a strong, recognizable name…or at least it was, all the way through the 1996 model year. But once GM went front-wheel drive and dropped big V8 engines from the list, the Impala lost all street cred.

Honestly, who here would rather have a boxy, front-wheel drive Impala with a V6 engine over any of the big-wheeled, bouncing cars in this video? It’s a silly commercial, one we decided to drag up from the depths of YouTube and haunt GM with. There is hope though; a new Impala is slated to hit the streets in 2014, and what little we’ve seen of it so far looks good. Can this next Impala redeem the good name of GM’s full-size offering?