Chevy Impala Ss V8 2006 on 2040-cars
Winter Garden, Florida, United States
Return of the Real Impala
If General Motors has a distinctive engineering tradition it's a weird commitment to V8 front-drivers. Since the introduction of the 1966 Oldsmobile Toronado, GM has always had at least one V8-powered front-driver in its product line. Usually two. Despite all that history, this V8-powered, 303-horsepower 2006 Impala SS is the layout's first migration to Chevrolet. Dismissing this Chevy Impala SS as a pretender because it isn't rear-drive like the Impalas of yesteryear is a lazy cop-out. It's a cop-out because those old Impalas weren't that great and how this car compares to the crusty ghosts of ancient namesakes is unimportant. What is important is how it stacks up against the best. It stacks up well, both on the road
and on paper. Although a fully loaded Impala SS can break the $31,000 mark, our
Laser Blue test car, which had leather, heated front seats; a power passenger
seat; polished wheels (which are a steal at $295); a Bose Premium eight-speaker
sound system; and XM Satellite Radio but no sunroof, stickered for just under
$30,000. (A navigation system is not available.) In the age of the $29,000 V6
Camry, we think that makes the SS a good value. Evolutionary Fitness To handle the extra twist the Impala
has been reinforced. The unibody chassis design carries over but there are
thicker frame sections surrounding the engine bay, and the engine and its
four-speed automatic transaxle ride in a new extruded aluminum engine cradle.
The suspension still uses struts front and rear, rack and pinion steering and
four-wheel disc brakes with standard ABS, but the gorgeous 18-inch wheels
inside P235/50R18 Goodyear Eagle RS-A tires are new. Although the 2006 edition rides on the
same 110.5-inch wheelbase of the 2005 car, it's a little less than half an inch
longer and 106.4 pounds heavier. That's more or less the weight of two
additional cylinders plus the bigger wheels and tires minus one supercharger. Uniquely GM The operation of GM's Displacement on
Demand (DoD) system, which knocks out half the engine's cylinders to conserve
fuel when the car is cruising under light load, is nearly impossible to detect.
Despite the cylinder shut-off system, however, this is no economy car. During
driving heavily weighted to freeway cruising, it returned just 18.6 mpg. In
heavier stop-and-go traffic mileage slipped down to 14.7 mpg. So it's thirsty, but it's also quick.
With its traction control active you can throw a brick at the accelerator and
the Impala SS will rip to 60 mph in 6.4 seconds and bound through the
quarter-mile in 14.4 seconds at 97.5 mph. Although that's quicker than a Camry
or Accord, it's about two-tenths slower than the last Charger R/T we tested. With its traction control on or off,
the Impala tracks arrow straight with no intrusive torque steer. This really
impressed us. Despite the V8's ability to light up the front tires with ease,
the profound torque steer in the mechanically similar Pontiac Grand Prix GTP
simply isn't much of a problem in the Impala SS. According to GM's Impala product
manager Mark Clawson that's due to four things. "First, we use equal
stiffness driveshafts that effectively compensate for their different
lengths," he explains. "Second we have 'tripod' universal joints that
ensure that constant and consistent torque is applied to each half shaft.
Third, we've balanced the weight over each front wheel to be even. And fourth,
our transverse engine attaches with 'torque axis' engine mounts so it's allowed
to pitch forward and backward but it isn't allowed to yaw [twist] so that it
would push and pull on the half shafts." Cadillac Ride, Cadillac Handling Like the Caddy, the Impala SS feels
solid and substantial. It's a composed cruiser that's agile despite having most
of its mechanical load bourn by the front wheels. The Impala is and feels like
a big, heavy car, but dive into a corner and it pulls through with dignity and
thrust. We like the four-spoke steering wheel
and the way the steering has heft, but more road feel is on our wish list. At
62.6 mph, the Impala is actually a bit faster than the Charger R/T through the
slalom (front-drive is often an advantage in that test), but all that weight
over the front wheels takes its toll on braking. The Impala SS's so-so
138.3-foot stopping distance from 60 mph is more than 17 feet longer than the
Charger R/T's performance. Off the test track, the Impala can't
match the Charger's chassis balance or responsiveness to steering input and the
car's natural tendency to understeer at the limit can't be overcome with
throttle. But it rides better, is slightly quieter and is completely confident
in everyday use. Revolutionary Elements Still,
the interior isn't perfect. The SS's "Nuance leather" seats are
comfortable, but there isn't enough lateral support and the console-mounted
shifter flops limply between indistinct gates. A manual-shifting system like
the Pontiac Grand Prix GXP's TAPshift
would be great, but we'd settle for any decent shifter. But the controversial interior element
is how little room there is for a car this size. The Impala stretches 9.3
inches longer than an Accord sedan on a 2.6-inch-longer wheelbase but offers
0.3 inch less front legroom and only 0.8 inch more rear legroom. In its favor
the Impala has more hip- and shoulder room than the Accord and its 18.6 cubic
feet of trunk volume eclipses the Honda's meager 14 cubic feet, but this is a
big car and a big car ought to have more stretching room. Against the Ropes, Camrys, Accords and
Chargers The two cars are about the same size
and offer about the same accommodations, but the Impala's interior is
better-looking and easier to use than the Mopars. On the other hand, the
rear-drive Charger offers a better-balanced driving experience, even more power
and even more attitude. Where the Impala is as understated and as confident as
a Caddy, the Charger is just plain rowdy. Tear open the space-time continuum and
travel back to the '60s and you'll find the story wasn't much different back
then. Both were fast, but the Charger was always edgier while the Impala SS
balanced comfort and utility in a more restrained design. The more things
change A?AˆA” and everything has changed A?AˆA” the more they seem to stay the same.
Even when the Dodge Charger is a Mercedes and the Chevrolet Impala reminds us
of a Cadillac. |
Chevrolet Impala for Sale
- 4 door sedan, 6 cylinder, blue, 150,500 miles(US $2,500.00)
- 1966 chevrolet impala two-door hardtop
- 1960 chevrolet impala convertible
- 2004 chevrolet impala - runs/drives good! clean carfax! no reserve!
- 1962 chevrolet impala ss 327/300hp 3 dueces numbers matching
- 1962 chevy impala convertible frame off resto ps pdb ac v8 auto air ride
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