2006 Chevrolet Impala Review

Specifications

Some Domestic Competition for Accord and Camry?

Since the demise of the rear-wheel drive (RWD) Caprice land yacht, the front-wheel drive (FWD) Impala has taken over as Chevrolets largest sedan offering. When equipped with the available bench-style front seat, the Impala is capable of carrying six occupants. Few sedans today accommodate more than five beings due to the popularity of bucket seats, which generally provide superior support and comfort over bench arrangements. Despite the ability of a front bench to sit three derrieres, I was glad to find a pair of fully adjustable buckets in my tester. Driving a domestic, V6-powered FWD 4-door sedan can be injurious enough to ones ego without the additional burden of a bench seat and column-mounted shift lever - but I jest of course.

Chevy has freshened-up both the interior and exterior styling of the Impala for 2006, giving it a much cleaner appearance. Apart from the stick-on spoiler ruining the rear deck of my top-of-the-line LTZ tester, I found this large-for-a-mid-size sedan to be reasonably attractive. No, its not in the realm of the latest works from Infiniti and Lexus, but its every bit as appealing as Hondas Accord and Toyotas Camry; and the Impalas “appeal” factor improves upon a move inside. Chevrolet has done a very good job of accurately assembling a tight, although somewhat minimalist cabin. This is a huge departure from the interiors GM threw together not so long ago.

The switchgear in my tester functioned smoothly and presented first-class tactility imparted by rubberized surfaces on the HVAC and audio dials. Layout of the instrumentation and various controls and switches is logical and for the most part, straightforward. There isnt the sort of complexity in the Impalas business office that can cause angst and heart palpitation among the techno-challenged, such as in some vehicles choosing to needlessly “wow” us with buttons and LCD screens. Regrettably, a tiny LED position indicator on some of the controls undermines the Impalas elementary approach to switchgear by making it particularly difficult to decipher settings at a glance.

Worthy of acclaim both inside and outside the Impala, is its overall build quality. Body-panel gapping is slim and than skin deep. A new suspension design underpins the vehicle, which (231 cu in) V6. This new precise. Doors close easily and seal shut with a quality-like “whump”, as does the trunk. The reworking Chevy gave the Impala for 2006 is much morereceives increased power and performance thanks to several new engine choices. The base powerplant is the venerable 3.5-liter (213 cu in) V6 that has kicked around GM for some time now, however its output has now been upped by 30 horses to 210. Next in the engine food chain is GMs recently introduced 240-horsepower, 3.9-liter recruit relies upon 2-valve per-cylinder technology rather than the 4-valve per-cylinder grouping utilized by many competitors. In spite of its twin-valve design, GMs larger V6 features variable valve timing to squeeze out up to 245 foot-pounds of torque. For those harking back to the days of the mighty V8, the Impala SS is motivated by a 303-horsepower 5.3-liter (325 cu in) V8.

But its the mid-grade 3.9-liter V6 propelling this weeks LTZ tester. Interestingly the same engine sat beneath the hood of the Pontiac G6 GTP Coupe I recently put through the rigors of a road test; and whats interesting is the difference in operational refinement between the two applications. Unexpectedly, Pontiacs version was quieter and less obtrusive than Chevys - surprising given the sportier character of the G6 GTP over that of the Impala. Nonetheless, I am quite convinced that GM could further refine the operation of the same engine in the more mundane offering. When its not being pushed, the Impala is a very quiet vehicle to ride in thanks in part to GMs Quiet Steel technology. But even under light acceleration, there is in my view excessive engine groan.

Auditory intrusions aside, the 3.9-liter mill is a strong performer. It delivers plenty of pull at any speed,
making it a capable sprinter off-the-line and a strong runner in the
passing lane. More power is simply not needed unless out-hustling a Hemi-powered 300C is the goal. Besides, front-wheel drive vehicles do not inherently handle massive bursts of torque particularly well. To Chevys credit though, torque steer is impressively controlled in the Impala, with all-speed traction control supplied as standard equipment with the big V6.

Connecting the Impalas engine to its driving wheels is a 4-speed automatic transmission. Again theres nothing particularly sophisticated about this aspect of the Impala - in fact there isnt even a manual mode provision, a feature in wide use among the Impalas competition. Preferential to some undoubtedly will be the Impalas conventional shift-gate enabling easy downshifts by simply pulling back on the gear lever. Sometimes conventionality is just better. Shift points are finely tuned to the engines output, coming and going with suitable smoothness. I did notice, however, that after slowing to a near stop and commencing acceleration (something often referred to as a taxi stop) the transmission occasionally hesitated before inserting the needed cog, resulting in a hard shift.

Keeping the Impalas speed in-check is a full set of antilock disc brakes. They operated with the effectiveness we have come to expect of modern vehicles. Emergency stops were easily controlled and by anecdotal measure, brief to say the least given the LTZs mass of 3,729 lbs. In addition to strong braking, Chevy has wisely imbued the 2006 Impala with driver and front passenger, dual-stage frontal airbags and head-curtain side-impact airbags as standard equipment regardless of trim level. OnStar, including a free one-year subscription, is also standard fare. Its about time basics such as side-curtain airbags and OnStar became standard crash and safety protection in modest family vehicles.

If using a sedan to haul families the old fashion way is your thing, the Impala deserves some attention. It supplies a comfortable, well-appointed, spacious interior with a few tricks of its own. For example the cushions of the split rear bench seat flip forward to reveal a large stowage tray with neatly positioned grocery bag holders; no more fishing under the front seats for AWOL cans of tuna. Folding the rear seatbacks down opens an expansive cavern with a flat load floor extending into the trunk. With a trunk cargo capacity of 18.6 cubic feet, this mid-sizers holding capacity is more consistent with vehicles in the large car segment.

When it comes to the ride-versus-handling equation, the Impalas soft-ride suspension was a hit with me. In fact, GMs “soft-ride” terminology is a scintilla misleading. Rather than “soft”, I judged the Impalas suspension calibration as “kind.” This is a vehicle that exercises a quality I refer to as “ride-kindness.”  Without abandoning spry cornering agility or reasonable handling dynamics, the Impalas 4-wheel independent suspension setup absorbed pavement disruptions gracefully and quietly - something I am very conscious and often critical of. Much of the vehicles stability and tautness can be attributed to a very rigid body structure onto which the suspension components are affixed. When hammering through potholes and the like, this strong foundation resists channeling shudder and shock into the passenger compartment. Its that sort of solidity, along with GMs excellent reliability ratings of late, which could lead me into a Chevrolet showroom.

Once the “LTZ” square is checked-off on an order sheet, there is very little to add to Chevys smartly equipped, top-tier V6 Impala. Grand comforts such as leather upholstery, heated front seats, dual-zone climate control, remote starting and steering wheel mounted audio and cruise controls are LTZ-included. A power moonroof is optional, as is an upgraded 6-disc in-dash audio system. Considering the generous content level of the LTZ, its spacious interior and driving pleasure, GM has priced it competitively. Acquiring similar levels of luxury and power in import rivals from Japan costs somewhat more, making this domestic specimen a good-value choice for 4-door practicality, performance and reliability. Coming on strong, though, is a shiny nugget from Korea.

Hyundais new Sonata is quite a remarkable sedan. It provides more interior room than the Impala and operates with greater refinement. Whether fully loaded or not, Sonatas pricing eclipses the Impalas sufficiently enough to raise an eyebrow and make prospective GM buyers sit up and take notice. And the Sonata isnt constrained by fixed rear-seat head restraints like the Impala. An auto-journalist colleague advises that such fixed head restraints make it very awkward to properly install child seats in the Impala, a process that necessitated the addition of pillows behind two different brands of common child safety seat designs, so that they didnt flop around; something that no doubt will be of concern to family buyers.