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Driving a domestic, V6-powered FWD 4-door sedan can be injurious enough to one's ego without the additional burden of a bench seat and column-mounted shift lever. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)
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| Chevy has freshened-up both the interior and exterior styling of the Impala for 2006, giving it a much cleaner appearance. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
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 Chevrolet's 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 one's 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, it's not in the realm of the latest works from Infiniti and Lexus, but it's every bit as appealing as Honda's Accord and Toyota's Camry; and the Impala's "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.
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| The switchgear in my tester functioned smoothly and presented first-class tactility imparted by rubberized surfaces on the HVAC and audio dials. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
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| The reworking Chevy gave the Impala for 2006 is much more than skin deep. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press) |
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 isn't the sort of complexity in the Impala's 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 Impala's 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 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 more than skin deep. A new suspension design underpins the vehicle, which receives increased power and performance thanks to several new engine choices. The base powerplant is the venerable 3.5-litre (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 GM's recently introduced 240-horsepower, 3.9-litre (231 cu in) V6. This new 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, GM's 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-litre (325 cu in) V8.
