'06 Chevrolet Impala gets smart

SS sedan's V-8 has power but conserves gas

By RUSS DEVAULT

Cox News Service

September 16, 2005

ATLANTA — At first glance, today's fuel prices make it appear that Chevrolet has picked a perfectly wretched time to offer a V-8 engine in its new-for-2006 Impala SS sedan, but the 5.3-liter engine does have a plus: it's a "smart" motor that will shut down four cylinders when full power isn't needed.

Only times and sales figures can say whether that feature — previously available on three General Motors vehicles and now offered on nine — will keep the V-8 out of the politically incorrect category while buyers opt for one of the two smaller available engines.

The tester didn't have the neck-snapping launch that older drivers will recall from the 1960s or thereabouts when gas prices and mpg figures weren't a major concern and big engines were common in just about everything coming from Detroit. But not even Chevy's aging four-speed automatic transmission can really blunt the V-8's power.

Chevy credits the big-engined Impala with a zero-to-60 mph time of 5.7 seconds, and the test car felt capable of it. If that's more power and performance than is needed or wanted, the Impala's base engine is a 3.5 liter V-6 (211 hp and 214 pounds-feet or torque). The other currently available engine is a 3.9-liter V-6 (240 hp and 245 pounds-feet or torque).

Expect to pay about $22,000 for the base LS with the midlevel LT going for about $26,000.

The test Impala SS, base-priced at $27,130 with a delivery fee of $660, came with options that pushed the bottom line of its window sticker to $29,980. Like Ford's new Fusion, the 2006 Impala's major import rivals are the Honda Accord and Toyota Camry.

The Impala's exterior isn't all that different from last year's model despite having what Consumer Review calls ''bolder'' headlamps and taillamps. AutoWeek, meanwhile, calls the look "anonymous" and notes that that's not a bad feature for a car seeking to ''please hundreds of thousands of drivers" (sales last year were slightly more than 290,000).

So while the exterior is not particularly striking, the interior — to me, at least — is as appealing as anything Chevy's done in this price range for some time. The test Impala had a tasteful black and gray look with simple controls and instrumentation. The only bright or colorful detail was the red markings on the white-on-black instrumentation.

There's more reason to like the Impala's interior, which has comfortable room for four adults. Its "flip-and-fold" rear seats — replete with grocery-bag hooks on the bottom — hide some extra storage room to augment a trunk that has 18-plus cubic feet of space (think cargo-carrying families and commuters).

The conclusion here is that a cursory first glance at the Impala doesn't do it justice. There's more to be noticed than the size of its engine.

SPECS:

•  Test vehicle: The 2006 Chevrolet Impala SS front-drive sedan

•  Price as tested: $29,980 (base price: $27,130 plus $660 delivery)

•  Drivetrain: 5.3-liter V-8 engine (303 hp); automatic four-speed transmission

• Safety features: dual front air bags; side-curtain head-protective air bags; power anti-lock disc brakes; traction control system, tire pressure monitor; one-year OnStar service for obtaining information, roadside assistance and emergency services

•  Other standard features include: dual zone air conditioning; power mirrors, windows and programmable locks; eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat; rear defogger; automatic headlamps; fog lamps; CD/MP3 stereo; rear spoiler; stainless steel exhaust tips; remote starter system; 18-aluminum wheels with 235/50 performance tires

•  Options on test vehicle: leather interior with heated front seats and six-way power-adjustable passenger's, $1,075; eight-speaker Bose sound system, $495; XM satellite radio (three months service included, fee thereafter), $325; polished alumnum wheels, $299

•  EPA figures: 18 mpg regular unleaded city; 28 mpg highway

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