The Car Connection Expert Review
2006 Chevrolet HHR by Gary Witzenburg
(8/1/2005)
Copycatting gets its due.
Few who saw Chevy’s new Impala at the Detroit North American International Auto Show realized how new it really was. The car it replaces has been quietly competent and successful -- outselling Chrysler’s hot 300 by more than 50,000 units during the first half of this year – but bland in looks, moderate in performance and about as exciting as yesterday’s beer. All it did was offer good build quality and interior room and terrific value for dollar and sell in substantial numbers year after year.
Now comes this new Impala looking better (though not that different) than the old one and surpassing it (and most everything else in its class) in virtually every way. Comparing roominess (for six), cargo capacity, base and V-8 performance, V-6 and V-8 fuel economy, and V-6 and V-8 base price, Chevy says it beats Camry, Accord, Altima, Five Hundred and 300 in everything except the Five Hundred’s bigger trunk and the 300C HEMI’s bigger performance.
Yet critics and enthusiasts will diss it for at least four valid reasons: 1) its new look is handsome but hardy exciting, 2) it’s front-wheel-driven, 3) there’s not an overhead cam among its three available engines, and 4) its only transmission is a four-speed automatic.
Three new powerplants
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2006 Chevrolet Impala
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The mid-range 3.9-liter version, standard on the LTZ and available on LT, adds a variable-length intake manifold to optimize flow at high and low revs and ups the V-6 ante to 242 hp and 242 lb-ft. Chevy says it’s good for 7.8 seconds from 0-60 mph and 19/27 mpg in fuel economy. Yes, these new V-6s would be somewhat smoother and quieter with overhead cams, especially at high rpm (and slightly more efficient with more gears in the box) but also a bunch more expensive.
2006 Chevrolet Impala SS
Styled to blend in
”Our goal was to build on the previous car’s success and
move it upmarket a bit,” said Impala Lead Exterior Designer
2006 Chevrolet Impala
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It’s no Audi inside but (like most Audis) simple in design and well executed with IP plastics hard to the touch but nicely textured. The only real controversy, as always, is the faux wood in most models. Some will like it, we don’t. Brushed metal-look trim is optional, but we like the SS’s carbon-fiber-like panels. There’s good passenger room front and rear, and flip-and-fold rear seats provide a choice of recessed cargo bins or a carpeted flat floor with pass-through to the trunk. Nice!
The Impala’s fully-independent suspension calibrations logically elevate with performance. Base V-6 buyers get 16-inch S-rated tires with “smooth ride and in-control handling,” Chevy says. The 3.9-liter V-6 brings FE1 “elegant agility with…more ride character” and more aggressive 17-inch T-rated tires. The SS wears 18-inch W-rated rubber with FE3 chassis rates that appropriately “trade some ride…handling, without being harsh.”
2006 Chevrolet Impala
2006 Chevrolet Impala
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Steering (with the same 13.3:1 power rack-and-pinion gear in all models) felt slightly underboosted at parking speeds but nicely weighted with good feel and feedback underway. We didn’t get a chance to try repeated aggressive stops, but the four-wheel power discs with vented front rotors never showed any fade when we used them hard. ABS and traction control are available on LS and LT and standard on other models, and all but the base 16-inch wheels come with tire pressure monitoring.
Cabin essence
2006 Chevrolet Impala
The Impala is assembled at GM’s
Impala prices (reduced from ‘05 despite more standard equipment) start at $21,990 and extend through $22,520 for the 3.5L LT, $27,530 for the 3.9-liter LTZ and $27,790 for the SS. These much-improved ‘06 Impalas complete Chevy’s recently-renewed car stable and -- given that lots of folks prefer front-drive, especially in bad-weather states, and eschew look-at-me styling -- we don’t see why they shouldn’t sell even better than their popular predecessors.
GET Kelley Blue Book Pricing for this vehicle
2006 Chevrolet Impala
Base
price: $21,990
Engines: 3.5-liter V-6, 211 hp/214
lb-ft; 3.9-liter V-6, 242 hp/242 lb-ft; 5.3-liter V-8, 303 hp/323
lb-ft
Transmission: Four-speed automatic, front-wheel
drive
Wheelbase: 110.5 in
Length: 200.4 in
Width: 72.9 in
Height: 58.7 in
Curb weight: 3553 lb
(LS)
EPA (city/hwy): 21/31 mph (3.5-liter V-6); 19/27 mpg
(3.9-liter V-6); 18/28 mpg (5.3-liter V-8)
Safety features: Dual front and side
curtain airbags; anti-lock brakes (optional LS/LT)
Major standard features: A/C; power windows/locks/mirrors; remote keyless entry; cruise control; eight-way power driver’s seat with manual-adjustable lumbar; AM/FM/CD player; 16-inch wheels/tires
Warranty: Three years, 36,000 miles
