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Chevrolet Impala sedan in new format priced right for value
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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DALLAS, Tex. -- What goes around, comes around, as the saw says, and so it goes at the Chevrolet Division of General Motors, where a new advertising slogan invites us, in the same words songstress Dinah Shore once warbled in the 1950s, to "See the USA in your Chevrolet."
The Chevrolet to drive through the USA, as suggested in this new ad campaign at the tail of the Twentieth Century, bears the same name as the Chevrolet that Dinah drove back in the '50s: It's Impala, back in the future of Chevrolet, again.
A new sedan of full-size proportions and seats for all in the family carries the Impala badge for model-year 2000 in Chevrolet's fleet as replacement for the retired Lumina. It reaches the market in the summer of 1999 with major expectations from Chevrolet, which plans to build more than 200,000 Impalas each year at a Canadian factory in Ontario.
No other name in Chevrolet's historical parade of cars carries such a cachet as does Impala, excepting perhaps the Corvette. Impala traces back over four decades and accounts for more than 14 million sales.
The name first appeared at the 1956 Motorama auto show on a slick dream-car sedan with fiberglass shell and a big V8 engine stuffed below the hood. It became a production reality in 1958 as the top-of-the-line Chevrolet with sporty coupe and convertible styling.
Other shapes soon followed for Impala, along with trendy fins and muscular shoulders, with the 1961 issue packing the legendary 409 engine as immortalized in song by the Beach Boys. In the '70s, Impala expanded in size, stretching in length to 223 inches by 1975. But the name eventually gave way to an Impala issue called Caprice, and in 1986 it disappeared until 1994, when a special Caprice model, Impala SS, emerged for a four-year run.
In its heyday of the 1960s, Impala added up to a full-size car with an iron-block V8 engine which applied massive horsepower to the rear wheels but handled like the floaty big boat that it was.
By contrast, the new Impala of model-year 2000 condenses to international proportions at only 200 inches for length, but it measures up to full-size for cabin and cargo volume. Under the hood, an efficient six-cylinder engine shunts all torque to turn the front wheels.
Compared to the Lumina that the new car replaces, Impala runs about an inch less in overall length but the wheelbase stretches for three inches longer. It's also wider and taller than the Lumina, and there's more space inside the cabin.
The largest of two V6 engines which motivate the new Impala carries over from Lumina, the roof panel Impala shares with Pontiac's Grand Prix, while the mid-size platform beneath this package shows up not only on the Pontiac but also behind Buick's Regal and the Oldsmobile Intrigue.
Still, Impala represents a unique treatment for a large sedan with fresh if subdued styling points, zippy performance from rather thrifty powertrains and a pleasant and firm ride quality which edges toward a nimble and quick performance machine.
It stocks a lot of sophisticated safety systems normally not available as standard equipment, plus plenty of features for comfort and convenience, and -- as Chevrolets historically delivered -- represents a solid value due to some competitive price tags.
Impala's nose sits low, its grille looks narrow to match the shape of twin headlamp clusters, the hoodline forms a smooth arch rising to meet the contoured windshield glass. Side panels seem rather flat and there are large wheelwells to accommodate 16-inch wheels and tires.
The tail ends with a curt tapered panel which holds a wide back strip of lamps with round lights reminiscent of those that marked the earliest Impalas.
Sculptured skin conceals key structural components which make Impala act so lively, beginning with a safety cage whose underbody has extra longitudinal and cross-car bracing for extra rigidity and torsional stiffness when the vehicle moves down the road. The unibody structure encases a passenger compartment with steel beams which can absorb and deflect forces of an impact in a crash.
Side body stampings from A-pillars rearward to the tail amount to a single piece of convoluted metal, with a horizontal cast slab of magnesium running across the structure from one A-pillar to the other behind the dash.
A compliant four-wheel independent suspension enables Impala to respond with solid sensations when lipping over pavement irregularities, and it reacts quickly when asked to steer clear of lane obstacles like slower traffic.
The suspension puts a MacPherson strut at each corner and progressive-rate springs to dampen road chatter and prevent excessive body roll.
Actually, the base and upgraded LS editions differ in ride quality due to variances in suspension tuning. Softer settings apply to the base issue, while the LS exhibits more firm characteristics because of a switch in stabilizer bars, front and rear, plus different tuning for shock absorbers and stiffer springs.
Rack and pinion steering feels assertive and firm to handle at higher speeds yet easy to manipulate when parking.
In the power department, Impala offers two V6 choices.
For the base Impala a familiar 3.4-liter plant from General Motors produces 180 horsepower and fuel economy figures as high as 32 miles per gallon.
The optional 3.8-liter V6, with sequential port fuel injection system and multi-valve technology, features aluminum cylinder heads and pent-roof firing chambers with central positioning of spark plugs for complete combustion.
Out reaches to 200 hp.
An electronically-controlled four-speed automatic transmission, GM's smooth Hydra-matic shifter, links to each V6, with no option for a manual shifter.
Impala's base issue lists for $19,265, a price that includes many appealing features like air conditioning, a stereo sound package, dual air bags, tilting steering wheel, variable wipers, power door locks, analog instruments, lighted vanity mirrors, map pockets and courtesy lights.
All aspects of the base Impala point to a mass appeal -- from the easy entry price to suspension components geared to deliver a softer ride quality and a cabin outfitted with front bench seat split in 40-60 proportions for convenience.
The Impala LS narrows its appeal with platform tuned for tighter performance, a tachometer added and four-wheel disc brakes with anti-lock and traction control devices, plus the firm suspension settings.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2000 CHEVROLET IMPALA Specs |
| Description: |
Full-size sedan
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| Model Options: |
Full-size sedan
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| Wheelbase: |
110.5 inches
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| Overall Length: |
200.0 inches
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| Engine Size: |
OHV 3.4-L V6
OHV 3.8-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4
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| Drive: |
Front
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| Braking: |
Power 4-disc/ABS/TCS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + opt. 1 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
3.4-L: 20/32 mpg
3.8-L: 20/29 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 19,265 to $ 25,000
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