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Comments
F1 has been using pneumatically actuated valves for a bout 10 years.
I guess those BMW's will have 14,000 rpm redlines ?
Vex notes that 200hp from a 3.8 liter engine is average, but I'd like to see any OHC engine match the flat torque curve of the Impala's 3.8. OHC engines need a lot of RPM to build torque, and thus have peak power at high RPMs. The Impala develops full torque at only 1000 RPM and maintains that torque through the full range. I love that strong, steady pull from 1000 RPM up! No need to wind it up before feeling it. I'm a big technology fan and think BMW is making great strides, but the ol' reliable Iron pushrod 3.8 is still around because it's a great motor. I digress.
The 3.4 in the base Impalas is a good motor too, again a good combination of power, efficiency, and reliability. If you're going to keep the car a long time I wouldn't worry about the fleet issues. Remember, police use these things too. They don't choose junk. If you want to keep it 2 years and sell, you'll lose some value on the base model.
Enjoy your new car.
PS do you have red hair? hahaheeheehee
If switching GM brand you get $500. This ends on April 30, 2002 and appears to be in addition to the $2002 rebate offer that expires on 2/28/02.
Also ordered a K&N filter, which should be in tomorrow. Got a long weekend drive coming up, so I'll try to report back next week as to whether the K&N made any difference.
It is a low-tech engine using pushrods, in-block cam, two valves per cylinder. It has a long history tracing back to the 2.8L and 3.1L versions. I take some comfort in that: the major bugs have long been worked out.
Power is modest but adequate. The only long trip I have taken with the Impala was last August south to Virginia, about 2,200miles round-trip. At a steady 75mph with A/C on I averaged 37mpg. And that is bang-on with what GM advertises. There were occasions in the steep hills of Pennsylvania where the transmission would downshift to get back into the torque band but I did not find that troublesome. The engine is very smooth, even in the absence of balance shafts. In fact so smooth that GM has put an ignition cutout on the starter circuit so that people do not turn the key when the engine is running.
This is one of the nicest cars I have owned.
http://www.gm.com/automotive/gmpowertrain/engines_cartruck/other/34_main.htm
Drew
Hope that helps...
http://home.hawaii.rr.com/impala/
I registered the site name ImpalaHQ but it's not active yet.
BTW, see my post in the "radio" board.
Click on the link "Request form" and type in the Rear Guard P/N; 12496350
Brett....
http://www.gmotors.com/main.html
Also, I'm still under warranty; I'm at @ 32k miles, and will have owned the car for two years in March - so if there's any type of warranty-related problem/fix, let me know - I'll be out of warranty within a few months (just BEFORE the weather gets really hot here, unfortunately)!!!
FYI - Mine's a 2000 base 3.8liter. Other than ISS replacement and turned front rotors back in the fall, I've been pretty much problem free. I was one of the folks from here quoted in the 2001 Impala brochure (page 28 if you're interested), and after two years of ownership, I still can't think of anything I'd want on a car that this one doesn't have - except possibly quieter tires, and seats/mirrors w/2-person memory (I'm 5'11", my wife is 5'2").
I replaced an original tire with this tire last month and it appears to be a little louder..
Just returned this morning from a pleasure/business trip with the wife back in Seattle. We spent most of the week up there in addition to some side trips to the Olympic Peninsula, Olympic National Park, Aberdeen, Olympia, Port Angeles and Everett. Needless to say we had a total and complete blast!! This was our first trip to the Pacific Northwest and we have fell in love with the region...it is so beautiful upthere words can't accurately or fairly describe it...it blows your mind away!!!. A very positive change from HOT AND MUGGY South Florida I might add. I envy you guys that happen to live in Washington state or B.C.
If anyone is thinking of vacation plans here in the USA, the Pacific Northwest is a must see!!
Anyway, I had the fortune/misfortune (Depends from which angle you see it) of getting stuck with a rental 2002 Ford Taurus SE sedan for the time we were in Seattle. Everyone here knows my personal contempt of Ford Motor Company products, but this new Taurus has given me a good comparison measure to clearly see the strengths and weaknesses of our beloved Impalas vs the more popular Taurus sedan (Apples to Apples).
In a nutshell:
The Taurus blows the Impala right out of the water in:
* Interior materials are at least 2 or 3 notches above the Impala interior trim and plastics.
* Panel fit and finish
* Quality of cloth upholstery material (GM needs to take a lesson from Ford as to how to make a beautiful cloth interior)
* Dash/Door panel design and layout
* Interior sound insulation
* Interior details such as the very ingenious stow away center console on the front bench seat equipped car.
* Interior is well screwed together. Car already had 13k miles and not a single rattle or squeak could be heard. I could not pray away or misadjust any interior trim components if I wanted to.
* Exterior panel fit and paint. Glossy paint and tighter exterior panel gaps.
* The looks does grow on you. Car doesn't look bad at all.
* Rear seat: The Tauri rear seat back is more comfortable than the rear seat back in the Impala, but the front buckets are another story.
Now, the areas were the Impala kicks the Taurus booty:
* Engine. The Taurus base 3.0L OHV Vulcan engine is noisy, coarse, slow and thirsty. It struggles to move the car out of the wat for passing or even going up the very steep Seattle streets. The 3800 Series II V6 is a heck of a screamer compared to the lousy Ford base engine. Even the 3.4L in the Impala feels much livier.
* Transmission: This is the Impala's territory of domination. While the Taurus tranny was admitely smooth, the slushbox had an annoying tendency to haunt between 3rd and 4th gears either going up or down hill. The Impala slushbox has crisp, precise shifts unrivaled by most automatics in its price class. Advantage: Impala.
* Steering/Handling: The Taurus was not a bad handler during normal driving conditions, but the steering tends to feel rubbery, overboosted and disconnected, whereas the Impala LS' steering is firm, nicely weighted on the center and mighty responsive with good feedback. in my opinion corners more agressively than the Tauri.
* Brakes: The Taurus' brakes gave up on my on a couple of ocassions going down very steep streets at low speeds. They tend to fade quite fast too. I had no steering wheel vibrations, but these Ford brakes feel pretty weak. The Impala has Corvette grade brakes compared to those found in the Tauri.
* Front seats: Uncomfortable on long drives. In despite of the superior quality seat fabric, the front buckets have akward shapes and prove to be bothersome in long driving jaunts, Lateral support is on the lousy side, too. The Impala's front buckets are definetely the place to be in long drives.
* The car nose dives during hard braking, something that is well controlled in the Impala.
* The Tauri had no automatic door locks (Power yes but no autolock feature) and no automatic headlights either
* The Impala has better side crash test safety records than the Tauri.
The Taurus gives the Impala a hard time in the fit/finish/paint and interior materials department, whereas the Impala exhibits much better all around driving performance but fit/finish and trim materials fell short of the standards found in the Ford.
Having said all these I still would not change my Impala for a Taurus, but after spending some time with the Ford, it only makes you wish the Impala had a better finished and more polished interior/exterior presentation.
The Impala is the clear winner in handling, steering, suspension, engine, brakes and transmission, but the rest of the car definetely needs work to make it a more agressive contender in the family sedan arena.
'Nuff observations, good to be back here and be behind the wheel of my Imp.
B4z: Thanks for the updates on your coolant leak situation. More certainly something to keep a peeled eye out for.
Oh finally, very few Impala sightings in Seattle. Car is not popular upthere that's for sure. Just saw a handful of them, a couple of LS's and a few base sedans. You'll be glad to know that Boeing uses Impalas for their security fleet along with Dodge Intrepids at the Everett assembly plant. Could not take a picture of these Impalas as photos are not allowed. Had a blast at the Boeing/Everett plant tour where they put together the 747, 767 and 777 airliners!.
00impala , I replaced the fuel filter on our car , back during thanksgiving , there is nothing to it , you don't even have to pop the hood , its under the driver side rear door , one part of the filter clips in , and the other part threads in , it honestly took me 5 minutes to do . thanks-------------mattmcdill
Teo...My Wife and I are going to the New Car EXPO this Saturday at the Convention Center Downtown 3 floors of New Cars....I will be there for 4 hours! ha Don
Personally, it saddens me a little each time I find out another municipal or corporate fleet is using the Impala, or any car that I might own. IMO, it lessens its uniqueness. That's the reason I stayed away from the Accord, Camry, or even BMW 3-series.
An ironic side effect of the Impala's fleet popularity is how people <i>slow down as I approach from the rear, instead of speeding up, because they think I'm a cop. It didn't seem to fool the real cop that nailed me the day before Christmas, though. ;-)
I recently read somewhere where in its entire 20 year history, Jaguar only made 100 and something thousand XJS vehicles. I can feel pretty confident I won't have one on either side of me at the stop light.
But it comes full circle when an Impala is behind me which is RARE, but when one is on my rear it has always been officer friendly.
The very nice CHP officer that nailed me was driving one o' them Queen Victoria's or Grand Marshall's or whatever those Ford taxicabs are called.
I'm soooooo jealous!
Anyway, the Impala looks pretty good too, especially in silver. She was feeling neglected, so I cleaned the interior with Leatherique Pristine Clean and treated the leather with their Rejuvinator Oil. It smells great.
I'll keep using Zymol for the exterior, until I run out. Then, I'll try the Zaino line. I can't ignore the Zaino-ite's praises of the stuff.
I'll let you know what that one is after I get home. (Although, I don't know why anyone would voluntarily choose an old Taurus/Sable.)