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Comments
Anyone know of any other bugs/problems?
When Honda does something like this it's a wonderful thing in their forum. They talk about how wonderful Honda is about fixing their transmissions after they break, etc.
So when GM takes care of a seatback flaw, it's a wonderful thing.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Which is better
Someone mentioned the lumbar support in the seats. Ours is fine. It adjusts from flat to quite a lump in the lower back. About halfway feels real good on our backs. We took a 300 mile drive a few days ago, and the seats were very comfortable.
On my 2000 Impala (3.8l engine), I've been running Mobil-1 synthetic, and changing it based on the oil change monitor. Mine tends to register time for a change around 6,000 miles, and I'm just not comfortable running regular "dino" oil for that long. Likewise, I know I could probably run the synthetic longer, but I figure since I change my oil myself, I'm spending about what I'd pay a quick-lube place to do it with regular oil, but doing it half as often as I would otherwise. Assuming the 2006 Impalas have the oil monitor, and assuming the owners manual doesn't recommend against using synthetic oil, you might consider that option if you change oil yourself.
I'd seen and read about the '06 Impala in car magazines and thought it looked fantastic, especially compared to the '05. I still wasn't expecting to enjoy the car as much as I did. The ride is fantastic, power is more than adequate even with the base 3.5L, interior design is a huge step forward for Chevrolet. All around, I'd consider it a home run for Chevy.
The LS I drove was pretty plain, but very clean looking. I have seen an LTZ and an SS on the road and both of those are really sharp.
If I was in the market for a car in this price range, I'm thinking an LTZ or SS would be at the top of my list.
I bought an '05 Malibu Maxx for an excellent price under the employee pricing program, but wish I had waited for the Impala LTZ with the front bench. I also did not know about the clever rear seat which folds to make a flat rear cargo area, a much better design than the competitors' seats which fold, but slope up sharpely from the back edge of the trunk forward.
http://www.autoblog.com/entry/1234000123061419/
Can't decide which I like better til I drive them.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
That said, it's just a shape thing.
One of the main things I didn't like was the torque steer. I see what the salesmen where talking about that the car can get away from you. I was going around a turn at 40, hit the gas and i was in the other lane.
Emergency brake
Any one notice how that thing is to low. I am a bit concerned that if i got in a head on accident that thing could go through my leg
Interior
It is nice well designed, but (what i'm about to say is so picky) but they have blue lights for the radio and red and white for the speedometer? What the hell.
Now to what I like
Hitting the gas, was fun, I like the response of that v8.
Handling
For a full size car the steering responded well
Final Say
I will say that the impala ss is nice, but It has been demoted on my list. I am also considering the dodge charger and nissan altima.
the bottom line, don't be put off by t/steer...i've driven my fwd caddy for ten years and never had an issue with t/steer. it's simply a matter of knowing how much throttle input you can use at what time and where...it takes experience to get the most out of your car.
If any one has the new impala, any one bothered by that emergency brake? I think its in a bad spot
the parking brake must be on the floor instead of between the seats. this is done to allow a bench seat. as you get older you will appreciate the advantage of a foot operated over a hand operated parking brake...what cab i say? i'm an old fart.
One thing I wanted to check during the test drive was the torque steer, as I've read in several places that it's a bit of a problem on the SS with its V8. Well, I'd say under most driving conditions such as on perfectly flat roads and in passing situations on the highway, a driver won't notice it. But on a couple occassions I nailed it on uneven roads and was actually rather shocked the way the steering wheel wanted to jerk to the side. It probably wouldn't be a problem once you get used to it, but you'd never find a typical rear wheel drive car acting that way. In fact, I've never driven a FRONT wheel drive with torque steer this bad, but then I've never driven one with a 303 HP V8. Maybe it wouldn't be an issue on the V6 models.
Other than that quirk, the rest of the car is a home run for Chevy. Some have criticized the styling as bland, but I don't think it will look dated quickly like what happens to so many other, "trendy" designs. It certainly looks better and more "honest" than the Accord and Camry, its chief competitors. This especially applies to the entire interior design; you instantly feel comfortable in it, as though you could hop in and drive it cross-country without tiring of looking at the instruments. It has a simple, very "soothing" appearance without a lot of busy gadgets, buttons and angular surfaces which typify Japanese cars .
Acceleration is very good from the V8 and it has a nice rumbly sound you'd expect from a small block Chevy. Torque steer aside, it sure would be hard to pass up this smooth motor in favor of a V6. The tranny shifts nice and firm too. Let's just hope it's up to the task of reliably handling the V8's torque over the long haul.
The quality, at least on the surface, seems very good...much better than the last time I was paying attention to the Impala (when they had the last V8 rear wheel drive models out in ~'96-'97; I never cared for the styling of the FWD model the '06 model replaces). For the first time, it seems like the build quality is on a par with Honda/ Toyota.
As I told the salesman, there are a lot of people like me who have been driving Japanese cars for many years and have come to expect unflinching quality/durability in our cars, yet we'd LOVE to buy an American car again if it can be proven they're just as good as, if not better than the foreign competition. If the new Impala once again earns a reputation for durability, and especially if GM continues to offer discounts and buying incentives, I think it will be a much better value than an Accord or Camry which are both smaller cars.
Yup, one of these just might be in my future...parked in the garage next to my classic 1965 Impala SS. I'll be watching the road tests and reliablity reports.
The other day a typical clown clueless driver in the lane to my right was on his cell phone and started to drift over into my lane. I had to lean on the horn to get his attention so he wouldn't run right into me.
A couple days later (this past weekend), my wife and I were out and about, I'm driving and she's in the passenger seat, and she asks me about the dent in the middle of my steering wheel. I say, "What??" But, sure enough, the Chevy Bowtie trim piece in the middle of the steering wheel has a big ol' dent in it that I didn't notice (why would I? How often do you look down at the middle of your steering wheel?)
Evidently when I "panic mashed" my horn that day, I mashed the plastic/metallic center trim piece.
My plan is to show this to my dealer the first time I'm in for any service (scheduled or warranty...not a special trip for this issue), and explain honestly what I think happened, and see if he'll replace the trim under warranty (if he can...I hope just the trim or the steering wheel cover can be replaced without having to dismantle the whole thing due to the airbag, etc.).
Thoughts/comments/agreements/disagreements?
-Dave R. in Biloxi
I have actually seen more 2006 Impalas on the road in the last week than I've seen Buick LaCrosses in the last 6 months.
I just purchased my Impala a week ago. Sport Red Metallic with the neutral interior. Base LS with no options. I'm very pleased with the car -- I'm a big guy and GM always seems to have the knack to build cars for people like me (6' 4" and 240 lbs.).
At work we have a 2002 base Impala in our fleet and it's been a very good car for us, which is more impressive when you consider it has many different drivers and its care has been indifferent at best.
I am looking at the Impala SS when replacement time comes. 303 horse and DOD
is interesting. The Impala is plain looking.
I will also consider another Altima because I am pleased with almost everything
about it. The Altima SE-R with a little more horse and slightly better handling is
something to consider!
How is your LTZ treating you on mileage? I recently drove an SS for a couple days, 18.7 mpg highway at 70 - 75, 19.6 @ 60 - 65. Too low for my blood. My '03 LeSabre delivers low 20's in town and 30 - 31 mpg on the highway. Looking for similar mileage with next car.
I'm surprised you got so little with the V8 on the highway. How did you measure the mileage?
I hate the car, torque steer is horrible, gas mileage is bad and nothing but excuses from the dealer. I would gladly get rid of it.
DoD will only engage at higher speeds and under light load conditions. Level road, 60 MPH in cruise control would probably be ideal.
It will not engage when idling.
- Ray
With DoD 5.3L in my GXP . .
Now, the EPA rating for the GXP, as everyone here likely knows, is 18 \ 27.
If I fill my tank, with a warm engine (as I typically do 1 morning each week) and then immediately jump on the Interstate and head from North East of Atlanta toward Mid-Town at 6:00 AM, the DIC (proven fairly accurate) showed 28.2 AVG MPG when I pulled off I85 after approx. 18 miles. That included a couple of short WOT bursts to merge into traffic. Traffic was typical for that time of morning, and the fast lane was moving at 70 to 75 most of the way. A couple of times, I briefly touched 80. A couple of times I needed to slow to 60 or so. [[ NB: The EPA highway test STILL limits vehicles to a ** maximum ** speed of 60 MPH!! ]] By the time I pulled into the parking lot of my office, including a couple of miles of surface streets, the DIC showed exactly 27. Ambient air temp. was below 70 – so I was quite comfortable running with the sunroof open to ‘vent’ and the A/C compressor off. (A/C can cost 1.0 to 1.5 MPG under most driving conditions.)
Point here is that I believe one could achieve very close to (or even more than) the reported EPA highway mileage, IF one drove under essentially the same conditions as the EPA assumes for their testing. (IE: A/C off, do not exceed 60 MPH, travel only on relatively level limited access highways with traffic light enough that it does not significantly impact speeds.)
In the now current ‘real world’, where speed limits are 70 MPH in many areas outside metro districts, traffic often travels at 75 to 80 MPH in such areas, A/C is much more common (than it was when the EPA test parameters were defined) and on and on – I think 25 MPG would likely be an excellent number to average over a full tank – even one that includes primarily such driving.
My gas mileage ‘problem’ with the GXP is likely 3 pronged:
[[ Emphasis = MY PROBLEM. Not really the GXP’s problem . . . ]
Prong 0.5 = I live near and commute into Atlanta. Traffic is terrible. (Not quite LA terrible, but really, really bad almost all the time.)
Prong 1 = I am soooo tempted to bury the throttle, to feel and to hear that V8 rumble and rush. I do try to restrict that activity. Sometimes, resistance is futile. I really enjoy it – and even with gasoline prices as they are (and have been recently) it is worth an occasional blast.
Prong 2 = I am afraid that my typical commute just does not allow the DoD feature to engage often enough and \ or long enough to provide much benefit for me. My commute into Mid-Town is typically early enough that I am running 65 to 75 \ 80, but there is enough traffic even before 6:30 that I am rarely running at a steady speed for long. Also, the trip begins and ends at roughly the same elevation, but there is generally up and down all the way – relatively gentle during the Interstate 85 leg, but still not ideal. My trip home in the afternoon is typically too late in the afternoon to be in light to moderate traffic. (sigh) Thus, I am almost certain that I have never been in DoD mode during my afternoon drive home . . . I am either accelerating or decelerating – and I am often in first or second gear from I85 \ I285 (spaghetti junction) to my house. That is 4 to 5 miles. Sometimes the acceleration rate is mild, as all traffic is held back – but that combination of slow \ go \ slow \ stop kills my average.
Prong 3 = When I do cruise in relatively light traffic, as I did driving to Braselton and back a few weekends ago, I do NOT stay below the maximum speed limit during the EPA highway test (um, still 60 mph!) that resulted in the 27 MPG rating. Cruising up I85 on Saturday morning and back early afternoon (over 20 miles of Interstate each way) I was running at 75 to 80. As was most other traffic. Clearly, the difference between 60 and 75 \ 80 is non-trivial. With regard to fuel mileage.
If I am ever able to drive on a relatively level freeway outside metro Atlanta traffic for an extended trip, and I decide to maintain a ‘reasonable and prudent speed’ (below 80 MPH) I expect that I can average 25 or so MPG. If I can set the Cruise Control & maintain a steady speed and the roads are relatively level. We’ll see. I don’t expect to have an opportunity until Thanksgiving weekend (planning a run to see friends in the Florida Panhandle) to run for a long distance away from the typical traffic in and around Atlanta.
My overall average (Excel – not DIC) in over 5,500 miles: 18.76
Best full tank: 19.78
Not great, I’d agree. Yet for a vehicle with verified Quarter Mile acceleration in the high 13s (published numbers 14.2 \ 14.3) I’d suggest that these are reasonable mileage numbers – particularly for a 4 door sedan that is this much fun to drive.
Just my opinion.
- Ray
Overall, still quite content . .
as many know and understand, Bose can make a pretty nifty factory stereo and a pretty lousy one. My in-law's Avalanche sounds fantastic, but my in laway C5 2004 'vette sounds like crap. my 1996 maxima sounds awsome, the new 2005 maxima with BOSE sounds less the steller...
my point being, is this a good BOSE stereo, or a stereo with a BOSE name plate.
thanks for any info--also how does the ipod sound as far as the imput goes? is it clear? or fuzzy?
The real story with this car is the MPG. With about 800 miles on the Odometer. After a 50 mile highway trip at mostly 65 - 70 mph the DIC said avg. 35.0 mpg. I think the wind was at my back, but still that's awesome for a car this size. At 70 mph the tach is only at about 1800 rpm. The tall gearing and the aero is the key. This car is growing on me.
I have to admit that I thought the new Impala was a sharp looking car when I saw it in the car magazines and on here. It wasn't until I drove her's that I realized just how impressive this car is. Having never owned an American car and not being much of a fan of them, I'm blown away by the power, ride and overall comfort of it. The interior is light years ahead of anything GM has ever done.
I don't need anything nearly as large as the Impala, but if I did it'd be at the top of my list. Maybe the good looks will trickle down to the Malibu and Cobalt.
1. Bose only makes Audio Amplifiers and speakers. They do not make auto radio head units that I am aware of. So when you see "Bose" label on the radio, it means there is a Bose Amplifier in the trunk at least. Just like the "Intel" inside logo
2. There are cheap Bose that cranks out moderate amount of power. There are also expensive Bose amp that can blow your ears off. So, not all Bose boxes are the same (as you observed). It is all function of price
3. Bose supplies their amplifiers to different car makers. So like anything else, it is the whole vehicle effect. If the car maker is good, they beat the heck of of everyone to make the good sounding system. If they are lousy, you get the lousy system with or without Bose in it. Having Bose on board is not always the sure thing.
jt