Car and Driver finally got around to doing a full test on the Impala SS

0 to 60: 5.6
1/4 mile: 14.2 @ 101 mph
Top Speed 154 mph
Braking 70 to 0: 172 ft
300ft Skippad: 0.81g
Weight: 3764 lbs....132 lbs lighter than the Grand Prix GXP

The Impala SS came out faster that the Grand Prix GXP and the Charger R/T in there test.... Pretty Impressive for a 4-speed auto FWD car.
The Impala SS has a transaxle gear ratio of 3.29 vs. the GXPs 2.93....I found that odd.

Car & Driver said the SS was impressive on paper but was unsatisfying to drive. After they talked about the great performance, the rest of the article they spent bashing the 18 years old chassis......Like the W-body chassis has never been changed, improved, or updated.

 

At a GM Autoshow in Motion event last November, I had a chance for a very quick drive in the V8 W-bodies. The engines sound great. But even moderate throttle produced screeches from the front tires (and a nasty looks from the personnel). In normal use, the car is probably fine, but if you try to drive for fun, all that torque through the front tires was frustrating.

 

The Impala SS has a chassis which is tuned abit too soft for me to enjoy tossing it around. That's just me though. I also think it pushes the limits of how much torque can be transmitted through the front wheels.

 

Seems to be the common thread with the SS Impala: Very quick, but not fun to drive.

When I test drove one, the distance was too short (only a couple of miles), so I can't say how it handles. I will say I was extremely impressed with it's acceleration.

If there was ever a car that SCREAMED for RWD, this is the one that screams the loudest ever since the late 80s Turbo Daytona.



BTW: if no one noticed, the Impala 5.3 weighs in at 3700 pounds!

The 5.3 is amazing in that it makes a 3700 pound front driver run like an LT1 Camaro (considering FWD=weight transfered OFF the drive wheels=slightly slower acceleration times).

The Monte Carlo is just over 100 pounds lighter. I'd like to see the times on this one.

 

Very Impressive. I like the Impala SS, it is also nice to see a V8 sedan at Chevy, even it is FWD.

 

The 101mph trap speed is more like an automatic LS-1 Camaro. Even the manual LT1s generally didn't trap above 100 -- at least in magazine tests of the day. I'm sure there were a few exceptions to that, but I'm thinking of the R&T/C&D/MT tests.

Let's just hope that the Zeta Impala isn't 4100 pounds like the Charger is.

 

Car and Driver sux.

The car is great fun in everyday driving or when you push it a little bit, but obviously it gets a bit squirrely if you get close to its limit. But consider, it's a FWD 4 door family car, not a Z06.

As a FWD 4 door family car, it's a hoot, so long as you don't pretend it's something that it's not.

 

At first they aren't too fun to drive... once you get used to them, they aren't that bad, and they are great on the freeway. I pulled 26mpg today over 900 miles averaging about 80 mph.

Tossing isn't as fun as a camaro, but it isn't terrible, but I didn't buy it to toss it around much.

If the car was RWD, it would be perfect. My first run at the track ended with more rubber on the ground than speed in the trap.

Overall though, it's a great combination of a car for the average person.

 

http://wardsauto.com/commentary/tyranny_of_enthusiasts/

An interesting article on the topic, I think. C&D is representing the enthusiast point of view, and their biases are pretty clear.

I think the comments so far don't contradict each other. It's a FWD family car with a big engine. As long as you drive it like a family car, you'll like it. If you try to drive it like a sports car, it's not so good. The Charger, being RWD and having a modern chassis, will be better at the sports side while perhaps not losing any capability on the family side.

The Honda Accord always beats the Toyota Camry in C&D tests, because the Honda is better at the sportier driving. Yet millions are happy in their Camrys.

I think it's entirely reasonable for C&D to test an SS model of an Impala as a sports sedan. You wouldn't expect them to test a minivan using the same criteria.

 

I haven't driven one of these but I did drive a Charger. I was disappointed at how boring, floaty and vague it was to drive. So if the Impala SS loses on the sporty front to a Charger....=\

Maybe next MY or something they'll give it a performance suspension/handling package to go with the big engine.

 

Interesting. I rented an Impala LT recently and absolutely loved it. I thought it handled and performed well for what it was. I guess a V6 is all the Impy actually needs.

 

Well, they really liked the Grand Prix GXP, which we know is tuned way different than the Impala.

I wouldn't be so quick to discount their opinion, or imply that they suck, since it seems to correspond with other opinions here.

 

I drove a Grand Prix with the 5.3 at the Autoshow in Motion. Too much throttle on exit and it pushes like a dumptruck. However, as a daily driver/cruiser I would imagine them to be exceptional. 95% of divers never push their car theough corners, but that 5.3 will surely merge them into traffic nicely.

 

I guess I should have prefaced it w/ saying that the negatives on the car are in a realm that 95% will never be driven in. I mean for what the car is, even in SS trim, how many people are going to be pushing it's handling limits?

 

I wonder why the Impala SS is unlimited on top speed and the GXP is limited to 143 mph. And why the different axle ratios, the Impala SS gets the more aggressive 3.29, One would think the GXP would get the same but its got a 2.93?