That statement belongs in somebody's sig.

I've seen a few of the new Impala's around town lately. I hated the way the new one looked in pictures but on the road it doesnt look that bad. It actually looks like a larger luxury sedan out on the road as opposed to a bread and butter sedan. I was quite surprised to say the least because I liked the styling of the older one and was disappointed that they didnt take much off of the older one to inspire the new one.

I'm sure a black SS with nice polished wheels in person would look pretty cool.

 

Saw a black one at the dealer here. I think it looks about 10x better than the previous style, even if it is a little boring. Also saw an '06 Malibu the other day and it struck me about the same way.

 

SFire,

Maybe someone will adopt that in their sig I can't quote myself, because that's just kinda gay Anyway, the only SS I've seen so far was a black SS with polished wheels. Its an extremely attractive piece in person, and you're right...it does look more like a large luxury car. For the LS, the LT and the LTZ, this will work wonders. I've seen a couple $27,500 silver/grey leather LTZs...outstanding in person.

But the SS? Eh...I suspect driving the car is where you'll fall in love. The SS changes are nice, but not extreme enough. If I bought one (who knows...I swore 2 months ago I was buying a GXP!), I would do some research first. I'd have to tint the windows, and I might even DOWNGRADE the 18" wheels to the 17" chrome American Racing 5 spokes I have on my GP...they would look sinister on a black SS. However, I'd have to make sure they fit first (they fit an '04+ GP, so they should work), and the car is crying for billet grilles. I love the nose, but it needs those cool billet grilles they make in the aftermarket for GPs in order to make it stand out.

Wheels, tint and grilles would really transform the car...I'm not alone in that assessment. Throw a Borla or an SLP cat back on it, and its perfect. Although, someone should come out with a 4 round tailight conversion kit...

 

The new Impala will not appeal to everyone......that said, it will appeal to a lot of people looking for a large sedan.

I'll relate one story to you. (no, you can't judge a car by a picture....and you can't judge it by one person's story....but this one really surprised me)

I was in an elevator one nite in a Marriott in, as I recall, Dallas. Another fellow gets on the elevator and we ride down to the lobby bar. He looks at me and says "Do you work for Chevy?" (OK......Corvette Tie.......white dress shirt with a Gold Bowtie.......Camaro watch.......chevy Ring.....) (Ya THINK???)

Anyway.....so he says....."I got a new Impala company car and I gotta tell you....I love it. (OK...nice to hear) ."....but, I work for (insert beverage company name here) and we get company cars. I was REALLY P***ed off because my last company car was an Infinity! In fact, most of the guys in our office were upset.........but to our surprise, we really like the Impala....it's comfortable......it's reasonably fast (??) and I liked mine so much I bought one for my wife!" (OK.......so he's married.....I know he's not doing this to put the moves on me!!!)

Anyway.....while the 2000-2005 Impala may not be my (or your) cup of tea, our owners, for the most part, are very happy with them. (not all of them, mind you.....) As a result, we'll sell well north of the 200K mark this year ('05 model)...and it's 5 years into a life cycle.

Driving the 2006 model makes the 2005 model look very old.

So.........what I'd say to you is this: before you make a final judgement.....go drive one. Even the mid-level 3.9 engine......and if you want real performance.......try the LS4 5.3 V8 with Displacement on Demand.

OK......one other story.....just had all of our SSs out in the Mojave Desert for high speed footage on the track. (video will be in most of the auto shows this year).....had professional drivers take the Impala SS around the track to get their impressions.........they were truly amazed. (I went with one of them.........thought for sure we'd die.....but damn......the car hangs in there!)

 

All it really means is "probably will out accelerate, and out last previous model SS..."

And more friendly to the gas pump...

 

Without a doubt, I am sure the car is a great performer. I also think its a very competent car. I liked the old model as well...I almost purchased a dark green 2002 LS before buying my GP. However, I just wish with the SS, they had done a little more. Maybe a more aggressive rear spoiler. Side skirts. SOMETHING. With that said though, I can't wait for an excuse to drive the first V8 MC SS I can find. I still want one, and assume the chassis enhancements for the '06 Impy made their way to the MC as well?

All in all, its a great car and is head and shoulders above the old one. I just wish the new SS was a little more expressive outside...that's all. I know one thing for sure...those silver LTZs I saw are downright classy.

 

I also noticed lately that EVERY newer GM car (Impala, GP GXP, HHR, GTO to name a few) look SOOO much better in person than in pics. It's almost erie... lol

 

Local dealer got a Silver Sandstone Metallic SS in. I stopped by this evening and took a close up walk around look at the car. I agree with the rest of you that say this car looks better in person than in the pics. It looks really classy, but not very sporty for a SS. I think the last of the '05 look somewhat sportier with the body colored rear and body colored side moldings + rear spoiler. Something about the hood on the new Impala from some angles reminds me of the current Accord. The interior looks top notch, a huge improvement over the '05s. The rear of the SS looked less Malibuish than the Impala LS that I pasted on the road a couple of weeks ago, maybe the spoiler had something to do with that.

Overall I am very impressed with the looks of the SS, yes little things could be addressed to add a little more Sport into the SS. One thing I think would help the rear would be some dual/dual rolled exhaust tips.
At 30K the SS is a good bargin compared to the out going Bonneville GXP which fully loaded approachs $40K The GXP has more bells and whistles like HUD, etc. but the new Impala has much better performance.

 

I like the way you think

 

I would think it would be kind of hard to make a worse Impala than the 05' model. They looked crappy, you were always paranoid of blue and white ones on the highway, and the SS model was virtually invisible, I have seen 3-4 to date.