So much for reliving one's glory days. But the "SS" badge does stand for Super Sport, and surely those mean rubbers, dual-rate rear springs, and stiffer stabilizer bars count for something, right?
As in past years, the wheel wells get filled by Goodyear
Eagle RS-As (vs. Eagle LS2s on standard models), now bigger than ever at P235/50WR18. They've got enough grip for semi-confident cornering and break away predictably, and the Impala's super-fast steering (2.3 turns lock to lock on all models) relays your inputs to them pronto.
Yet the Impala has earned no edge over other whopper sedans. The wheel has some road feel if you look closely, but the effort doesn't ramp up like realism demands, and the only handling trick in its book is body lean-infested understeer. I remember the tail stepping out only once - over a mid-corner hump that fully compressed the rear struts - and the angle of brake-induced body dive could win an Olympic medal. Finally, such abrupt steering feels more like a liability on narrow, curvy roads, calling for extra concentration to keep the car from darting into opposing traffic. If a real impala were this clumsy, its masthead would hang on a hunter's wall.
And whether taking it fast or slow, the ride could use refinement. The Impala's strut suspenders still bound over huge bumps and hammer over small ones - a dual tendency dating back to the days when this car wore the name "Lumina."
The Impala is more pleasing if thought of as a passenger transporter. When not challenged by specific types of bumps, it sails over the road in the cruiser tradition. Its isolation abilities are decent, as the engine politely fades from notice at steady speeds, with the main disturbance being some minor wind buffeting the body. Finally, the V8's Active Fuel Management system does what it can to rescue the Impala's dismal fuel economy by letting four of the cylinders sleep during light loads. As usual, the technology's cumulative effect was minor (GM claims up to 8% savings), but it helped my highway-biased average squeak up to 21 MPG (mixed driving nets closer to 17), and the transition between 8 and 4 cylinders is barely perceptible.
In the city, the steering is nice and light, and the quickness again becomes an asset. The throttle has well-weighted response and GM's long-running 4-speed Hydramatic transmission executes smooth, well-timed shifts (even if it is short a gear, not to mention a stability control system). In sum, this is mostly another nice, innocuous family sedan.
Really, the only element setting the Impala apart is that V8. In addition to the avalanche of available acceleration, it's always rumbling in a deeper, throatier, and altogether more authoritative voice even under modest acceleration - effectively shouting to the outside world "this is a MAN'S car."
The Impala was made for a man, all right. You call that man "grandpa."
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