mmarshall

Josh......you're not confusing the 3.6L with the old 90-degree-bank 3.8L,are you? The 3.8L goes back some 50 years to the early-sixties Buick Skylark...and, though reliable as you point out, had vibration problems for some time from the bank-layout. It took years of fine-tuning and engineering work to make that engine smooth, but, once it was perfected, as you say, it found a home in many GM products, both in N/A and supercharged form.

GS3Tek

iTrader: (8)

Great review as always MMarshall.

New impala looks great-only b/c it looks very similar to the new accord (front end).

You guys are overlooking the best feature of the new impala

Hard part is finding a drive-in

mmarshall

Thanks. I enjoyed doing this one, too...it was a pleasant car to drive.

Actually, I kind of like the classic Chevy split-bar grille and gold bow-tie in front on many of their other products. The new Impala does away with the split-grille part for a more conventional-looking front end.

Most drive-ins have gone the way of the dinosaurs. Development and sprawl have eaten most of them up, because more money could be made on the land in other ways....they were not cost-effective.

Yes, that cubby-compartment in the dash does seem to be good for something, but it looks somewhat tacky with the video-screen raised.

Toys4RJill

I sat in one of these things today, what was CR thinking. I sat in a mid level Impala. All I have to say is that the materials are terrible, they are coarse feeling and there are a lot of plastic pieces cobbled together.

Most striking was the terrible design of the dash with those stupid swoops across the dash. What was CR (and Chevy) thinking ?

Aron9000

See I find the quality to be quite nice on the interior, comparable to anything else you're going to buy for $35,000.

But I agree with you on the dash layout, its quite ugly with those scallops and scoops up high on the top of the dash.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

I agree.
I sat in a loaded LTZ and found the interior ok except for the cheap looking fake wood.All black interior looks ok.
The interior with the lighter dash pad like this looks cheap and awful.

Toys4RJill

I probably would of liked a fully loaded model a little more. But the materials in a mid level Impala are not as smooth as others such as the Avalon, and buttons are a little dated.

Joeb427

iTrader: (1)

Yes,typical GM trim but not as gaudy as the LaCrosse and other GM luxury models..

Toys4RJill

The buttons where the radio presets were located was god awful. But you are right about the the Lacrosse , it is pretty gaudy. I also sat inside a Verano too, not the greatest interior either. I will say that the GMC Sierra is pretty nice.

mmarshall

The new Impala, IMO, excels mostly in the excellence of its chassis, refinement, noise-control, and driving dynamics. Yes, there is some plastic inside....but what car, today, doesn't? I looked the interior over carefully. There were only a couple of plastic pieces that I really thought were second-rate...and I mentioned those in my write-up.

Consumer Reports, BTW, agrees with most of what I wrote......they gave the car a 95 out of 100 on the road test, which is rare even for eome expensive luxury-cars, and unheard of for a Chevrolet product.

mmarshall

If you compared the Verano's interior with that of the Lacrosse, you will find that the Verano uses substantially more solid plastic, trim, and hardware inside than the LaCrosse. (It was one of a number of things that sold me on the car). The LaCrosse, though nice, is more or less typical GM thin plastic inside...not so with the Verano, and, to a lesser extent, Regal. They are both redone/rebadged Opel products, not true Buicks, and their interiors are esentially those of the Opel Astra and Insignia, which are known for being solidly built. Of course, it is no secret that that solid construction (and the multi-layers of sound-insulation that Buick itself uses) adds weight.

mmarshall

With all due respect, if you think that the Impala has cheap plastic inside, check out the *****, glove-box lid/lock, inner door panels, and exterior sheet metal of the new Avalon. Though there is no denying the Avalon's Lexus-grade powertrain refinement and noise-control (and, in my review, I gave the Avalon credit for that), a number of the materials used in it are like paper.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

fixed for you

Toys4RJill

I wouldn't lump the coarse feeling plastics of the Impala with that of the Avalon. The Avalon is still a cut above over that of the Impala.