2006 Chevy Impala Ss
By Matthew C. Keegan, Tue Dec 6th

Chevy's flagship car, the Impala, finally has the power to match its heralded name. Ever since the car was redesigned in the late1990s, the Impala has been more of a pretender than a performer. Now with an optional small block 5.3L V8 added to the mix, the2006 Chevrolet Impala can go toe to toe with the Chrysler 300and the Dodge Charger. The changes for the Impala are not all under the hood, Chevy took the time to redo the entire car and they did it with care. Let's look at some of the changes for2006.

More Power - A V6 is a great engine, especially in these times of high gas prices. Still, if you opt for a car of the Impala's size, at least having the option of purchasing a V8makes sense, doesn't it? You better believe it. GM has sweetened the deal by plunking in a V8 that incorporates Corvette technology as the engine heads with "their pent-roof combustion chambers and flat-top pistons deliver high horsepower", this according to Chevrolet's promotional material.

In addition, GM's" displacement on demand" technology allows the V8 to squeeze out miserly 28 mpg on the highway [18 mpg city] with computer equipment that shuts down unneeded cylinders at the appropriate time. Cadillac tried this in the early 1980s with its V8-6-4engine that failed to live up to the job as computing technology then wasn't what it is today. Fortunately, current GM technology makes this a reality for current models.

Better Looks - When it comes to "looks" beauty is subjective. Yet, previous Impala models had a bit of a pedestrian look to them. In the highly competitive large sedan category, this can easily mean lost sales as the choices for similarly priced, but more aggressive looking cars is strong. All new sheet metal, a more assertive nose - similar to the Cobalt's.