I just got my hands on one from Hertz – Gold points were going to expire, there was an unfortunate funeral coming up, airport runs were coming, and the weather was going downhill with snow, ice, fog, and then rain…so they hand me the keys to what I thought was a plain-Jane Impala until I noticed the “SS” on the door. (Total cost of rental = $2.77 after fees.)

Now, I knew the concept of a 5.3L V8 over the front wheels with front wheel drive was going to be a challenge, but I’m really wondering how some of the people here have said the torque steer isn’t that bad. I’ve driven the Mazdaspeed3, RSX Type-S, Civic Si, and a few other front drive 200+ hp cars and this torque steer was scary at times…and others in the car felt it each time I touched the gas pedal. It makes sense about having the ABS modulate the brakes to control the torque steer as you felt this side-to-side rocking motion under anything more than 1/2 throttle.

The family and funeral were deep in Ohio farm country – straight roads, no traffic and fewer cops! The straight line 0-60+ is amazing in a car that can hold 5 people easily. I’m in the camp that a 5-speed auto would help greatly, but the 4-speed did a decent job of keeping the power flowing. When we were loading the trunk with the engine idling, we all liked the low but sweet sound of a (non-SUV) V8 rumble. (BTW – the trunk is huge.)

Other likes:
Lots of room for people and cargo.
Decent quality leather and seats.
The plastics on the dash didn’t feel as cheap as other cars in the class…or GM is getting better at texturing them to make them feel better.
Liked the stereo quality and easy to find iPod hookup.
Near instant heated seats (hey…snow and ice insured they got heavy use!)
Fairly quiet on the inside – only engine noise was the roar under throttle and some wind noise.

Other dislikes:
The person who thought the thumb-switches for the driver and pass. temps should be fired ASAP. They are of very poor quality and it is near impossible to change things a degree or two while driving.
It’s minor, but the information message display on the IP was distracting and if a new message appeared (like AUTO LIGHT CONTROL TURNED OFF), it would not return to your previous setting.
If the “Active Fuel Management” performed as poorly as it did in a 3700lb car, I cannot fathom how poorly it works in a 5,000lb SUV. At the slightest blip of the throttle (like going from 65 to 68mph) at nowhere near 1/4 throttle position, it went from 4-to-8-mode just like that when it wasn’t needed. Gas mileage suffered as a result. I’ll admit to testing the top speed on the farm roads, but with the weather being poor most of the time and people and luggage in the car the other times, speed limits were followed and I never got above 21 mpg. At least it works quite well with regular unleaded.
I thought the gauges looked rather childish and “boy-racerish” with the too-large italic font and somewhat garish colors. Others in the car noted the same thing.

Overall, for those who want a very powerful sedan for under $30,000 (if, say, an Infiniti or BMW is too expensive), this is a car to consider especially for those who want a domestic car. However it still screams of GM’s inability to fine-tune a car once it has been released. If they redid some of the interior plastics and gauges, and maybe reprogrammed the engine systems to handle the power better, the car would be even better. I would have no problem with many GM products if they followed the ideas of constant upgrades instead of the scrap and introduce something new that they do all of the time…there’s no loyality if that keeps happening.

Lots of safe power for me. It feels very tight and handles well, especially at higher speeds.

Torque steer is there, but not overwhelming.

I drive on lots of dirt roads which are quite bumpy for the SS. The suspension is not made for back roads in Maine!!

20.6 mpg avg. over the last 5000 miles or so.

Tire monitor system rebuilt 3 times. It works….for now.

It is parked from December to May. Those tires are not for winter!! LOL

1. Very Quick to 60
2. Poor Handling
3. Poor MPG if you drive like most people do, IE 4 cyl mode only works if you drive slow, real slow.(My Duruamx get better MPG)
4. I like the looks inside and out, but needs another gear in the tranny.
5. Good car for someone who wants alot of power but either lives in the snow belt, or had no skill to drive hard. Because all you have to do is floor it and forget it.
6. Handling, I would compare it to my 1993 Taurus SHO I still own in the pole barn, in another word, its does not handle very good. Which is dangerous for a car the will go over 140mph
7. I worry about these cars when they get some age on them and young 16 and 17 years olds get ahold of them….We had better watch out!!!!!
Hope this helps anybody who is thinking of buying one.

I see your comments about Sajeev have been edited, but I guarantee you that not only is he familiar with the concept of a sleeper, but he drives a bigger, better sleeper than an Impala SS…one with a V8 driving the correct wheels, too. Just thought you oughta know before casting stones.

I bought a new Impala SS last week and absolutely love it. It's a great car for what it is: a large, powerful, well handling SLEEPER.

This car is not a plastic looking Mitsubishi Evo, nor is it supposed to be.

The interior is simple, clean looking and spacious. Though I prefer RWD myself, this car accelerates and handles great. The burnouts aren't as fun as they were in the 91' Camaro I had years ago, but with a proper launch the Impala is quicker.

The suspension does very well in the corners while still providing a comfortable ride.

If you want a large car with low key styling that can regularly eat rice for breakfast at a stoplight, you could do worse than an Impala SS.

I’ve put about 7K on my ‘07 SS. Nice car.
I needed to upgrade my transportation (got rid of a 360HP 429 71 TBird, 12 mpg and 300HP ‘72 El Camino SS) in order to haul my two kids around. Being able to run autocross was not high on my list of requirments. I needed something that had plenty of room for passengers and stuff, reasonably good on gas mileage, and was dependable. I drove Hondas, Toyotas, Nissans, Pontiacs. Drove a Mustang. In that time I drove a Nissan Altima 3.4 on a 2000 mile trip. Didn’t really feel like “me” in any of them. But when I drove the SS I knew it was what I was looking for.
The things I like about it are:
1. Asphalt eating acceleration.
2. Very comfortable, simply stated interior with plenty of room. Coming out of the old hot rods this is very enjoyable to me. I still can’t believe I have something with heated seats.
3. DOD – I love looking down and seeing that I’m in 4cyl mode. My average mpg is a little over 20 and I drive it fairly hard.
4.Trunk/folding rear seats – the trunk if huge. I took my SS on a 1500 mile trip with my family and had room left over after we had crammed all our stuff in the trunk. I fish a lot and can fold down the rear seats to accomodate my poles which is a big plus to me. I have also hauled 8′ 2×4’s with no problems. If I needed to, I could fold down the seats and sleep in the thing.
4. Understated styling – everything I’ve ever had screamed “give me a ticket!”. I am rolling very discretely in this car. With that said, a very handsome car imho. I could do without the rear spoiler – all it does is block your view out the back but no big deal to me.
There is no doubt that with 303 hp in a FWD car, there is some torgue steer. News flash – you have to steer it. I have yet to need a shift indicator on the console – the indicator is located exactly where it needs to be in your line of sight.
I got mine for $27,000+ and don’t regret it for a second. I haven’t stopped grinning yet.
So, I guess, I’m the kind of person who really wants to buy this kind of car.

Your statement, “Thank you thank you thank you so very much for an actually unbiased look at this heap of junk” in itself is a contradiction and shows a complete bias. I agree 100% with T.Vlasopoulos!

I bought my 06′ SS in November 05′. I now how 10,000 miles of problem free driving on the odometer.

Here are my thoughts:

1: Any of the Chrysler products (charger, 300C, magnum) would have cost about $4000 more with the same equipment.

2: If you buy this car hoping to autocross it, you’re an idiot!

3: The handling is a little sloppy, but in my opinion the car is still fun to drive for a large 4-door. Even after 14 months I still look for excuses to go out for a drive.

4: I’m sorry, but the torque-steer isn’t anywhere near as bad as some of you have made it out to be. Properly launched, this car is very quick and stable off the line. And no, I’m not talking about perfectly smooth asphalt, simply normal roads.

5: The interior isn’t as refined as an accord or camary, but it’s not that bad. I have no problems with mine.

6: My car doesn’t get near the claimed mileage. I typically get about 15 around town and 24 on the highway.

To all of you who complained about the looks of the SS: Maybe you should visit dictionary.com and look up the word subjective. I don’t think the car is the best looking car on the planet, but I think it looks pretty good.

If you need to get a car that will hold 3 car seats, and you also like to drive, there aren’t too many cars out there in that category. If I didn’t need to fit the kids in the back, I probably would have purchased something else, but I still feel that the Impala SS is a great car in its proper context.

Just my opinions!

John

Those factor in acceleration from a standstill, where the SS’ massive low end torque helps it out. The Toyota(s) are slow to react off the line. (no surprise there) But on a 70mph roll the Toyota(s) have a fat enough powerband and a close ratio 6-speed. Its scary how fast both of these wrong wheel drivers are at that speed.

A RWD Impala coming soon? I’m very interested!

jim1126: that’s the going rumor. Maybe if we allllll keep our fingers crossed. :-)

I’m not a performace-oriented driver by any means, so I’m very satisfied with the Impala SS handling, and I’ve found the car really easy to manage, with little to no torque steer, even with that much power underhood. (My brother, on the other hand, floored the thing from zero once and it bucked like a bronco.)

Yes, I agree that Chevy could have done much more with the interior — it’s basically the same as any other Impala. And they sure do ration that leather carefully — if you aren’t sitting directly on it, it’s vinyl. I’m sure that’s how it is with other cars but it irks me. Still, it’s a comfy ride and I’ve arrived refreshed after many a 3-4 hour drive in it.

A RWD Impala coming soon? I’m very interested! But for now, my 2006 is actually very rewarding and I know that low-mileage 2006 Impala SSs are out there right now, and are a great bargain at $21-22K.

As well, I found it hard to find published 70-100 mi/hr numbers, but could find 0-100 mi/hr acceleration tests using several sources.

Car and Driver lists a 0-100 time of 13.9 s for the Impala SS:

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/12242/2007-chevrolet-impala-ss.html

While Motor Trend lists 15.3 s for the 268-hp Camry and 15.9 s for the 268-hp Avalon:

http://www.motortrend.com/oftheyear/car/112_0701_2007_coty_2007_toyota_camry/specs_pricing.html
- and -
http://www.motortrend.com/roadtests/sedan/112_0603_fullsize_sedan_comparison/specs_pricing.html

(Yes, I woulda liked to use a common published source for all three numbers, but couldn’t find one).

On paper, at least, this most-overpowered of three ‘wrong-wheel drivers’ would certainly provide a measurable ‘margin’ of safety’ as the funnel cloud begins to bear down from the horizon ;-)

It has the top end for sure, but 70-100mph (where normal people break the law) between an Impala and a V6 Camry/Avalon/ES 350 is gonna be close.

This vehicle has such a high limit (in this measure) that only an idiot/hoon would actually explore it.

For the rest of us, it’s bragging rights – knowing we have that capability should we ever have to outrun a 150 mi/hr funnel cloud ;-)

There’s a very fine line between “hoonery” and “idiocy” and “Jayrock” crossed it, for sure.

Except that’s not why people buy Nissans and Hondas in mass quanitites, without incentives and Red Tag events either.

But hey, I’m glad you like your new ride.

I’m really having fun driving this thing and haven’t even had it three whole days yet. Won’t even read the manual ’til 2morrow.

Wow, that video says it all. Let’s see the “experts” on this board pull away from police whirlies like that in their Nissans and Hondas. LOL

After you’ve broken in your SS – Just for fun – in case you havent tried it yet- check out the 4-2 kickdown on wide open throttle when you’re cruising at about 40 mph. Truly awe-inspiring.

We’ve also got an example of some additional ‘hoonery’ with the Impala SS on this video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jlUrhnBzkrE

(It’s likely an 06 Impala SS given the top speed of 150+ mi/hr – the old mid-90’s RWD V8’s topped out at about 140 mph)

After falling in love with just the sheer external LOOK of this car (and also reading all this “it’s a crap car” stuff) I went out and drove one for myself. I fell in love with it and bought it. I have a black one and you should see it in my garage. Unrivalled. Give me the link to one you think looks better for 27k and I’ll buy you lunch.

It’s time to get our heads out of our arses and get stuff that we like sometimes because of how it looks (that’s why people buy Dalmations). I have gotta say that this cars LOOKS great. I tire of the preppy crunchy Jettas, Hondas, Nissans, Toyotas (insert your favorite foreign car here). I just couldn’t believe that this entire forum with all the informed and aligned blasted this car only giving it props for its fold down rear seats. Safe to say I must be WAAY in over my head and after reading a few replies probably won’t bother to bookmark it.

A couple of points here.

1. I have always owned the SuperSports/GTPs/high output type models and in all my years of driving have NEVER EVER had a monster or maniac after me where I had to accelerate while maintaining precision steering nor do 75 in an S curve.

2. I live Alabama (Birmingham to be exact). The last snow I saw was in ‘92. We had about 3 inches which lasted all of 3 days and shut the entire city down.

3. I like the way the car looks and drives. Simple city driving. Not drafting. Not S-curving. Not 0 to 60. Just friggin driving the friggin car to work or out on the town. The wheels. The simplicity. the implied devilish power that’s there even though I never use it.

Unbelievable that this car gets the shaft as it has here. Again, maybe if I were trying to enter it into the next amatuer series event then it’s warranted. But because they put a V8 on the front end simply doesn’t do it for me. Feels great. I’m happy. And evidently GM is doing something right. They’re still around.

Frankly, I don’t understand the need for a V8 family hauler even IF performance were a priority. It just seems to me that many feel, “Just add a V8 and everything will be fine”. Well, it’s not fine. Maybe instead of going nuts trying to teach an old dog a new trick (variable displacement V8), that money could be spent on truly increasing the quality and desirability of the product by installing a modern and EFFICIENT powertrain and a quality interior.

But go back and read the comments from 94-96 Impala SS owners here: if those guys can’t rally around the new SS, you really see just how badly GM screwed up this brand.

The old bubble Impalas were far from perfect, but its hard to fault their dynamic performance…they are everything the new Impala is supposed to be.

Maybe there’s hope the General will survive by catering to this hard core who favor some sort of uniquely American image over substance.

Toxie, I go by results and the Avalon with its inferior cylinder count (OMG! Only 6!) is competitive, performance-wise, with the Impala with its full load of V8 power and is faster than the Buick Lucerne with the NorthStar engine. Much better fuel economy, too.