- sedan 217,582
- Springfield, IL
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- autoshopper.com
2001 chevrolet impala review this car review is specific to this model, not the actual vehicle for sale. The fleet-footed animal in the logo promises grace and performance, and the current car delivers. equipped with its powerful 3. 8-liter v6, the new impala is quick, and more responsive than the six-seat models from toyota, dodge, ford and buick. The base impala uses a 3. 4-liter, 180-horsepower v6 and starts at $19,149. The base 3. 4-liter v6 also sees duty in the pontiac grand am and oldsmobile alero. ls 23,225) gets gm's proven and highly competent 3. 8-liter v6, which produces 200 horsepower. Besides the larger engine, the ls comes standard with larger (16-inch) aluminum wheels, quicker steering, traction control, anti-lock brakes, and a wide range of electric amenities. The impala is a whopping 9 inches shorter than a dodge intrepid, yet it's slightly larger in total interior volume than either the intrepid or the lumina. the most significant styling cues are the headlight and taillight clusters, which use a unique combination of round lights clearly visible from behind trapezoidal covers. The availability of a base car without anti-lock brakes bucks a trend at gm to equip all cars with abs; chevy explains that some of its customers prefer cars without it. new for 2001 is the addition of gm's onstar system as standard on the ls and optional on the base model. Onstar is a customer-service network linked to each car via satellite. The system can notify network representatives of the car's location to assist in providing emergency roadside assistance or to help track it if it is stolen. With 122 cubic feet of interior volume, it is 6 cubic feet more spacious than the lumina. Interior space was gained by designing a high roofline with more vertical sides, carefully rearranging the rear bulkhead, and moving the seats slightly outboard. base models come with a three-seat split bench in the front; ls models come standard with just two front seats, though the bench seat is optional. The seat position in the rear is comfortable and relatively high, which makes it easy to get in and out. There are three shoulder belts in the rear, as well as child-seat tethers. Controls are logical, work smoothly, and are easy to see. They feel like bucket seats. The center passenger in the front has to straddle the split between the front seats. A slight hump down the center accommodates the exhaust pipe; that hump hampers legroom for the front center passenger. the headliner and ceiling are specially padded. A seat-mounted side airbag for the driver is an option. driving impressionthe new impala feels like a big luxury car when compared with a ford crown victoria or toyota avalon. The toyota feels bland by comparison. the view out of the impala is good, and particularly helpful are the small quarter windows that split the rear pillars. The rear decklid, however, seems high, so care is required when backing up. handling is surprisingly quick and sharp in the impala. This is not the wallowing live-axle barge from the 1960s. One reason is the use of a huge aluminum engine cradle subframe to hold the drivetrain, thus isolating vibrations and making the car more rigid. A monster dashboard bulkhead made of light and strong magnesium adds to the rigidity, which gives the car a robust feel. the impala uses suspension and mounting structures that are different than the grand prix's, as are the driving characteristics. The ls we tested felt particularly good, with its quicker steering ratio. Both models, however, get a strut brace in front, as well as anti-roll bars front and rear. This hardware is usually found only on sports sedans. The engine cradle and dashboard structure lock the steering shaft down rigidly, so there are no excess wiggly movements. Chevy says a new link between the steering column and the steering gear contributes to better on-center feel at the wheel. On the road, the steering feels good, better than the toyota avalon. the brake pedal feels firm and responsive. Chevy claims it will accelerate to 60 mph in 7. 7 seconds, which is quick for this class. the police package cars will get the higher-ratio gearing from the grand prix, and should be quicker still. Police may learn to like this car, even though front-drivers are still looked upon with trepidation by america's men in blue. The front steering knuckles for police versions of the impala are made of steel instead of weight-saving aluminum, though chevy says the aluminum knuckles -- as well as the rest of the car -- exceeded durability tests. Off the record, chevy's engineers said the new impala passed tests that projected its life span at 400,000 miles. These tests included curb hopping, which is not normally part of a new car's durability cycle. summarywhen the impala was introduced as a new model in 2000, chevrolet was aiming for a car to carry the heritage behind that famous name. The result is a capable, quick, and fun car that drives nothing like impalas of old. And that's good news. Anti-lock Brakes✔ Bucket Seats✔ Aluminum Wheels
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