Rented a brand new (1200 miles) 4 cylinder Chevy Impala for a week of highway driving in the NorthEast. My first impression is that the car uses some form of noise cancelling system. As I could not initially hear the engine at all. The interior noise level was remarkably low, and a bit artificial feeling. Nice, but weird too.
Low end torque is good and the engine moves the car off the line without difficulty and will keep up with block to block city traffic without drama. No real way to tell it's 4 cylinders. Until one calls for actual acceleration, that is. This is where the 4 cylinder engine falls far short. Hills force a downshift or three, and the engine strains against it's redline to maintain speed up a steep hill. Annoying. Passing is similarly slow and unresponsive.
As many know, leaving NYC, it's a rat-race during/after rush hour and people tend to move along quickly on the winding roads leading North. The Impala strained to manage speed with the rapidly accelerating and decelerating traffic. Instead of easily matching speed, it would downshift a few gears, and lag behind traffic. Then catch up, and I'd hit the brakes. Over and over again for an hour, infuriating. Then came the hills of New England. Ugh. The last car I've driven that actually struggled up the Merritt Parkway hills was a 1300cc Honda Civic made in the early 1980's. The Impala barely has the HP to do it. Especially when loaded up with 4 people and bags.
The interior is somehow very cramped for a full size car. 4 modern American men are way too much for this "full size" car. Chevy does a nice job making the cockpit feel like a cocoon, with wrap around styling at the expense of a bit of wiggle room. Feels tight and compact.
The GM suspension feel is there in abundance. It rides really well on smother roads, with a well damped, quiet ride. But good-god, when the road gets rougher, the suspension tops out on "droop" with regularity. Annoying. Few modern cars have this issue anymore. I was actually surprised to notice how out of shape the Impala becomes on the less than perfect roads of the NorthEast. A back to back drive in an Accord really highlights the differences. With the Accord easily performing properly in comparison.
Fuel economy was 25 on the highway and 18 in the city. Exactly the same as the V6 Impala would deliver in real world use.
While my initial impression was good, It did not take long to dislike this car. Mostly due to the 4 cylinder engine and the front suspension performance.
Low end torque is good and the engine moves the car off the line without difficulty and will keep up with block to block city traffic without drama. No real way to tell it's 4 cylinders. Until one calls for actual acceleration, that is. This is where the 4 cylinder engine falls far short. Hills force a downshift or three, and the engine strains against it's redline to maintain speed up a steep hill. Annoying. Passing is similarly slow and unresponsive.
As many know, leaving NYC, it's a rat-race during/after rush hour and people tend to move along quickly on the winding roads leading North. The Impala strained to manage speed with the rapidly accelerating and decelerating traffic. Instead of easily matching speed, it would downshift a few gears, and lag behind traffic. Then catch up, and I'd hit the brakes. Over and over again for an hour, infuriating. Then came the hills of New England. Ugh. The last car I've driven that actually struggled up the Merritt Parkway hills was a 1300cc Honda Civic made in the early 1980's. The Impala barely has the HP to do it. Especially when loaded up with 4 people and bags.
The interior is somehow very cramped for a full size car. 4 modern American men are way too much for this "full size" car. Chevy does a nice job making the cockpit feel like a cocoon, with wrap around styling at the expense of a bit of wiggle room. Feels tight and compact.
The GM suspension feel is there in abundance. It rides really well on smother roads, with a well damped, quiet ride. But good-god, when the road gets rougher, the suspension tops out on "droop" with regularity. Annoying. Few modern cars have this issue anymore. I was actually surprised to notice how out of shape the Impala becomes on the less than perfect roads of the NorthEast. A back to back drive in an Accord really highlights the differences. With the Accord easily performing properly in comparison.
Fuel economy was 25 on the highway and 18 in the city. Exactly the same as the V6 Impala would deliver in real world use.
While my initial impression was good, It did not take long to dislike this car. Mostly due to the 4 cylinder engine and the front suspension performance.
