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My cousin and I decided to go to Vegas for our road trip. We decided to rent a car because my car lacked functioning A/C and it was cheaper than flying. I decided to go with Enterprise since they had the lowest rates and I found a nice discount online. I had reserved a standard size car, but since Hot August Nights was happening, there was a shortage of rental cars. I did not know what I was getting until I went there Wednesday morning to pick up the car.

I was pretty happy that we got a free upgrade. They gave me a full-size 2008 Chevrolet Impala. It was a base LS model with a dark silver exterior and black cloth interior. The car was really dirty on the inside when we got it. The trunk and back seat were covered in a white chalky powder. The guy at Enterprise cleaned it for my after I noticed it, but he couldn't get some of the stains out so he gave me 10% off. At first I thought it was an upscale model since it had a floor shifter and wood trim. Turns out the wood trim was standard on all trim levels except the SS. The floor shifter still confused me since this car was a base model. It didn't even have anti-lock brakes! It was still well-equipped with standard features such as DRLs, AutoLamps (I suppose I should call it Twilight Sentinel since it's a GM), trip computer, and auxiliary input jack on the radio. The panel gap was nice and thin. The doors closed with a nice solid thunk. The springs on the doors could have been tuned a little weaker in my opinion.

The engine was the new 3500 V6. It makes 211 horsepower at 5800 RPMs and 214 ft-lbs of torque at 4000 RPMs. What's interesting is that it has variable valve timing. Yeah, that's right, a pushrod engine with VTEC. I'm still trying to figure out how that works. This engine is adequate. It sounds unrefined, but that's how I like it. It moves the 3500 pound car with ease and has a nice kick on take-offs. The variable valve timing was not as noticeable as Honda's VTEC, but it still pulls pretty well into the high RPMs. I've managed to peg the tach at 6000 RPMs while passing. It struggles just a tad at the higher RPMs, but it's not as bad as Ford's 3.8L V6 where it just falls flat on its face after 4000. We tested the 0-60, but were just a little disappointed with the results: 12 seconds. Well, we did have luggage and A/C on, so that contributed to the weak time. The speed limiter is set at 107 MPH. When I hit that, the trip computer beeped at me and said it it's limited to 107 MPH. The engine bay was also very roomy with the V6, but then again it has to be big enough to stuff a small-block V8 in there.

The engine is coupled to a four-speed automatic overdrive transaxle. Old-fashioned, but it works fine in this car. The shifts were pretty firm in this car. I was expecting it to be smoother. The engine was spinning at 2000 RPMs while traveling at 80 MPH. We got a pretty impressive 30 MPG on the highway and 24 MPG driving around Las Vegas with some highway. It's also a Flex Fuel Vehicle so we could have ran it on ethanol. We only saw one ethanol station down there, but we figured it wasn't worth it since we're trying to minimize out fill-ups as much as possible. The fuel gauge was insanely accurate! The car has a 17 gallon fuel tank. I ran it until the low fuel message popped up on the trip computer. The fuel gauge was pointing right at empty. When I filled up, I manage to pump just a little bit over 16 gallons into the tank.

This car isn't exactly fun to drive, but it is pretty comfortable for a long drive. The gas pedal was drive-by-wire. The spring on the gas pedal was really stiff. It took me a while to get used to it. The brake pedal was not drive-by-wire. That took a while to get used to also. The slightest touch of the brake pedal really slows down the car. I'm so used to Ford's spongy pedals so I would quickly tap the brake pedal to cancel the cruise. Not a good idea in this car since it nearly sent us thru the windshield! The brake pedal also feels like there's about an inch of travel. It also felt like there's dead space between the initial press and the full travel. The car stopped really well with the four-wheel disk brakes nonetheless. Both the gas and brake pedals were positioned a little too high so it was difficult to get used to. The foot rest on the left side of the brake was useless. I liked the parking brake pedal with its tap-on, tap-off feature.

It didn't drive all that different from my Sable, but it is a lot bigger than the Sable. The car doesn't look that big from the outside, but it is ginormous inside! I keep thinking it's a lot wider than it actually is when I'm driving it. The front overhang seems quite excessive. It doesn't feel very long either. I parked it next to my parent's Windstar and it was just a little longer in overall length. The Impala was also quite tall for a large sedan. The trunk was pretty big too. My cousin thought it looked small, but I think it was because it's taller because it seemed to have about the same trunk space as my Sable. GM really nails space efficiency with the packaging. I don't like the pneumatic struts for the decklid. I like how old-school trunks pop up when they're unlocked. At least the decklid on the Impala raises about quarter of an inch indicating it's opened unlike the Focus which just unlocks, but doesn't raise.

The Impala's suspension was tuned really soft. It wallows like a brick on Jello. It has more body movement than my Sable (which is riding on the struts it came with from the factory). The Impala's handling felt very familiar. It drove exactly like my friend's '88 Olds Delta 88. Same driving-on-a-cloud style ride. It's great for those long trips on rough roads, but pretty bad on mountain roads with lots of curves. The steering was very sensitive, but there was no dead spot in the middle. It actually turned really well for a large car. It's too bad the soft suspension makes it feel like a whale in turns. I read the LT has larger sway bars to counter that. It's a great car for comfort, but I wouldn't try any racing maneuvers with it.

The interior was conservatively styled. The wood trim contrasted really well with the black dash and door panel despite looking obviously fake. The A-pillars looked like they were covered with the same soft material as the headliner, but it was really hard plastic with fake texturing. The upper dash and door panels were padded, but it still felt like hard plastic. The lower dash was definitely hard cheap plastic (similar to an ice cooler). The road and wind noise were really isolated. I could barely hear any wind noise until I got above 90 MPH! There was minimal road noise, except when traveling on the older parts of the highway. Driving at 80 MPH felt like it was going 65 MPH. It was pretty smooth on the straight ways.

The steering wheel had the same texture as the dash and was also hard to the touch. I'm glad that GM moved the cruise control from the turn signal stick to the steering wheel. It was very easy to use, although one button setup was counter intuitive (tap Set to Decelerate). I found it odd that the cruise control system had to be manually switched off. The system would stay active even after you turn off the car and restarted it. The turn signal switch felt a little loose. Every time I'd go and use the turn signal, it would fall into the high beams lock mode. The clicker for the turn signal was also really quiet. It was very hard to tell if it was on by hearing. I had to keep my eye on the cluster to make sure it was on or off. The cluster was very familiar. It had the exact same layout as my Sable. The speedometer was nice and clean with the lack of dual measurements. The trip computer was very legible.

The radio was also typical GM. It was very bass heavy, somewhat muddy sounding. I liked the auxiliary input jack on the radio. It would not be very fun to bring a book of CDs and having to switch them every hour. Just plug and go. The radio was very intuitive to use. Presets and EQ settings were easy to set. The volume knob and power button was nice and big for ease of finding and setting. The HVAC also had large knobs similar to the radio's volume knob. It only had a single zone climate control, but that was fine. The A/C was so cold! We had to keep the blower on one notch above Off to keep from freezing in the 105 degree heat! It also cooled down the car fast! The shifter looked and felt solid. I liked the chrome release button, but the lack of gear indicator on the shifter surround was a stupid. The shifter surround kind of looked like a woman's private area.

The car had automatic locks. The lock also automatically unlocked when the shifter was placed in Park. If it was just me driving alone, that would get annoying fast. Since I had a passenger, it was actually very convenient since the door doesn't automatically unlock when the door handle is pulled like Ford and Dodge. There is an option to turn off the automatic unlock or set it to driver's door only. It also had automatic headlights. I felt pampered with all this high tech stuff in the car. The Twilight Sentinel system was pretty accurate. It was not very sensitive to shadows and tunnels so they didn't flicker on and off. There was a setting on the headlight switch to turn off the DRLs which was pretty cool. The parking light setting also turns off DRLs unlike our Windstar. It also had headlight delay which was nice. It wasn't as smart as the Caravan's headlight delay though.

The seats were typical GM. It was nice that the driver's seat had manual lumbar control. It more than made up for the lack of thigh support. I always found GM's seats to be a little low. The backseat was really low to the ground. The passenger seat was a little higher, but still low. I had the driver's seat up really high to match Ford's, but was not too successful. The seats were not as plush as I'm used to in a GM. They were actually a little stiff, but it was fine for a long trip. There wasn't very much side support either so I was sliding around on turns. My Sable has a bench seat and it has more side support than the buckets in the Impala.

Overall, it was not a bad car. I kind of liked it despite the typical GM quirks. If I was buying one, I'd get a higher trim level with the slightly stiffer sway bar. The drivetrain took my abuse pretty well. It had adequate passing power and great low-end torque. If I could change anything else about the car, it'd be the seats and door locks. My cousin doesn't really like the car because it's a big heavy boat, but he agreed that it's not a bad car to take a long road trip on.

I also saw this on the way back. We thought it was something cool and new, but it turns out to be just a Hyundai Sonata.

Nice story/test drive


Strange I thought that this was included in all cars nowadays

I’m not sure how GM has their system setup it may vary slightly, but the Triton V8 in my Ford uses Variable Camshaft Timing technology. This is also tied to the Variable Valve Timing. The Triton V8’s system promptly adjusts the camshafts according to engine speed, which in turn changes the timing of the valves. This system makes the Triton extremely efficient. However, like I sad above, GM’s system may vary slightly.

BTW, Nice pics and a well written sum of the Impala. It drew me in, I read every inch of it.

Thanks. ABS isn't a standard item. A lot of new inexpensive cars don't have ABS. My dad's brand new Focus doesn't have ABS. Our Windstar has ABS, but it locks up the wheels anyways. There's still a debate going on with the insurance agencies and the federal government as to whether it's an effective safety device or not.

Also, isn't the Triton V8 an OHC engine? I can see how it works on a OHC engine, but it's a little more difficult to see on a OHV engine.

Funny, here even the smaller Ford Fiesta and Ka have the ABS.
Even the cheapest car on the market, the 1.1 L Fiat Seicento (6150 €) which is so small and dangerous in case of a crash has the ABS.
I do not really see in which case it would not help I agree that other devices like the airbag could be dangerous in some cases, but for the ABS I do not get it.

Yes, indeed it is. The 5.4 L Triton V8 in my Expedition (and Ford’s F-150 as well) uses a 24-valve SOHC setup. Though GM must have used some special adaptive mechanism to achieve the desired effect, I do see why a Pushrod setup with VVT does seem weird. Still even with VVT a Pushrod engine will not be quite as efficient as a OHC engine nor will it give the same performance.

Also I forgot to ask about the Hyundai you saw, did you take any pics of it, besides video? I saw a Prototype being tested on I-95 a few years ago. It looked like a Dodge, I think it may have been the now current model Dodge Magnum. The front, rear, and sides of it were covered with black leather cladding like the Hyundai you saw.

Well I Googled the variable valve timing for GM's new pushrod engines and i got this:
http://delphi.com/manufacturers/auto/powertrain/gas/valvetrain/vcp/

No pictures of the Hyundai. I was driving and my cousin captured the video. We saw another vehicle in black cladding, but it was moving fast in the opposite direction.

Here's some info about ABS:
http://www.physorg.com/news78593257.html
http://www.iihs.org/research/qanda/antilock.html (#4)
http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/?p=2006
http://www.shortsupport.org/News/0090.html
http://www.brakeinfo.com/antilock-brakes-brake-systems-anti-lock-abs-systems.html

The main point is most people don't know how to properly use ABS leading to it not being effective. Personally I hate ABS. They have never worked right for me even with my foot planted right on the brake pedal. I really don't need to worry too much about it though since it doesn't snow a lot here.

you do not have to do anything special to use ABS, just brake. Without ABS if you do not release the brake when the wheels lock you cannot turn anymore, and it brakes not as good as if the wheel were not blocked.
And I find it is useful even on wet road, not only when there is snow...
I already avoided one or two accidents that I could maybe not avoid if the ABS did not work (which is lucky, as the ABS on my car sometimes disconnects... )

This is pretty much what I drove when I was on holiday recently (I also went to Vegas). EXCEPT I had the SS model! It was probably considerably quicker than this (5.3 litre V8, 303BHP), it also had leather seats (the front seat headrests have the SS logo sewn onto them, the steering also had the SS logo instead of the Chevy logo or the Impama symbol) which were nice enough, although nothing like the kind of leather seats you get in new Mercs and stuff like that. Instead of fake wood trim it had this kind of grey carbon fibre-like stuff like you get in sporty Audis and such. It also had cruise control where you could press a button and increase and decrease your speed without touching the pedals, I liked that. The air conditioning was absolute GODSEND in Nevada, I don't how I (or anyone for that matter) would have survived without it, the temperature often went as high as 120 degrees fahrenheit which I found to be CRAZY hot, especially when you're from somewhere like England. Whenever I was outside during the day it was like being in an oven, although the funny thing is it wasn't the kind of the heat that makes you sweat easily. Driving-wise the Impala SS had a nice amount of power, nothing scary though. Apparentely it does 0-60 under 6 seconds but it didn't feel quite that that fast, I really wish at point I'd tried to test this claim for himself by flooring it from a standstill (I probably would have burnt away most of the tyres), but I didn't feel like doing this in cities. I was gentle with the throttle when pulling away, a couple times I accidentely pressed a little harder and got a bit of wheelspin. The thing is the SS has front wheel drive so I probably would have gotten some torque-steer if I had floored it, I've never driven anything quite that powerful before, so I'm not used to peeling away really fast. Handling-wise it was alright for a large American car, although something like a BMW would probably have totally shamed it, not that I've ever driven one though. The suspension seemed alright, I once made a pretty sharp left hand turn onto another road at 30-40 mph and it coped alright . Some other American cars I've been in like the 2000 Buick LeSabre were much more wallowy, though maybe the SS has different suspension than the other Impalas. From what I remember it felt like a heavy car, more so than my dad's Vauxhall Omega that I'm driving at the moment, but then it had a pretty big engine. The only thing about the handling was that the car had a big turning circle compared to European cars, but maybe not so much by American standards.

The SS was still part of the full-size class in the rental lineup, I don't think it cost any more than the lower trim Impalas like the LS and the LT, that's what you should have gone for if it had been available to you. The only downside to the SS is that it definetely chomps through more fuel than the LS, I think average mpg was about 20 or so, and whenever I touched the accelerator fuel consumption fell into the lower 10s. But then petrol is so damn cheap in the US, you don't tend to care so much. Overall I was fairly impressed by the Impala SS, though I think any BMW, Merc or Audi sedan with a similar sized engine would have run rings around it.

If you like I could post some photos of the SS I drove, though the only way it looks different to querty's Impala is that mine was white and it has the SS badge on the truck lid and on the front doors. The wheels were also different (nothing flashy though) and the grille was honeycomb instead of the slatted grille on the car above. I also took a picture of the 5.3 litre engine.

About ABS, my Impala would have definetely had it and nowadays just about all decent-sized cars seem to have it. antp mentions like the Fiesta and the Ka have it, although I wonder if it comes as standard or not, they are pretty cheap cars. I'd rather have ABS than not have it, it's awful when someone suddenly pulls out in front of you (which has happened to me in my old Renault Clio a couple of times) and the car seems to start skidding as soon as I touch the brake pedal. A skilled driver should be able to avoid locking the brakes, but when you have to brake very suddenly I find my gut reaction is to press hard on the brakes, sometimes you can't help it, it's just how you react, and it feels like the wheels lock immediately. If I can anticipate having to slow down quickly I'm usually fine but whenever some absolute fuckhead pulled out in front of me without any notice, my Clio's tyres just started screeching and the whole car would just slide. You can be taught how to brake and manouver properly without ABS (though they don't really teach you this when you're a learner), but for most people it's much easier to have it. If a car has ABS that works properly (perhaps this isn't the case on all cars, especially older ones) it should be foolproof.

Yes, that was my point: it seems that all cars sold here in Belgium have ABS as standard, even the cheapest one (Fiat Seicento, even cheaper than the Fiesta & Ka). I do not know if it is the same for other European countries, though.

The performance of ABS will vary from car to car, and from manufacturer to manufacturer. Although the principle behind how ABS works stays the same. But even ABS can loose it’s effectiveness under certain situations. The ABS system equipped on my Expedition Limited works flawlessly, but then again, the ABS is not left alone to fend for itself. The Expedition uses four systems to bring it to a stop; ABS, AdvanceTrac with RSC (Traction Control System) and Electronic Brake Force Distribution (the Impala should have BFD if I’m not mistaken) All four systems are linked together to work as one. The Expedition Limited will take control of itself (but not steering) during a high-speed emergency maneuver. It is weird to have a vehicle all-but remove you from driving.

Electronic Brake Force Distribution - geez, that sounds dangerous - I hope it is not the system, where the brake power is distributed only via electric signals and not via hydraulic system...

I believe Electronic Brake Force Distribution electronically controls how much pressure is being sent to each wheel. Kind of like ABS, except it doesn't pump the fluid.

@ G-mann:
It was insanely hot down there! I was walking the strip and I was just wet. I was so glad the car had a working A/C. Rolling down the windows wouldn't have helped. It's not humid there so the sweat evaporates fast if there's a breeze.

The Impala SS is much nicer than the base model. I read on Edmunds that the LS has the softest suspension, the LT has slightly stiffer sway bars, and the SS has the sports tuned suspension. The SS weighs about 200 pounds more than the LS (which is at 3500 pounds). I didn't find the turning radius that bad. But then again, I'm used to driving big cars like that. It actually makes my Sable feel so much smaller.

BTW, the Impala SS wasn't meant to compete with the European sport sedans. It's meant to be a large American sedan that goes fast.

About ABS: I've locked up the wheels on more ABS-equipped cars than on cars w/o ABS. I suppose it could be the equipment though. Once I got new tires and a brake job, my ABS finally worked right (although I try not to kick it on during harsh weather because it lengthens the stopping distance). Our Windstar's ABS acts up and sometimes it just turns itself off. It's always fun to freak out other drivers with the sound of tires screeching on dry pavement and a van getting bigger in their mirrors.

>> wickey : Electronic Brake Force Distribution does not feed the brakes. All it does, is aid the ABS system. It monitors how hard the brakes are used. Then if needed, it will adjust how much braking power each wheel gets (EBFD adjusts each wheel independently) so that traction is not lost.

nice that is ok then - I saw an article some time ago, that Siemens is developing such system, that will feed the brakes only via electric signals.. Now that will be a car I will never drive in..

I agree, if you lose ABS you still have brakes. I would think that even the Siemens system would have some sort of fail-safe so the brakes would work if the computer failed.

No ABS? That's crazy. It's on a lot of older car models too. Maybe that Hyundai you saw is going to be face-lifted?