19th Feb 2006, 18:00

"it didn't have that usual front-wheel-drive steering wheel shake."

That shake is called torque steer, BTW.

21st Mar 2006, 10:30

I have a 2005 LS model with nearly 30,000 miles on it, and am pleased with the car... no rattles, no falling apart, no headlight visibility problems... The bottoming out has been a problem with mine... I have scraped the bottom of the aluminum cradle several times... certain road conditions require going over at a crawl, turning into driveways or parking lots with a dip or hump in the pavement, etc... All this aside, I am proud to be driving this Impala, this is my 5th vehicle in 20 years, and my 5th Chevy... I have looked at the 2006 Impala, and I am glad I purchased an '05 as the '06 seems to have strayed away from the Impala heritage as far as looks. An Impala without round taillights???

21st Mar 2006, 15:21

I have had my 2004 Impala for 2 years now and I have put 62,000 miles on mine. This has been the best car I have ever driven. Every vehicle has it's little annoyances... the front end scraping seems to be a common problem with every car I have owned. But that is why there is the plastic piece below the actual bumper to save the scraping of the bumper.

My grille has never come off. I drive this bad boy just about everywhere and mine is still intact.

My door paneling hasn't rattled once, refer to the 62,000 miles mentioned above.

It seems that the negative commentor may have just gotten a lemon. They exist in every brand of car or truck out there. Just a fluke.

I LOVE my Impala and I plan on purchasing another one after I drive this one until it dies!

22nd Mar 2006, 10:35

An Impala without round taillights?

Uh, yeah, that would be every Impala built from 1966 model year up through the Impala SS of 1996. The round taillights did not reappear until the 2000 model.

And no, the 1968 tailights were NOT round unless your definition of round is flat on top.

16th Apr 2006, 09:04

You RENT Camrys yet post about how they have engine problems at 70,000 miles? Some friend of a friend of a friend's sister tell you that story?

Your post would be more credible if you had some first hand experience about the long term problems you mention.

25th May 2006, 22:25

Better re-read that post there. I see 7,000, not 70,000.

Either way, 32mpg out of a 3.8L motor in a pretty heavy car is impressive!

16th Jun 2006, 07:45

Our office has had seven Impalas from 2002-2005. We keep them until 70,000 miles and then turn them in to the company. Among all seven cars, there have been a total of two problems; a bad water pump and a bad motor mount. Pretty impressive. In addition, I get 32 mpg on the highway and have found it to be among the most comfortable highway cars I have ever driven - and I've driven a lot of cars. There are lemons among all manufacturers. Check the reliability ratings for Mercedes, you'll be surprised.

P.S. the reason the grille is "flimsy" is so that it can absorb minor impacts without breaking.

10th Aug 2006, 13:25

After staying away from GM cars for 30 years (our last was a '70 Chevelle SS) I bought a Pontiac Grand AM in 2003. WOW!! GM has come a LONNNNNNG way!! Over the 36 years we've been married my family has owned over 35 cars. We've owned mostly Ford and Chrysler, with a couple of Japanese cars (lemons) and one German car (NIGHTMARE). In switching back to GM (we now have a GMC as well as the Pontiac) I am tremendously impressed at the build quality and performance of these cars. My brother has a 2004 Impala and he loves it and has yet to have a single problem with it. It gets incredible gas mileage (33 highway) and rides like a dream. As for the bottoming out, a lot of our cars have done that. Modern cars are just built low and have too much front overhang.

3rd Sep 2006, 21:16

When you acclerate hard in a front wheel drive car, the half shafts going to the CV joints are not equal in length, so one wheel gets more torque than the other and it pulls it one way or another. My jetta does it too.

22nd Sep 2006, 14:17

I've always been mystified by "torque steer" in front-drive cars. My early Ford Escort (very underpowered car) torqued steered terribly. I test drove a very powerful Dodge Omni GLH Turbo in the late 80's and it torque steered terribly. On the other hand, I can take off smoking the tires in my front drive Pontiac without a hint of torque steer. Is this due to a different design of the later model GM half-shafts?

4th Jan 2007, 15:36

I feel bad for you that you have had such problems with your car...however, its very hard to believe. I have a 2004 Impala Base model... and it is so great! The steering is a tad heavy... but that's about the extent of it's cons. The power is great, and the brakes are very responsive. I love this car with a passion, and would buy another one in a second. I took this car on a 5 hour trip, and it was so comfortable and roomy, that at the end of the trip I wasn't at all irritable... which I useally am after sitting in a car for 5 hours. The Headlights aren't as bright as my 2005 Chevrolet Epica, however it doesn't have fog lamps like my Epica, and it isn't as bad as you said.

You sure must have gotten one of the few bad Impala's made. Because I have heard nothing, but good about them!

Good luck! Hope it does better!

6th Feb 2007, 19:33

It had been 30 YEARS since I owned a GM car, then I got my 2001 Pontiac and was absolutely BLOWN AWAY by the incredible improvements in GM quality. This car now has almost 60,000 miles on it and has never had a SINGLE PROBLEM OF ANY KIND. It looks and drives exactly like it did brand new, and has not a single rattle or squeak. The doors close smoothly and quietly, the fit and finish is as good as a Lexus (well, BETTER than some I've seen) and it rides very smoothly and quietly. My brother bought a 2003 Impala and it is also a top-notch, incredibly well built car. In addition, it gets an amazing 33 miles per gallon on the highway. That's great for a big, luxurious car.

15th May 2007, 16:08

Torque steer:

Torque steer occurs when drive shafts of different length are used. Almost all front wheel drive vehicles have a transverse mounted engine and transmission unit. This makes drive shafts of different lengths necessary.

There are some exemptions though: Chrysler LH models (Intrepid, Concord) have longitudinally installed engine-tranny units, allowing even half shafts and much reduced torque steer.

2nd Aug 2008, 19:15

For everyone who buys foreign vehicles, if you are happy with our economy, keep doing what you're doing, but if not buy an American made vehicle.

18th Sep 2008, 08:33

Please define: "Bottoming out"

A definition might be helpful for those who don't know what the term means.

23rd May 2009, 23:20

Bottoming out refers to the front end (usually the air dam) scraping the ground.

24th Jul 2009, 15:18

I own a 2004 LS fully loaded with 86,000Km. It has never given me a problem and besides normal maintenance, I haven't spent a dime on it. This is an excellent riding domestic car with surprising pick up. Very reliable, I trust this car on any long trip. Best overall GM product. No I'm not a dealer rep. or over 50. Congrats GM.

18th Nov 2009, 08:44

I own a 2005 Impala LS Sports Edition with 46,000 km on it. There have been no real problems with the car and it is great for long trips offering lots of room and comfort. After four years, the car still looks great and I am now thinking of just keeping it much longer than I normally would as I really love this vehicle. In my opinion, the car outshines any foreign make in its price range by a wide margin.