The Chevrolet Impala has been around since 1957 and has become a statement to many. It's been a huge success since its launch and quickly put itself down in history as the best selling sedan of all time in the US. The 2016 Impala comes with either a 2.5L 4 pot or a 3.6L V6 mated to a 6 speed automatic transmission. The Impala’s main competitors are the Nissan Maxima, Toyota Avalon, Chrysler 300C, Dodge Charger and Kia Cadenza.
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Key Features:
Engine: 2.5L 4 Cylinder / 3.6L V6
Transmission: 6 Speed Automatic with manual shifters
Power: 305 HP / 358 NM
Top Speed: 212 Km/h
Price: AED 95,000 - 136,000
Exterior
First of all I just want to say how good looking this car is, it's a stunner. The car has an awesome stance and looks great from every angle. It’s 19 inch alloys are smart and the lights on either end of the car look like it's taken some time to design them. The Impala looks like an executive car for the sophisticated businessman, a big difference then to the last generation of the Impala.
Interior and Safety
The Impala has got it all from cruise control to sat nav to WiFi hotspots. Its very well equipped and everything you would want at your finger tips, is. The interior is spacious and comfortable with big leather seats and a large dashboard covered in leather and two tone stitching. All the buttons feel of high quality, although the gear shifter does not match up with its corresponding gear, for example when you put the car in park the gear stick is sat in reverse which is confusing and the manual gear shift button on the top of the gear stick puts your hand in a strained position. Other than that it's got an 8 inch infotainment system that responds well and is easy to use. My favourite thing about the interior and this will sound stupid but the 8 inch screen rises to reveal a small hidden storage space that can be locked with a code. There's plenty of headroom in the front and it's the same for the rear seats, lots of legroom as well. The boot is large for the size of the car and can also be opened via remote.
As far as safety goes it achieved 5 stars at NHTSA this is down to the Impala coming standard with driver and passenger airbags in the front, side curtains and rear. As well as stability control, traction control, forward collision alert, lane departure warning and a rear facing camera.
Drive
Now, the Impala is a heavy car weighing in at 3800 pounds this means even with the powerful engine acceleration is not overwhelming getting to 100km/h in 6.3 seconds but it's not bad by any means. The suspension in normal driving mode is comfortable but has a little bit of roll around the bends. In sport mode, you can thrash this thing round corners and it feels happy to do it over and over. Chevrolet have done a good job with the Impala’s driving ability and considering its size it can behave just the way you want it to and it won't snap back and say stop it, most of the time. Because the engine is powerful overtaking is not an issue slowing down however does not happen as well as you would expect. The brakes could be bigger as it takes a lot of pressure to really get the car to stop quickly.
Verdict
The Impala with the 3.6L V6 is reasonably quick and with the interior being so well equipped and luxurious its competitors definitely should be worried.
Check out Car Prices and Specs for Chevrolet Impala and Competitors
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