2000 Chevrolet Impala: Modernizing an American Classic

Round taillights, reminiscent of older Impalas, decorate the rear of the 2000 Impala.
(Photo: Chevrolet)By Angi Semler
Special to Motor Age

The year was 1958. Alaska became the 49th state. Frank Lloyd Wright?s Guggenheim Museum opened in New York City to great fanfare. In response to Russia?s space program, the United States launched The Explorer I, a space satellite, and created NASA, charging the administration with putting a human on the moon within 10 years. Alfred Hitchcock?s suspense thriller "Vertigo" hit the big screen, and Peggy Lee flew to the top of the charts with her song, "Is That All There Is?"

On the roadways, the Impala debuted in the upscale market as a convertible and a sport coupe variant of the Bel Air. Gas was plentiful and cheap, and U.S. consumers were demanding quality vehicles that were roomy, powerful and stocked with amenities. Americans rapidly embraced the brand new Impala, making it the best-selling Chevrolet in its first full model year.

Its popularity continued through the years. In its second year, the Impala became the best-selling car in America, and it retained that position for more than a decade. Between its debut in 1958 and its departure in 1996, more than 13 million Impalas were sold. This makes this Chevy the most popular full-size car in American history, and Chevy says it was because the Impala delivered exactly what customers wanted and needed.

Chevrolet has resurrected the Impala for the 2000 model year, hoping the new sedan will continue the model?s tradition of success. The carmaker is counting on the Impala to deliver what today?s finicky consumers demand in a vehicle performance, reliability, safety, comfort, style and numerous features, all at a reasonable price. In Chevy?s words, the car must offer "everything." Perhaps the carmaker should remember that you can?t be everything to everyone. In trying to do so, Chevy joins a number of competing manufacturers that have produced vehicles that are just average.

While the Impala has enough characteristics to appease many, it will likely indulge few. Overall, it is a decent vehicle that offers a slightly distinguishing look compared with the numerous sedans it competes against. It comes equipped with one of two proven, respectable V6 engines, and among the vehicle?s likable options are automatic headlights, a digital readout on the instrument panel that communicates 17 messages about the car to the driver, slightly raised "stadium seating" in the back seat, theater-style dimming lights and a second electronic readout that tracks the temperature, direction of travel and the number of miles until the fuel tank is empty.

But the Impala does little to distinguish itself as a must-buy. In performance, amenities and price, it closely resembles its Monte Carlo sibling and its Grand Am cousin. It doesn?t truly capture the nostalgia of yesteryear because, well, a sedan from today can?t compete with the spirit of the carbureted, V8 engines of the automobile?s glory days. If you want a one-of-a-kind exhilarating ride, keep looking. But if you?re looking for transportation that?s a little above average and slightly more stylish than many of its competitors, the Impala should fulfill your needs.

Calling on the Past To immediately reach out to consumers? nostalgia, the sedan features designs that are characteristic of the Impala, including round taillights that originated in the ?60s, a chrome grille bearing the Chevy bow tie, sharp exterior lines and the Impala emblem. Heavy black trim on the sides, at the front and, most noticeably, in the back serve to subtly differentiate the vehicle from its competitors. While the rear trim seems excessive on vehicles with light paint colors, it has a clever effect on darker finishes.

Except for the roof, all of the Impala?s body panels are two-sided galvanized steel. On the base Impala, the side moldings are color-keyed, while the rocker panel moldings are charcoal-colored. On the LS, the rocker panel moldings match the color of the body.

The paint system on the Impala consists of a five-layer process to reduce damage caused by weather elements, such as acid rain. This process includes the following:

• an eight-stage phosphate rinse;
• e-coat dip primer;
• sprayed-on two coat primer;
• two basecoats in body color;
• two coats of clear.

Inside, the engineers implemented what they call a "RoomFirst" design process to maximize space. This helps to explain why the Impala looks like a mid-size sedan on the outside but feels like a full-size vehicle on the inside. The car is actually built on a mid-size platform but is classified by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a large car because of its interior capacity. The engineers boast that they created enough seating room for six people in the base sedan and for five in the LS. This should prove useful in those Impalas that are committed to a life of service as police cruisers or taxis. Contrary to many vehicle designs today including the Grand Am?s the engineers resisted the urge to create an in-your-face, intrusive dash. Instead, the instrument panel gauges, radio controls, climate controls and glove box are positioned where they should be at the front of the car and not looming over your lap.

To power the Impala, General Motors (GM) offers two respectable engines: a 3.4L OHV V6 that produces 180 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 205 ft. lbs. of torque at 4000 rpm as well as a 3.8L OHV V6 that offers 200 hp at 5200 rpm and 225 ft. lbs. at 4000 rpm. Although the vehicle accelerates admirably even in heavy traffic the top horsepower rating pales in comparison to the V6-equipped vehicles on the market that are churning out a minimum of 200 hp. The Nissan Maxima offers 222 hp with its 3.0L V6, and the Audi A4 and A6 produce 200 hp with a 2.8L engine. The Honda Accord and GM?s own Cadillac Catera offer 200 hp with their 3.0L engines. (Chevy does point out that the Impala offers the same horsepower as the standard V8 engine in competitor Ford?s Crown Victoria, which weighs about 500 lbs. more than the Chevy sedan.) Not surprisingly, this designed-to-appeal-to-the-masses vehicle offers only a four-speed automatic transmission.

This cut-away of the new Impala provides a three-dimensional view of the vehicle.
( Photo: Chevrolet)

Steering is a rack-and-pinion design, and Chevy is proud to point out that the Impala has the same turning radius 38 ft. curb to curb as the Ford Taurus, a smaller vehicle. (The engineers maintained the "make it look smaller but keep the big car-ness of it" through many aspects of the vehicle.)

Four-wheel disc brakes are standard on all Impalas, and the rotors, pads and calipers are large enough to dissipate the heat generated by the police officers that drive the Impala with the Police Package. Consumers who loathe routine maintenance and "wear items" on their vehicles will be happy to learn that the brake pads promise a 40 percent longer life than conventional linings.

With the suspension system, Chevy tried to maintain the soft, smooth ride of the original Impalas while using the more sophisticated methods of today. The four-wheel independent suspension system is designed to offer a quiet, solid ride while maintaining smoothness, stability and cornering ability.

Depending on the model, the sedan will come with one of two suspension system designs: Ride Preference for a more comfortable ride and the Touring Package for improved handling. The Ride Preference setup is designed to provide a compliant and comfortable ride but with a lack of float. It features a hollow 32-mm front and a solid 14-mm rear stabilizer bar and non-linear rear springs. The Touring Package features a 30-mm front and 17.2-mm rear stabilizer bar and non-linear rear springs. It also features higher spring rates to control body roll.

Designed for Safety Safety-cage construction provides the basis for the Impala?s structure, and the vehicle meets year 2003 government standards for occupant head protection. This entails incorporating a thin composite material into the headliner and moldings to reduce head-impact injuries. Additional head-protection measures include energy-absorbing materials in the pillars and the headliner. In the B-pillars, Chevy uses thicker-gauge, high-strength steel to provide protection in the event of a side-impact crash. Thicker steel is also used in the rear-end panels.

Behind the front and rear doors, you will find a high-strength steel beam, and foam blocks augment the bottom of the rear doors. One is designed to absorb side-impact crash energy, and the other is intended to limit the amount of force transferred to passengers. If the vehicle is involved in a rear-end collision, the doors are intended to shingle, not overlap. This means the rear door is designed to go under the front door.

Additional structural features include the following:

• a floorpan composed of longitudinal crossbars that ties into the rocker panels to combat twist and shake;
• a rear trailing arm attachment that is nearly twice as stiff as similar designs from the past;
• MagBeam, a magnesium beam the width of the instrument panel that helps to reduce idle shake and vibrations that can occur over time;
• a strut tower brace on the front strut towers to reduce twisting and to enhance cornering;
• an aluminum engine cradle that is 37 percent lighter but that is stiffer than an equivalent steel component.

To reduce noise, the vehicle comes with an extensive network of noise-absorbing patches, decouplers and foam insulation; better window seals; and a shrouded cooling fan.

Overall, the Impala uses an average of 15 percent fewer parts than the comparable Lumina. This includes a one-piece door ring and rear quarter panel instead of smaller, individual components. The sole component is supposed to reduce the number of welds required while also improving dimensional accuracy for a better fit. The number of connections in the Impala?s electrical system has also been reduced compared to the Lumina.

Basic safety features include dual front airbags, traction control, four-wheel antilock brakes (ABS) and three-point safety belts.

High Marks The sedan?s safety characteristics work together to help the Chevy earn an overall frontal offset crash test rating of "good" from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). It received five-star ratings in the passenger- and driver-side frontal crash test category and four stars for its side crash test ratings.

In individual categories, the vehicle received a "good" mark for its structure and safety cage because there was minimal intrusion into the driver?s footwell area and the instrument panel showed only a moderate amount of movement. A "good" rating was also awarded for the vehicle?s restraints and dummy kinematics.

While the Impala earned an overall "good" rating in the injury-measurement category, it only received an "average" in the left and right leg and foot area intrusion category. "Measures taken from the head, neck and chest indicate low risk of injury to these body regions," the IIHS reports in its test results. "Forces on the right tibia indicate the possibility of lower leg injury. The left foot acceleration was high, indicating the possibility of injury." The Impala was also nailed with a "poor" head restraint rating, a measurement that indicates a vehicle?s ability to protect passengers from sustaining whiplash injuries when a vehicle is hit from behind.

The car received a rating of "marginal" for the cost of repairs incurred in front and rear 5-mph-into-barrier tests. In four tests, the vehicle sustained a total of $2,463 in damage, with an average of $616 per test. This is the third highest of the seven large family and luxury cars the IIHS tested. The worst performer was the 1995 Chevy Lumina model, followed by the 1995 Ford Taurus.

While the Impala could have fared better in a couple of the crash tests, its overall ratings should meet the demands of today?s consumers in at least one area safety. Its sales records also indicate that it?s satisfying other criteria as well. Within six months of its introduction, the Impala hit the monthly top-10 best-selling passenger car list and reported one of the highest retail sales rates 86 percent of any mid-size sedan for the year. The sales numbers imply that many consumers at least find the modernized sedan appealing. But how many find it invigorating? That depends on the number of drivers we see with beaming smiles as they guide the Impala down the road, engrossed in the ride as the wind whips through the open windows.

5-mph Crash Test ResultsFront into Flat BarrierRear into Flat BarrierFront into Angle BarrierRear into PoleAll four testsAverage Damage per TestChevrolet Impala
2000 Models$607$815$707$334$2,463$616Buick LeSabre
2000 Models264851,1016342,084521Chevrolet Lumina
1995 Models2395071,0701,1752,991748Chrysler LHS
1999 Models6332785209752,406602Dodge Intrepid
1999 Models1362794431,2572,115529Ford Taurus
1996 Models007076711,378345Ford Taurus
1995 Models3473222882,3283,285821Pontiac Grand Prix
1997 Models378683229911,759440Table source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS)Check out http://www.nhtsa.gov to see how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration rated the vehicle.<