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2004 Chevy Impala SS
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| Name-calling |
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| Updated |
Jun 10, 2004 22:42:21 |
| Rating |
 1168 ( -153 -13.09% ) | | Author | Dan Lyons |
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Description:
2004 Chevy Impala SS
Name-calling
Writer's Notes
Test Vehicle:
2004 Chevy Impala SS
MSRP:
$27,335
As Tested:
$30,540
Showroom appeal:
Family sedan with sport added
Plus:
Power boost and suspension tweaks
Minus:
Subdued styling, tight trunk access
This time 'round, it's front wheel drive, and the motor tapped to turn up the volume for Impala is a supercharged 3.8 liter V-6.
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The problem with names is, sometimes, they carry expectations. Just ask GM. For years, they studiously avoided putting their vaunted GTO badge on any new performance car. This year, they finally relented. And, even before the first patch of rubber had been laid by the first buyer of the first new GTO, the company was being hammered by traditionalists, who argued that the Holden-based hot rod lacked a retro relation to the car it's named after.
Same pot, slower boil.
Chevy has had an Impala in their lineup since 1958. Three years later, the first Impala SS appeared. In the years since, Impala has become a staple in the Chevy lineup, and periodically, it has been visited by SS versions, sometimes hot, sometimes not. The Impala SS had modest beginnings, at least in terms of price. The SS option added just $54 to the sticker of a new '61. For your Grant-Plus-4 you got spinner wheel covers circled by skinny whitewalls, a 7,000 tach, beefier shocks and springs and metallic brake linings, power steering and brakes and a set of SS letters on the rear fenders and deck lid. Engine choices were only as modest as you cared to be. The baddest engine available was the 360 hp 409 - an engine so good that it was serenaded by the Beach Boys and beloved by drag racers, who crowned it NHRA's Top Stock Eliminator.
"The new Impala SS offers a comprehensive safety package, solid body structure, room for five passengers, plenty of cargo space, a surprising number of amenities for the price, and a track record of outstanding quality, reliability and durability. Impala earned five stars, the highest US government safety rating, in frontal crash testing for driver and passenger."
Impala has always been a family car first. Therefore, the fanfare regarding the reintroduction of an SS version has been understandably lower than the white hot light that the GTO is squinting at. Still, SS means Super Sport, so when Chevy expanded the Impala brand this year to reclaim a little of its performance heritage, eyebrows were raised. Times change, though, and to understand that, you need look no further than under the hood. The last time that Chevy fielded an Impala SS (1996), the platform was rear wheel drive and the engine of choice was a small block V-8. This time 'round, it's front wheel drive, and the motor tapped to turn up the volume for Impala is a supercharged 3.8 liter V-6. The 3800 Series II is a long-time GM workhorse, getting added motivation here from an Eaton Supercharger. The blown 3.8 makes 240 hp @ 5,200 rpm and 280 lb. ft. of torque @ 3,600 rpm. No Beach Boys tunes here, but the 3800, even sans supercharger, is smooth up and down the rpm range. Force-fed added oxygen, the motor gets a definite shot of mid-range attitude. The transmission it's connected to is a heavy duty version of GM's four speed Hydra-Matic automatic. Shift points synch nicely to the engine's broad power band, and the top gear still allows for reasonable turnpike economy. The engine turns about 1,600 rpm at 60 mph, and EPA rates the SS at 18 mpg's city/28 highway.
Of course, a quicker motor isn't much fun if the suspension doesn't follow suit. Mindful of this, Chevy has tuned the SS suspension to stay in step with the drivetrain. The current generation Impala's chassis is stout enough to allow GM Engineers to beef up the suspension without having to shore up a flexing frame. Stiffer spring rates were specified for the four wheel independent setup, as well as heftier stabilizer bars front and rear. Chevy also tinkered with the trailing link and rear strut mounts. Four wheel disc brakes with ABS and electronic traction control round out the undercarriage equipment, plus a set of 235/55R17 Goodyear RS-A all season tires on cast aluminum rims. The combination effectively takes a car with a good ride and bland handling and tightens it a notch, to keep pace with the tweaked engine. Ride quality is still long trip comfortable.
Moving inside, Chevy sprinkles some SS only cues around, like a six gauge instrument cluster, special badging and logos on floor mats and door trim. Otherwise, it's a roomy, well optioned interior as befits the price tag, and a comfortable spot to hang out. Controls are intuitive and easy to access. Leather wrapped front buckets lack side bolsters but are well cushioned; they straddle a center console with a standard compliment of storage spots and cup holders. Back seats suit two or three, and they fold forward to add long carry options to the Impala's 18.6 cubic foot trunk. A big boot, to be sure, though the opening that it loads through is not as low or as large as we'd like.
Outside, Impala SS is dressed in monochromatic black, interrupted only by the five spoke wheels and SS badging. Tail clues to the special model status are a low-rise deck lid spoiler and dual stainless exhaust tips, while the nose goes for a lowered fascia with integrated fog lamps.
From the first, Impala has been a family-friendly car. It was and it is a strong seller for Chevy, racking up over 230,000 sales in the first eight months of this year. SS versions have popped up periodically in its lifespan as reminders that it breaks no laws for big cars to still have a little fun in them. Motor and chassis massaging helps assure that the new, 2004 Impala SS stay true to the program.
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---Story and photos by Dan Lyons
photos © Dan Lyons 2003 |
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