Our test Impala was a top-of-the-line example, featuring the 3.6-liter V6 and the optional "Midnight Edition Appearance Package." (Ooh, Ah) The V6 makes 305 horsepower and claims an adequate 29 mpg on the highway. It also has quite a large and powerful appearance.
The Impala 2LZ starts at $35,540, but our example had a few extra bells and whistles and …
Pet Tim's review...the reason no ZF8speed is this is a FWD car...with a 6speed automatic. The fact BMW 3 series was mentioned in his review instead of an Avalon, Camry, Accord, Maxima, Altima, speaks volumes....Disclaimer...I have one as a company car and it is quite impressive...
The new Impalas are pretty slick cars, a far cry from the rental-grade quality of the '07-'13s. I don't know if the transmission's mechanicals are to fault, more likely it is GM's garbage transmission calibrations that they put in everything. Even cars that should be fun with automatics (SS or Camaro SS or G8) make me cringe. You hit the gas, wait a second as the engine revs, transmission kicks down a gear, a few more seconds of revving with no real action, then it knocks down another gear and it finally goes.
NickD wrote: Even cars that should be fun with automatics (SS or Camaro SS or G8) make me cringe. You hit the gas, wait a second as the engine revs, transmission kicks down a gear, a few more seconds of revving with no real action, then it knocks down another gear and it finally goes.
one of the biggest things i hate about all these new gazillion speed automatics, the wait for it to drop somewhere between 2-4 gears before it actually starts moving. I see the need for them and im sure with time they will get better but so far its a pain
I can't get over the disproportionate front vs rear overhang.
From the side they look like an aerodynamic bicycle helmet.
LULZ
i know it's all about $$$ but jeez can't they at least offer, dare I say as an option, a split front bench seat with column mounted shifter for those of us that would like to fit 6 people in a car once in a while?
It looks like a new corolla with a camaro front end.
I thought the title said 2jz and I was confused for a second.
Isn't this car quite a bit bigger than a 3-series BMW? Comparison to 5-series or Ford Taurus would be more apt. Need to proofread a bit, Tim. "Tack ready" and "taught" suspension?
Me thinks you may need to re-read what he wrote.
those things are ugly.. but then again, so is everything else on the road these days.
my cousin has an old body style '14 Impala LTZ (i think) that is fully loaded and has that same engine... it really hauls the mail for a little V6 in a 3500 pound car- and according to some "testing" they did on a backroad it's a bit faster than another cousin's slightly older Impala with the 5.3 in it.. it's also a much cleaner and better looking car than the newer ones..
novaderrik wrote: those things are ugly.. but then again, so is everything else on the road these days. my cousin has an old body style '14 Impala LTZ (i think) that is fully loaded and has that same engine... it really hauls the mail for a little V6 in a 3500 pound car- and according to some "testing" they did on a backroad it's a bit faster than another cousin's slightly older Impala with the 5.3 in it.. it's also a much cleaner and better looking car than the newer ones..
For it to be the old bodystyle and a '14 it'd have to be a Limited, which was the fleet sales variant. But yeah, the '12-'13 and '14 Limited with the 3.6L are absolute screamers. The 3.6L does make more horsepower than the LS4 5.3L V8 after all. Had a co-worker that our dealership was sending to New York City (About a 5 hour drive) every weekend for GM training courses and when they send us on training they give us a used car off the lot. He kept requesting '12-'13 3.6L Impalas because they would shorten the trip greatly.
I got a ride in a 2015 LTZ and I was quite impressed. Definitely not the Impala of old.
Now if it was just RWD.......
They look a lot better than the old "fleet specials" they churned out for most of the 2000's. Only two styling gripes I have are the steering wheel (it just looks strange) and that rear 1/4 crease that goes too far down.
And why haven't they made an Impala SS with AWD and the 450HP twin turbo 3.6 from the XTS V-Sport yet?
In reply to SyntheticBlinkerFluid:
They do make that... in the form of the Chevy SS. 
They need to consolidate the SS, the Caprice fleet car, and the Impala into one RWD-based car. Seems dumb to have 3 completely different cars that could basically fit the same slot in the lineup.
Our police dept. loves Impalas . They prefer the FWD.
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