Tom Collins
The Autoanswerman
560 ESPN Radio
Denver

Vehicle Type: Sport Sedan
Pricing: $27,995-$29,240

Pros:
Supercharged Performance
Long list of standard equipment
Full instrumentation
Onstar/XM optional
5-star safety scores.

Cons:
Cheap plastic interior
Questionable resale value

Auto Answerman Rating: 9

Overview:
My first car was a 1958 Chevy Biscane.’58 was the first year for the SS or ‘Super Sport’ package but of course I didn’t have one of those. My car had a 235 CID 6 with 3 on the tree. Not very exciting. My first up close exposure to the Impala SS was when a family friend bought a ’62. It was white with red seats, 4 on the floor and a 409 under the hood. Giddy up 409. Later, while my dad was service manager at a Chevrolet shop in the late 60’s and early 70’s, I drooled over the SS396 Chevelle, the Camaro, and yes, even the Impala. I never did own one but I sure dreamed about it a lot. Needless to say I was intrigued when Chevy dropped off a new ’04 Impala SS at my house last week. Today’s version has 4 doors, a V6 engine and front wheel drive. What makes it an‘SS’? That would be the performance suspension, bigger wheels, 4 wheel disc brakes and, oh yeah, a supercharger.

Under the hood:
The good old 3.8 pushrod V6 gets a supercharged kick in the pants resulting in 240 ponies. This ageless wonder of an engine is surprisingly smooth, quiet and powerful providing lively acceleration. You won’t be temped to race many true sports cars but the supercharger gives the SS respectable acceleration especially while passing and merging. Out of my way, Camry! Unfortunately, no manual transmission is available on this front driver. The lone transmission choice is the 4-speed automatic and it does provide smooth shifts.

Ride and Handling:
The SS gets attractive17” diamond cut aluminum wheels shod with fat Goodyear 235/55/17” tires. The 4-wheel ABS disc brakes have a smooth secure feel providing good stopping power. The bigger tires and fully independent front and rear Performance suspension give the Impala SS a solid feeling in the corners. Solid defines the overall feel of the car. Such an improvement over the horrible cars they built throughout most of the past 20 years. Keep it up GM.

On the Inside:
There are 3 trim levels for the Impala SS. Our car was the top of line 1SC package. It comes with leather, Onstar’s ‘safe and sound’ plan and over 100 channels of digital sound on XM radio. The stereo, a longtime weak point with GM vehicles, sounds as good as anything I’ve ever heard thanks in part to 8 killer speakers. It’s just a pleasure to listen to. The front seats are power and provide a good view out, reminding me of my 97 Camry. I didn’t get a chance to take an extended trip in the Impala so I can’t report on the seats long-term comfort. They seemed comfortable in my jaunts around town. I really appreciated the full 6- gauge instrumentation including a boost gauge for the supercharger. The dash is well laid out and the gauges easy to read. The overhead compass with outside temp is a nice touch. I also liked the simplicity of the heater/AC controls. I personally do not like the automatic temp control. Call me old fashion but I like it the old way. The biggest fly in the ointment inside the Impala SS is the cheap plastic used on parts of the dash and the door handles, for example. It looks like something made by Mattel and reminds one of GM’s ‘bad old days’. If not for the cheap plastic and a slightly loose piece of interior trim (under the radio) I’d give the Impala pretty decent marks. As it is however, this really distracts from the look of the vehicle.

Styling:
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder but I think it’s fair to say this is not a strong point for the Impala SS. The rear of the vehicle is odd looking and does not seem to go with the rest of the car. GM needs better styling on its entire car line. They all look dated or bland except for the Corvette. By the way, it’s easy to spot an SS Impala, they are all black! Actually, with the new diamond cut 17” wheels the car looks pretty decent especially when viewed from the side.

Safety:
Chevrolet hit’s a homerun here with 5 star ratings from the NHTSA. Side airbags are optional as is the anti-theft system that is included with the 1SC package. Don’t forget Onstar is also included on the upscale SS. The safe and sound package will unlock your car, provide emergency access, alert the authorities in the event of an accident and more. It’s a pretty amazing service. Both Onstar and XM are fee based. Onstar starts at $16.95 while XM runs $9.95 per month.

The Bottom line:
Up till now I have only recommended one Chevrolet car, the Corvette. The list has grown to two with the Impala SS. The powerful supercharger, solid handling, a well laid out interior and excellent crash ratings won me over. One reservation would be re-sale value never a strong point on domestic vehicles. Since this is an SS version re-sale should be better than with a regular Impala.

Tom Collins
November 3rd, 2003