How The First Front-Wheel-Drive Chevy Impala Nailed The Tricky Reboot: GM Hit Or Miss

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While the Japanese bubble bursting marked the end of an era for certain genres of performance car, more regular cars throughout the world continued to aim towards continuous improvement well after the party of the early ’90s was brought to a close. Amenities and refinement were boosted, powertrain choices saw improvement, and even some old model names were brought back from the dead. Case in point: In 1999 for the 2000 model year, Chevrolet announced that its new front-wheel-drive family sedan wouldn’t be called Lumina, it would be called Impala.

It was a bold move, partly because the second-generation Lumina was an entirely forgettable machine, one of the most blob-shaped, mediocre machines ever to roll out of Oshawa, Canada. It was a family sedan you only bought if you hadn’t driven any other midsize sedan, so improvement over that model wouldn’t be particularly hard.

On the flipside, 2000 was just four model years after the final year for the awesome B-body Impala SS, essentially a factory hot rod LT1-powered Caprice that felt like the last gasp of American muscle outside of the pony cars. Chevrolet needed this reboot to not fall flat and did its best to stack the deck. Welcome back to GM Hit or Miss, where we take a look back at GM’s pre-bankruptcy product planning approach of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck to determine what actually had some adhering properties.

A Restrained Face

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Reviving such a storied nameplate is a tricky act, especially since some immediate visual familial link usually needs to be established. While retro styling was big in this era, GM didn’t smear it on with a trowel, instead just hinting at it with a handful of cues. A set of round taillights vaguely reminiscent of early ’60s models, an emblem on each pillar, an optional set of wheels visually similar to those on the 1994-1996 Impala SS, and that’s about it. They were just enough to contrast largely European-influenced styling cues, resulting in a thoroughly modern sedan for the period that looks just conservative enough to still be handsome.

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Likewise, the interior styling falls into the conservative yet handsome category, with a firmly horizontal dashboard that’s aged far better than some of the curvy dashboards competitors offered in Y2K. Of course, this layout was also a pragmatic necessity because the Impala was available with a bench front seat, another element that drew from the past. The bottom line? The first front-wheel-drive Impala zigged when others zagged. As automakers like Ford and Dodge got swoopy, Chevrolet stayed the course, easing buyers into its reborn Impala. It learned its lesson from the old second-generation Lumina, and the result was a car with decent visual appeal.

Robust Underneath

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Of course, conservative looks were only part of the equation. While the standard 180-horsepower 3.4-liter V6 was an upgrade in output over the Lumina’s base 3.1-liter V6, the expanded availability of the 200-horsepower 3.8-liter pushrod V6 made it easier to get the engine you really wanted. Buick’s one-gallon motor was famed for its durability and reliability, a big-cube six-cylinder workhorse that would stay running long after the car around it had fallen to pieces. Paired with a perfectly mediocre 4T65-E four-speed automatic transmission, the end result was a powertrain setup more robust than those in most V6 automatic Hondas of the period. Good job, GM.

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However, a stout optional powertrain isn’t the only interesting thing under the skin of the eighth-generation Impala. The dash support was made of magnesium to save weight and boost rigidity, the engine cradle was made of aluminum, four-wheel disc brakes became standard, side impact airbags joined the menu, and a strut tower brace was a cheap and sensible way of stiffening up an old platform. The result was heralded as a cromulent family sedan for the new millennium, with a distinct feeling of sturdiness. As Motor Trend put it:

From a confident door slam to its competent handling on winding mountain roads, the weighty Impala feels quite solid compared with its domestic peers. Acceleration and braking are both strong, and the LS-grade suspension remains comfortably compliant. True to form, the Impala’s optional 3800 V-6 is smooth and torquey.

In short, the reborn front-wheel-drive Impala seemed to be everything sedan buyers were looking for, and GM’s uncharacteristic attention to detail meant that these well-built cars went on to be reasonably hot commodities as they aged thanks to their durability.

Getting Spicy

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Of course, GM used to routinely turn up the wick on regular products, and for 2004, Chevrolet launched a trim it should’ve offered from the start — the Impala SS. Featuring the supercharged 3.8-liter V6 and beefed-up 4T65-E HD transmission previously seen in the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP and Buick Regal GS, among others, the Impala SS pumped out 240 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque, valiant numbers for the day that could completely incinerate a single front tire, as Road & Track found out.

Don’t be shy. bury the gas pedal of the new Impala SS, and its Roots-supercharged 3.8-liter pushrod V-6 will pin you against the seat like, well…remember the time you made fun of that bouncer’s earring outside the Viper Room? We’re talking torque here, 280 lb.-ft. of it delivered at 3600 rpm, and 240 bhp at 5200 rpm, enough to send at least one front tire into a smoking frenzy when the traction control is shut off.

Sure, it didn’t have the X-factor nor the rear-wheel-drive platform of the ’90s Impala SS, but it was quick enough, reliable enough, and a fitting halo to this family sedan range. Plus, it’s always fun to see a pragmatic vehicle with a boost gauge. Something for the kids in the rear seat to keep an eye on as you rush them to soccer practice.

Do You Really Want To Live Forever?

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So, it’s time we called it — was the reborn front-wheel-drive Impala a hit or a miss? If you guessed it’s a hit, congratulations. Yes, this is one of the rare times where the stars aligned for General Motors on a mainstream product. From safe styling that wasn’t a complete snoozefest, to seriously strong available powertrains, a comfy ride, decent seats, solid practicality, and reasonable build quality, the reborn front-wheel-drive Impala was just the thing Chevrolet needed after the jellybean second-generation Lumina.

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Plus, these are still somewhat desired cars today. As a result of the aforementioned underpinnings, the eighth-generation Impala was a hard car to kill. So long as they haven’t fallen victim to terminal rot or collision, these cars are still perfectly content carrying out everyday duties nearly 25 years on from launch. They might not be the most exciting things on four wheels, but few GM passenger cars of the time were this fit for purpose.

(Photo credits: Chevrolet)

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81 thoughts on “How The First Front-Wheel-Drive Chevy Impala Nailed The Tricky Reboot: GM Hit Or Miss

  1. Is this an April Fools joke in June? This car is hideous garbage in literally every single way possible, save the 3800 engine which is probably the greatest engine ever made by any company (fight me).

    This car, at the time, was laughable in terms of styling and build quality. Absolutely none left on the roads now and for good reason. If I do see one, it’s rusted quarters and 4 different wheels / tires tell me that this wasn’t a car to keep or enjoy. It wasn’t even a good fleet/rental car.

    I feel like I need to take a shower after reading this.

  2. Is this an April Fools joke in June? This car is hideous garbage in literally every single way possible, save the 3800 engine which is probably the greatest engine ever made by any company (fight me).

    This car, at the time, was laughable in terms of styling and build quality. Absolutely none left on the roads now and for good reason. If I do see one, it’s rusted quarters and 4 different wheels / tires tell me that this wasn’t a car to keep or enjoy. It wasn’t even a good fleet/rental car.

    I feel like I need to take a shower after reading this.

  3. Yeah, I really hated this car. My dream was still to become a car designer at this point, so this really wasn’t a very appealing model in a sea of awful GM products. I thoroughly prefer the previous gen rear wheel platform.

  4. Yeah, I really hated this car. My dream was still to become a car designer at this point, so this really wasn’t a very appealing model in a sea of awful GM products. I thoroughly prefer the previous gen rear wheel platform.

  5. When these first came out I hated them. Lots of lazy GM styling with no real inspiration. Strangely though, as they grow old, they are starting to become rather handsome as new cars become wild and dramatic.

  6. When these first came out I hated them. Lots of lazy GM styling with no real inspiration. Strangely though, as they grow old, they are starting to become rather handsome as new cars become wild and dramatic.

  7. I’m weird about this Impala too: the first 3d modeling project I completed was a low poly version of the 2001 Impala 9C1 in NYPD paint and lights, because I was so mad the all the cop cars looked like shit in my game, so I made my own.

    I strangely miss this dumb shitbox.

  8. I’m weird about this Impala too: the first 3d modeling project I completed was a low poly version of the 2001 Impala 9C1 in NYPD paint and lights, because I was so mad the all the cop cars looked like shit in my game, so I made my own.

    I strangely miss this dumb shitbox.

  9. Bought one in 2000 and loved it. Fit my needs, drove all over the east coast for ten years, 120K. Traded for a 2011 version. (My family had GM blood).

  10. Bought one in 2000 and loved it. Fit my needs, drove all over the east coast for ten years, 120K. Traded for a 2011 version. (My family had GM blood).

  11. GM made some good cars, and specifically by “Dad” standards. By that, I mean no effing around with image and emotion. You need something that is “fit for purpose”. You need a car that works, that is solid, that is safe, reliable, and comfortable. Even better if its not too ugly. They were fit for purpose.

    I suppose the problem is that no one ever wrote a song about a car that was “fit for purpose”. Maybe in country music, but then it’s more about making a virtue of necessity…

  12. GM made some good cars, and specifically by “Dad” standards. By that, I mean no effing around with image and emotion. You need something that is “fit for purpose”. You need a car that works, that is solid, that is safe, reliable, and comfortable. Even better if its not too ugly. They were fit for purpose.

    I suppose the problem is that no one ever wrote a song about a car that was “fit for purpose”. Maybe in country music, but then it’s more about making a virtue of necessity…

  13. 2007. I was working in the US, and for the first month my hire car was a Hyundai Sonata V6. It was just a car, albeit with much more engine than you were likely to get hiring a car in the UK. It was fine.

    I got a call from the rental place saying I’d had the car too long and they had to replace it, so I drive to Detroit to swap cars. I was stood in the office and the guy shuffles some paperwork and says “your new car is going to be a Chevy Impala”.

    Now I’m British, I know very little about the weird niche of American cars, so to me there were only images in my head of a 60’s Impala, and I was so excited.

    Then I saw it.

    Then I got in to it.

    Then I drove it.

    I was very, very disappointed. So much worse than the Hyundai, and in every way. There is a lot of snobbery about car interiors, but the Impala finally made me understand how bad they could be. The column shift lever was about as rigid as a McDonald’s straw, but somehow felt cheaper.

    I was still disappointed with it after a month, and so glad to get rid of it. It’s replacement was a Rav 4, a type of vehicle I hate, but at least it wasn’t an Impala.

    1. This is how I felt about most American cars growing up in Canada. My parents had an old VW van when I was young. Then my mother got her license and we test drove a bunch of used American cars. I had never seen such poorly designed and built interiors. And the way they drove was honestly a bit shocking to the then 12 year old me.

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