2006 Chevrolet Impala 3LT review from North America

I never got the remote start to work, maybe I did something wrong or it was deactivated? There came no instruction manual with the car so I never found out.

For starters, I'm from Europe, but rented this car in US for my holiday.

The car is very big for European standards, it easily fitted all luggage and the interior is very roomy and comfortable. The seats are very comfy and wide, good support for the legs too. Finding a perfect driving position is easy.

Storage compartments in the car were of adequate size. The armrest provides a lot of space. Storage space in the doors and glove compartment is sufficient.

The dashboard looks OK, a bit dull, but OK. It was squeaking and rattling at times though, that was disappointing.

The layout of all features is good, I didn't need much time to find everything.

The radio is great with very good speakers, it's also very user friendly and with a clear layout on the dash. The controls on the steering wheel could be better.

The car accelerates very quickly at lower speeds, but I think it is rather slow to accelerate at higher speeds. I expected more from a 240HP V6. It was great to drive in the mountains though, we had no trouble at all getting everywhere.

The 3.9 V6 made a very nice noise when idling. I often switched the radio out to enjoy the engine sound, something I never do with my rattling diesel.

The overall mileage was 21.6 mpg which sounds very reasonable to me. The car is big and heavy and 3 passengers with luggage is also a considerable weight. I was positively surprised by the mileage especially since we drove quite a lot in the mountains.

The steering is unresponsive and sluggish, a good car for cruising, but not good for cornering. Great to drive on holiday, but I wouldn't like it at all for my own car.

You need to push very hard on the brake pedal to get reaction. I didn't like that, my own car is completely the opposite, but it was easy to get used to it.

The 4 speed automatic gearbox is really outdated for a new 2006 model. It is good for cruising, but rubbish for sporty driving. It was also constantly shifting back and forth when ascending on mountains.

I like the exterior styling of the new Impala, at least the rear. The front styling is boring. It would be nice that only the exhaust pipes are seen, not the complete exhaust, that would improve the styling.