31st Mar 2019, 03:47

This car runs an 85 MPH 1/4 mile. 1/4 mile terminal speed is a good indicator of horsepower at the wheels. While that time is very average these days, there was a time where only the hottest vehicles could turn those times.

I'm talking about the Mid/Late 70s. Examples -

- At the low end -

-- 1975 Ford Granada (250 I-6) = 62 MPH

-- 1975 Buick Century (231 V-6) = 62 MPH

- At the high end -

-- 1977 Pontiac Trans-Am (400 V-8) = 82 MPH

-- 1977 Dodge Monaco Police Pursuit (440 V-8) = 88 MPH.

These days, most vehicles run the 1/4 with a terminal speed of greater than 80 MPH. Mid-80s ain't bad for a entry-level family sedan - especially when you see where we came from ;)

20th Sep 2019, 13:32

18" wheels are a problem on many cars. They require tires with small sidewall and ride poorly on rough pavement. Mind you, it's strictly a marketing gimmick, just like the "double exhaust" on the higher trims. Not only people pay more for these useless options, they also spend more when it's time to replace them.

As for the tires, you can try see if you can fit 17" wheels over the front calipers, and use a tire with a higher sidewall - it will cause the speedometer to indicate a lower than the actual speed, but you will gain much in ride comfort. You don't need to stick with the recommended tire size, as long as it fits inside the fender and doesn't rub in tight turns - other than the speedometer thing.

2nd Jun 2026, 22:26

When you set the bar for success, it’s really easy to be a winner. The seventies was a time when the whole industry was muddled by the recent environmental regulations and performance was in regression; it was known as the “malaise era” for a reason.

Besides that, how practical is the metric of constant acceleration from a dead stop for 1320 feet to Joe Commuter? The four cylinder in this heavy car needs time to spin up to get sufficient thrust when passing or being burdened with several hundred pounds of passenger meat. It’s sluggish to respond and sounds like it’s complaining about its job all the while.

So sure: on average, mid-to-large sedans have gotten more powerful over the past fifty years. Why is the Impala such a laggard? Other brands offer more for similar money.