Ride Report - '12 Chevrolet Impala LT
Sep 9, 2012, 12:47 am
#1
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Ride Report - '12 Chevrolet Impala LT
I recently did the unthinkable -- I turned down a Toyota Camry for a base-spec Chevrolet Impala LT with over 22,000 miles on it. Call me crazy, but I really needed the trunk space. Anyway, this ride report will be more of a narrative instead of utilizing my usual format; I'm mainly going to discuss how this compares to the LTZ I rented earlier this year, and also provide some more details about handling and things like that. For a full report on an Impala, you can read mine here (and drzoidberg's here).
In this report I'll be less forgiving than I was in my last one. Hertz has generally spoiled me when it comes to Impalas; my first rental ever was a fully-loaded Impala LT with leather seats and everything in PWM. After that I rented a cloth-trimmed LT in ROC which I don't remember too much about (partially because I didn't drive too much, partially because I don't remember much of that weekend at all
). The only other Impala I got was the wonderful LTZ out here in SLC last May. Now I have... this 
Although I remember that the Impala I got in ROC had cloth seats (no sunroof, but it had NeverLost), I for some reason recall them being better than what I had in this car. Think of fuzzy fabric seats from the 90s -- that's what's in here. The driver's seat has six-way power, but manual recline and lumbar support, which doesn't do much anyway. The passenger seat is fully manual. Neither are very comfortable. The steering wheel and center console are leather-wrapped, which is nice; however, since the wheel does not telescope (only tilts), it's tough to appreciate the leather. The dashboard, other than the fake wood-grain (whose look, unlike my LTZ experience, does not work this time ), is made up of generally cheap plastics. The sound system is abysmal and is best heard when off.
As drzoidberg notes in his ride report, the front reading lamps are a pain to find unless you know where to look. I know where to look; however, that doesn't excuse the lack of light they provide. My father ended up using his smartphone screen as a light to see the map last night. The Impala may be better off without reading lamps, if for any reason to make the humongous rear-view mirror casing somewhat smaller. On a similar note, the entire mirror housing vibrates horribly when driving at any speed. Nearby, the wipers, when used, leave several inches at the top of the windshield untouched, yet the right one seems to trail off the edge of the windshield when parked. It's a simple yet terrible design flaw.
In terms of driveability, the turning radius is huge -- you'll never make a single-move U-turn unless there are 2 lanes for you to go through. Unlike most other cars, it does not have a manual mode; instead, it has a low-range gear selector, which can sort-of emulate a manual mode but doesn't do a great job at that, especially with the seemingly-tiny range for second gear (by the time you move it to second, you need to already be in third). This is done by two buttons on the side of the steering wheel by the way; the gear shifter does not have any labels next to it so you might not have known where to look anyway
Other gimmicks were either missing or unnecessary. There were no fog lights. However, there was a spoiler, which doesn't do too much I'm guessing (the back of the car wasn't going anywhere since it was laden with 150+ lbs of cargo).
The horror flick ends there; I'm sure many of you have had the "pleasure" of getting one of these at one point or another so you don't need to hear about it again. The Impala does have some redeeming features in my opinion.
All of the 2012 trims come with the Cadillac-inspired LFX V6 engine, creating 300 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It's a fantastic engine in terms of its smoothness, power, and sound. An interesting note on sound (no pun intended): I noticed this particular car growls a lot more than the LTZ I had. This does have to do with the exhaust, but I'm not sure if it's just this particular car of if it's a LT versus LTZ issue. Not that it's a problem -- it sounds nice regardles.
The brakes are firm, and so is the steering. In my opinion it's nice to drive and has plenty of power. Say what you will, but it has more power than the Camry or Altima, and actually makes 10 more horsepower than a Maxima (not to mention that the Impala has a real transmission ^). FWIW we were able to climb steep hills at a decent clip even with the 150+ lbs of cargo in the trunk. However, keep in mind that this and me pushing the pedal to the metal (i.e. averaging 85-90 mph on highways
) with all that stuff in the back made the fuel economy take a big hit; I averaged 20 mpg.
Finally, the reason I took this car over the others available was the space. The purpose of this trip is because I was in the process of moving from NYC to a dorm room here in Salt Lake City. Delta upgraded us to first class, so my father and I both were allowed to take up to three 70-lb. bags each; we ended up taking one large suitcase (65 lbs.), a huge duffel bag (69 lbs.), a smaller duffel bag (40 lbs.), and a medium-sized U-Haul box (30 lbs. with fragile items). We got the huge duffel bag to just fit into the trunk of the Impala--the long way ^ The large and small duffels fit without problems. We put the box in the back seat. The only other car that could hold this much stuff is a Crown Vic. We did some shopping and when I moved in, the trunk and back seats were completely full, but the Impala took it like a champ.
The Impala was the best car I could possibly get for this particular trip, and truly got the job done. If I can't get an LTZ or leather-trimmed LT in the future, I'll take something else. This was one of my least favorite rentals, from the grimy fabric seats to the lack of gear shifter labels. However, I couldn't have done what I did in any other car (except perhaps a Panther) without having paid more. I won't look back on this particular vehicle fondly, but at $28 a day, it was definitely worth it.
Final verdict: don't get an Impala unless it's a leather-coated LT or a LTZ. However, if you need to haul a lot of stuff, you can't do much better than this. Even if it's uncomfortable, it's a pleasure to drive.
-J.
In this report I'll be less forgiving than I was in my last one. Hertz has generally spoiled me when it comes to Impalas; my first rental ever was a fully-loaded Impala LT with leather seats and everything in PWM. After that I rented a cloth-trimmed LT in ROC which I don't remember too much about (partially because I didn't drive too much, partially because I don't remember much of that weekend at all
). The only other Impala I got was the wonderful LTZ out here in SLC last May. Now I have... this Although I remember that the Impala I got in ROC had cloth seats (no sunroof, but it had NeverLost), I for some reason recall them being better than what I had in this car. Think of fuzzy fabric seats from the 90s -- that's what's in here. The driver's seat has six-way power, but manual recline and lumbar support, which doesn't do much anyway. The passenger seat is fully manual. Neither are very comfortable. The steering wheel and center console are leather-wrapped, which is nice; however, since the wheel does not telescope (only tilts), it's tough to appreciate the leather. The dashboard, other than the fake wood-grain (whose look, unlike my LTZ experience, does not work this time ), is made up of generally cheap plastics. The sound system is abysmal and is best heard when off.
As drzoidberg notes in his ride report, the front reading lamps are a pain to find unless you know where to look. I know where to look; however, that doesn't excuse the lack of light they provide. My father ended up using his smartphone screen as a light to see the map last night. The Impala may be better off without reading lamps, if for any reason to make the humongous rear-view mirror casing somewhat smaller. On a similar note, the entire mirror housing vibrates horribly when driving at any speed. Nearby, the wipers, when used, leave several inches at the top of the windshield untouched, yet the right one seems to trail off the edge of the windshield when parked. It's a simple yet terrible design flaw.
In terms of driveability, the turning radius is huge -- you'll never make a single-move U-turn unless there are 2 lanes for you to go through. Unlike most other cars, it does not have a manual mode; instead, it has a low-range gear selector, which can sort-of emulate a manual mode but doesn't do a great job at that, especially with the seemingly-tiny range for second gear (by the time you move it to second, you need to already be in third). This is done by two buttons on the side of the steering wheel by the way; the gear shifter does not have any labels next to it so you might not have known where to look anyway
Other gimmicks were either missing or unnecessary. There were no fog lights. However, there was a spoiler, which doesn't do too much I'm guessing (the back of the car wasn't going anywhere since it was laden with 150+ lbs of cargo).
The horror flick ends there; I'm sure many of you have had the "pleasure" of getting one of these at one point or another so you don't need to hear about it again. The Impala does have some redeeming features in my opinion.
All of the 2012 trims come with the Cadillac-inspired LFX V6 engine, creating 300 horsepower and 262 lb-ft of torque. It's a fantastic engine in terms of its smoothness, power, and sound. An interesting note on sound (no pun intended): I noticed this particular car growls a lot more than the LTZ I had. This does have to do with the exhaust, but I'm not sure if it's just this particular car of if it's a LT versus LTZ issue. Not that it's a problem -- it sounds nice regardles.
The brakes are firm, and so is the steering. In my opinion it's nice to drive and has plenty of power. Say what you will, but it has more power than the Camry or Altima, and actually makes 10 more horsepower than a Maxima (not to mention that the Impala has a real transmission ^). FWIW we were able to climb steep hills at a decent clip even with the 150+ lbs of cargo in the trunk. However, keep in mind that this and me pushing the pedal to the metal (i.e. averaging 85-90 mph on highways
) with all that stuff in the back made the fuel economy take a big hit; I averaged 20 mpg.Finally, the reason I took this car over the others available was the space. The purpose of this trip is because I was in the process of moving from NYC to a dorm room here in Salt Lake City. Delta upgraded us to first class, so my father and I both were allowed to take up to three 70-lb. bags each; we ended up taking one large suitcase (65 lbs.), a huge duffel bag (69 lbs.), a smaller duffel bag (40 lbs.), and a medium-sized U-Haul box (30 lbs. with fragile items). We got the huge duffel bag to just fit into the trunk of the Impala--the long way ^ The large and small duffels fit without problems. We put the box in the back seat. The only other car that could hold this much stuff is a Crown Vic. We did some shopping and when I moved in, the trunk and back seats were completely full, but the Impala took it like a champ.
The Impala was the best car I could possibly get for this particular trip, and truly got the job done. If I can't get an LTZ or leather-trimmed LT in the future, I'll take something else. This was one of my least favorite rentals, from the grimy fabric seats to the lack of gear shifter labels. However, I couldn't have done what I did in any other car (except perhaps a Panther) without having paid more. I won't look back on this particular vehicle fondly, but at $28 a day, it was definitely worth it.
Final verdict: don't get an Impala unless it's a leather-coated LT or a LTZ. However, if you need to haul a lot of stuff, you can't do much better than this. Even if it's uncomfortable, it's a pleasure to drive.
-J.
Sep 11, 2012, 7:14 pm
#3
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I turned down an upgrade Impala at my HLE on Thursday and ended up with...a Corolla. I didn't actually find out if the Impala was an LTZ though. I know it was the newest full size they had, with Sirius supposed to be active, and I rented midsize. They had Altimas but I've done those before and hadn't driven a Corolla in a couple years. This 2012 was better than I remembered, perfectly adequate on the highway and got me 32mpg with a lead foot. That's what I was looking for. I should ask if they can get me a Prius for better MPG; they don't normally have one.
Anyway, yeah, I don't much like Impalas which is why I turned it down.
Anyway, yeah, I don't much like Impalas which is why I turned it down.
Sep 11, 2012, 8:21 pm
#4
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I turned down an upgrade Impala at my HLE on Thursday and ended up with...a Corolla. I didn't actually find out if the Impala was an LTZ though. I know it was the newest full size they had, with Sirius supposed to be active, and I rented midsize. They had Altimas but I've done those before and hadn't driven a Corolla in a couple years. This 2012 was better than I remembered, perfectly adequate on the highway and got me 32mpg with a lead foot. That's what I was looking for. I should ask if they can get me a Prius for better MPG; they don't normally have one.
Anyway, yeah, I don't much like Impalas which is why I turned it down.
Anyway, yeah, I don't much like Impalas which is why I turned it down.
)... it wasn't that bad, I just was not digging it 
Fuel economy is great though.FWIW if you were at a HLE, unless they really like you or someone else did a one-way, I doubt it was a LTZ.
-J.
Sep 12, 2012, 4:01 pm
#5
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(Actually got back in plenty of time with that, lead foot made it by 4pm.)
Sep 13, 2012, 2:57 am
#6
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Agreed. Although I've gotten a couple one-offs before at this location. Got that Camaro last time, and that Regal once late last year. Mostly though, I rent a midsize and end up with Camrys or such. (When I got the Regal I think I rented Standard.) I have occasionally rented compact, should have done that this time, would have saved a few more $$ and they still would have given me the Corolla. Oh well. I usually rent for a week but this time I racked up the 1400 miles or so on a 4-day weekend. Just had to leave Boston at 5:30am to get back. (Actually got back in plenty of time with that, lead foot made it by 4pm.)
(Actually got back in plenty of time with that, lead foot made it by 4pm.)
).-J.