2015 CHEVROLET Impala

Way better than a Honda Accord for half the price

Comfort Rating: 5 Performance Rating: 5 Interior Rating: 5 Reliability Rating: 5 Safety Rating: 5 Technology Rating: 5 Value Rating: 5

I suppose the Chevrolet Impala is one of the most underrated cars on the road. My only regret is that they don't make a coupe version, presumably because that would cut into Camaro sales. I traded out of a Camaro into the Impala and I couldn't be happier. Instead of focusing on me and if anyone is looking as I drive by, as I did with my Camaro, I can now increase the humility factor and just focus on getting to my destination. The Impala is very easy to drive, very quiet, spacious inside and you can barely hear the engine running. However, with 193 horsepower, contrary to the totally false review statement about the Impala "lacking ooomph", the Impala wakes up very fast and can pass most of the cars on the road if you floor it. Another caveat with this increased power is the poor fuel economy, as I expected better than 15.7 miles per gallon. For a four cylinder, that's unbelievable, even with the 2.5L ecotec engine and my generally controlled acceleration. On the highway I average about 32 miles per gallon, but in either case, I will sacrifice fuel economy for a quiet and smooth ride, which the Impala does give. On several occasions I received unsolicited compliments about how beautiful the car looks, being in Topaz Silver, a discontinued color, and I really love it myself--a very pale, pastel blue with metal flakes. Inside is very spacious and the dashboard is perfectly laid out with the instrumentation, climate controls and communications. The LS version does not have the MyLink but does have an adequate 4" LCD display for audio, phone, navigation and setting up the car. The Driver Information Center is located between the tach and the speedometer, and even while driving you can cycle through information like fuel economy, fuel range/miles remaining, oil life, tire pressure, average speed and trip odometer. I like that the Impala has interior lighting for both the front and back, and leg and head room are plentiful, even for a tall driver like me. The 8-way adjustable driver's seat is the best I've ever had. As for performance, this car handles much better than the Camaro, and you don't have to wait for the back end to catch up. Cornering, accelerating, braking and steering--all as good as you could expect for a base-model mid-size luxury sedan. The stock Firestone Firehawk GT-500's are very quiet the first 1,000 miles, and after that they slowly get a little noisier--am planning on upgrading to the Pirelli' P-7 Cintaturo's or the Yokohama YK580's in the near future. Highly recommended and very low priced--I got the 2015 LS brand new for $19,995 at Bill Pierre Chevrolet in Seattle.