My mom had a 2011 Impala with the hilariously slow 3.5L v6. She loved it and thought it would be perfect for my first car. So when I turned 16 I talked her getting me a 2008 Impala SS. She didn’t know what the SS meant. I told her it was a trim level (leather seats, nicer stereo, etc.).
My dad had the Monte Carlo version of this. He did so much work to the engine, and a lot of upgrades to the interior. It was beautiful, and hilariously powerful and loud. What a fun FWD V8 muscle car.
I had a 2006 Impala SS for 4 years and did a truck intake manifold, a cold air boxed intake, e85, 3 inch exhaust. That car was a ridiculously fast daily driver and definitely turned heads when people heard the exhaust note
Those GM W-cars equipped with the LS3 5.3 Liter V-8 can pull hard. They had 303 horsepower and was able to go 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, 1/4 mile in 14.2 seconds, and a top speed of 150 m.p.h. They had good fuel economy as well. They were: 2006-2009 Chevrolet Impala SS 2006-2009 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS 2006-2009 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP 2006-2009 Buick LaCrosse Super
You are right. I drive my 2008 ss daily and also ran it at the track 14.10 at 98mph. Not bad for at front driver. Lol also those two cars in video would not take the impala. Still to this day it holds its own
@staceyhauck4200 I know a guy who had a 2008 Impala SS 5.3 V-8 upgraded the exhaust, camshaft, retuned it, and added a cold air intake. It had that throaty grunt and he managed to get it to around to 376 horsepower. That Impala SS beat a Mustang GT in a drag race
Buick Lacrosse Super was two years only, 2008-2009 - Monte Carlo SS V8 was also two years only, 2006-2007 when it was discontinued - Pontiac Grand Prix was discontinued in 2008 along with the GXP which ran from 2005 not 2006.
I have three impalas from this generation. I have an LT, an LTZ, and an SS all in matching silver. I love the impalas more than any other car ive owned. They’re so forgiving, deceptively fast, and exceptionally agile. These impalas are just down badged cadillacs. Everything is built so well, everything is heavy and has weight to it. I used to have a 2002 deville with the v8 northstar, and the impala ss drives almost exactly like it. You dont really feel the imperfections of the road when you’re driving like a normal person, but when you start redlining it and hitting curves as fast as the car can handle it can keep up with almost any car that cost less than 85k. I have full faith they will be sought after in the future after people realize how good they are, because right now you can find a used one with 45k miles on it for ~8k. They’re almost all owned by old people. As of now i have 200k+ miles on both of my normal impalas and 170k on my SS. Thats alot of driving for not too much money.
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Yeah me too , this guy is just doing a hit piece for mopar ,good Canadian built car!!!!
My uncle had one with 215,000 miles on it. With the original transmission. I think it has alot to do with good maintainence and not driving like a psycho.
2007 impala ss was my first car. Bought it when i was 21. I had it for 13 years. Mine had a lot of problems (transmission x2 was the major one) but i loved it. When i first bought it, it turned heads. People always complemented me on my car whenever i went. I sure do miss it.
My Mom totaled one of those after jumping some train tracks and flipping multiple times before hitting a tree. But she walked away fairly unharmed so thank you Chevy for saving my Mama👍🏻
Bought one new exactly like this one, black on black. Ran a KN air filter and used it for business travel. Loved the exhaust sound, handled well. Beat out most cars on the road. Only issue, transmission went at 30,000 miles, replaced with a rebuilt one under warranty. Had another replacement, rebuilt at around 60,000 miles under warranty. At about 80,000 miles, started to act up again, so I traded it for a 2011 Impala LTZ with V6 engine. No transmission issues. Did experience torque steer with the 2007 but the car was a blast.
Same! The trans started slipping ever so slightly, and at the time I didn't realize financially it would have been much smarter to fix it than to trade into a hemi grand cherokee. ha@@nicholas6349
I guess so far I'm lucky. My 2008 Impala SS has 92,000 miles on it. I bought it in 2009. It had been used as a rental car for a short period of time. I have had very few problems with it except for the air conditioner actuators going bad. Only on my 3rd set of tires as of last week( October 2023). I have driven it hard on occasion after I first bought it. Got it up to 100 mph for short period of time, just to see what she would do. Have bought a range module to trick and keep the active fuel management turned off. So far no problems with my transmission, but after reading all these views I'm now just holding my breath waiting for it to fall out. I've always taken very good care of it, I religiously change the oil every 3,000 miles along with the transmission fluid when manual calls for it. So far a reliable car. Almost always kept in the garage since 2009. Trunk is huge. From all the negative comments here it should be a piece of junk. But for some reason I always have somebody wanting to buy it from me when they see it at the gas station . I guess I got one of the few good ones that were made. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I had a 2006 SS that I bought new and I really liked it. Bland styling, yes. Can't really recall the handling but it was a nice, affordable V8 sedan for me when our kids were young and money was tight. I really liked it. Had it about a year then upgraded to a Charger R/T and I've stuck with Chargers since, having owned 4 now including three SRTs. Don't see too many SS Impalas around these days but I always notice them the rare times I see them. Fond memories.
the late 90s to 2000s fwd sports cars from GM are some of my favorite. my dad had a GTP with the supercharged 3800 and i loved that thing. not amazing reliability but man these were some cool cars
I always loved them until I grew up and realized they aren’t what GM and some people claimed they were. My dad had a 2001 GTP for a bit when I was a kid, I always thought it was fast and I’ve now owned a number of GTPs. If you’re not $1500+ into mods, you’ll be stuck in the mid 15s and they’re extremely underpowered. The 4T65 holds them back tremendously, the FWD doesn’t help with handling at all and doesn’t properly put the power down, the throttle bogs heavily around full RPM, list goes on. The only car I personally think GM made somewhat impressive in that category, was my old 1998 Bonneville SSEi, which utilized the L67 3800 Series 2 and first generation of 4T65. That car would get up and move for it’s size and weight.
@@nick0164I’ve owned three of them, all really disappointed me. Only car I had with that same setup, was the much heavier but faster 1998 Bonneville SSEi. That car would spin at 40-50 mph and pull and pull for miles if you gave it enough. Very cool in an almost 4000lbs sedan versus the lighter GTPs that you would expect to move like that. My dad had a 2001 GTP sedan when I was young and he always said that GM lied about numbers on those cars, although 240hp/240tq makes sense for that time period, performance wise.
@@saint5ify my dad had one of those too. all black with gold badges. not 100% sure if it was the SSEi but i know it was a 98. i don’t remember that car all too well i mainly have memories of the Gtp. even if it was underpowered, 6 year old me thought that thing was the fastest in the world. unfortunately he totaled it drunk driving around 8 years ago. funny thing was we didnt even know, my mom seen the totaled car while going to work😭couldnt even tell it was a Grand prix, license plate was the only form of identification
I had a 2012 Impala LTZ with the 300 hp 3.6 V6 and the six speed. I absolutely loved that car. It wasn't the sportiest or best looking car on the road, but it was comfortable and quite the sleeper. In a straight line I was able to run with the 4.6 Mustangs and 350Z's, and even beat a couple of each on a roll race where my traction wasn't as limited. And when I took it to Florida a couple times on vacation, it held all of the luggage and could've held more , and returned 30 mpg on the highway. Eventually it was stolen and wrecked. Oh well.
Actually the 3.6 were faster than those 5.3s . Not by a lot but those 3.6 scream over 4000 rpm those 5.3 are are dead by 5500 and the 3.6 is just waking up. The 3.6 with 6 speed is definitely more fun.
My favorite part about my SS isn't even the V8, it's the suspension and handling. I payed 4k with 140k miles so for the price it's hard to find anything else in that price range with the power and handling it offers.
I had a new ‘08 Impala LTZ with 3.9L V6. It was very quick in a straight line but if you stomped on it, it had torque steer until it broke the front tires loose and then it was a free for all. Rode well and it had firm handling so I’m thinking the wallowing you experienced was a result of age.
5.3 was also available in the Buick Lacrosse as well. These rides were dependable, naturally aspirated sleepers, that’s what I like about them. The Chevrolet SS is indeed an awesome 6.2 sleeper, but hold onto your wallet. Great review!
I had the Grand Prix gap with the 5.3. I loved it but the trans started slipping at 140k miles. I traded it and drive a Taurus SHO now. I wish new GM sedans had a performance version I can afford.
I have a 2004 impala ss as a winter beater, can confirm super reliable and great on gas when cruising and instant torque when you step on it...I'm genuinely thinking of keeping the engine for a rwd g body swap or camaro 3.8 swap when it gets too rusty to drive any further
Correction the 5.3 was never used in the Corvette , but the 5.7 LS1 was used in the Corvette from 97 until 2004 And when The super sport Impala came out the The only V8 that was available was a 5.3 l aluminum based LS instead of the 5.3 iron block used in the trucks in the tahoes
Having owned 3 w-body vehicles (92 Lumina, 99 Lumina, 09 LaCrosse), this video brings back some good memories. I appreciate the research you did for this video, you described this platform perfectly! Thanks!
My mom still has a Grand Prix from the same generation with the 3800 series 3 pushrod V6. Last spring when I detailed it for her, I did a little joy ride and forgot how awesome that V6 was. For all the shortcomings GM cars had, they got the feel of the power train and steering right. The 4-speed auto worked perfectly fine, strong and consistent band of acceleration, not blow you away strong, but extremely consistent power delivery. Fairly quiet even by modern day standards, and a fairly comfortable ride too. If GM started making mid-full sized cars again, I’d definitely be interested. I especially miss the assortment of practical mid-sized coupes from 10+ years ago. Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Riviera were all practical cars, but had a cool factor that modern sedans don’t have. I had a 02 Grand Am GT coupe at one time and loved the car, despite the fact that it definitely wasn’t perfect, it looked cool and was fun to drive for what it was. I’m done rambling now haha
I have this car and you totally get it. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and reliable. It’s a great sleeper and brakes are ok, suspension is better, and the engine is excellent. These make much better highway economy then any hemi. Don’t worry about the transmission. Change the fluid and filter and put a pint of Lucas trans fix and an oil cooler on it and it will be fine.
Thank you so much Matt for this older car review. Really appreciate these reviews. I'm not much of a truck/SUV person, and definitely not in favor of EVs. These older performance cars are still awesome!!!
The original leather seats do have the SS embroiled on the headrest. It's an awsome car and not slow at all. Back then it was the NASCAR option for Chevrolet. I still drive one .... 2007. The only thing that actually bothered me was the shiny edge trim around the shifter, which I got it resolved with some carbon fiber wrap.
I have a 2007 trailblazer SS, make fun of it all you want but it's worth about $8000 more that I paid for it now versus when I bought it... Pretty quick SUV, it has a tune and a fully stainless steel exhaust with long tube headers
I had an '06 Impala SS that my neighbor put a stage 1 racing cam in after I blew the Trans and had it rebuilt. It was absolutely ridiculous to drive, but I loved it!
My grandparents had this exact car in an 08 with grey interior. The only complaints they had about it were the cheap feeling interior, and the AC really struggled to keep up on hot summer days. I am also surprised that you didn't mention that the 3.6 V6 a few years later was a little more horsepower than this.
I wanted to stay focused on the SS versions, but yeah it’s funny that the regular V6 had similar power as this old V8. That’s cool your grandparents had one!
I have a 2006 Monte Carlo SS, I love it so much it’s my first car, 17 btw, it’s my baby man. Gas is terrible but the smiles per gallon I get are worth it. It’s an old car but mine sis in almost perfect condition only has some transmission issues but that’s normal for this car, other than that I love the Monte Carlo and impala ss
I got a 2006 Monte Carlo SS as my first car, it’s awesome and a blast to drive. Was thinking of getting the Impala but a Monte popped up by me and I couldn’t pass on it. After only driving a 2014 GMC Terrain for my first year, upgrading to this thing has been a blast. I know the transmissions aren’t the best but I plan on swapping for the 4T80E out of the old North Star caddy’s. Great video and great car.
@@marcusallen2951 Fr man people need to put some more respect on its name. People always hate on the fwd and transmission, but a 300hp LS is a 300hp LS no matter what’s around it.
I always say this is when GM was exiting. They made a ss or gs,gxp, gtp, version of almost every car. Buicks version was the lacrosse super. They even made a malibu ss with the 3.9l.
The Lacrosse Super even had the better suspension package from the GXP! Always thought it was funny that the Buick got the better suspension that the sportier Impala never did
My grandpa had a 06 Impala SS and took me out driving in it when I was learning to drive. When he passed it was left to my dad and it was probably the coolest “spare” car on the block until the transmission finally gave out because V8s,FWD and automatics don’t mesh very well. Lots of fun memories though.
CORRECTION. THIS IS NOT THE SAME ENGINE FROM THE CORVETTE OF THE TIME!!!! This has a LS4 (the only front wheel drive LS). A 2007 Vette had a LS2 standard
Roger Smith's GM10 W-body debacle last hurrah. Amazing to think that this design began in 1982 and lasted up till the bankruptcy. Always seemed like a harbinger for the enevitable bankruptcy that soon ensued after this ridiculous V8 powered version came out. Had a coworker who bought one. I rode in it a few times. It rode really nice for the time, and had a good number of features for the era. Keep in mind this is pre smart phone, touchscreen and bluetooth era. An auxiliary audio jack and satellite radio was high class back then. The power steering hose went out on a trip. Finally the transmission self destructed prematurely and and he ditched it after only a few years and traded up to a Cadillac DTS as he was approaching retirement. He was a big GM guy.
I have a 2007 impala ss. It has the wood looking trims in it. I can take off. It has a remote start. Heated seats. Sunroof. I put a lot a lot of miles on it. It’s still a good car. When it works. It’s a great road trip car. Drives smooth. I have felt it at its top speed. It takes the back roads pretty well. It just needs a lot of attention and love. I’ve fixed quite a bit by myself and other stuff with help. I still have her.
The supercharged 3800 V6 was the better engine for this particular platform I think. It has great aftermarket support, easy to make more power, plus it was more reliable. The cylinder deactivation on these 5.3 V8's was a bit problematic. Still a cool bunch of vehicles though, I'd definitely go with the Grand Prix or the Monte Carlo over the Impala.
In my 35 years of auto ownership, I've owned a Camaro, an Astro Van, an S-10 and two Monte Carlos, and the 2007 Impala SS I've had for the last 5 of those years is the most trouble-free car I have ever owned😃
bought my impala ss in 2019 my first ride many ups & downs with the car but many amazing experiences & memories on the road also around the time i did research & the impala / impala ss name has been around since 1958 first SS model in 1961 & has its history as a legendary muscle car hot rod while the 9th generation impala ss is overlooked because of its design especially being a FWD I see mines & see something worth keeping & preserving for years to come till it eventually becomes a american classic of the early 2000s got its flaws but very unique
The transmissions are known to go regularly on these. With that said I had an ‘06 for a couple years, it was so fun, and handled like garbage haha. When the trans was starting to slip like they all do, I traded it in lol.😊
That's the thing about Chevys. They make great engines, and everything else is either made from Chinesium, or it's made from plastic they scraped from the bottom of the barrel. Ironically, GMC vehicles actually have reliable transmissions. Why Chevy didn't get the exact same transmissions, despite being made from the same parts, same bolt patterns, idk what makes the Chevy versions of the GMC transmissions so unreliable compared to the GMC versions of the transmissions, but if you put a GMC transmission on a Chevy, and you end up with reliability comparable to that of a Toyota or a Volvo.
@@iraqifoodcart8447 That is the most crackpot thing i have ever read. They use the exact same transmissions, from the exact same plant, with the same internals..and in every instance I know of---the exact same programming. I happen to specialize in rebuilding of products from the folks over at GM powertrain Toledo
Most american cars handle like boats to manage their weight, which closely relates to the general public (in america) and probably why they're gawked at by Americans, even when they're built awfully by the same company, because who in North America would get anything other than a fat V8 to get them to and from McDonalds ever so slightly quicker
Isn't the lack of telescoping steering wheel, bolstering and comfort features like padding and nicer materials on touch points typical for the time? We often forget how much cars have improved. I mean look at the Chevy Trax, that thing is incredible and has such a low price.
I ordered and received a new 2007 Monte Carlo SS. Bright red with factory silver rally stripes, grey CLOTH interior , polished wheels and no sun roof. Bone stock at (the now closed) Atco Dragway, it did a respectable 13.992@ 98.14 mph.
I used to have a black ss just like this... The motor blew eventually and I did replace it, but then I smashed it up not long after - thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Yes! A old school review . Thanks ,Matt. That generation 4 speed automatic transmission was awful tho .and would grenade when a lot of torque was put on to it
Got a new one of these back in 2007. Owned for 2 years with no issues. Last car I ever owned before going to trucks. Nice daily driver it was and decently quick despite being V8 with wrong wheel drive.
I was in the rental car business around that time and my favorite was the Monte Carlo SS. I felt at the time that this was a very fun and fast car. Didn’t hurt that the Monte Carlo basically looked like something from NASCAR 😊
Great review! I picked the 2013 ltz with the 3.6L v6 over the 2009 SS i was looking at. Even though I wanted that v8 sound, i think i made the right choice because the ride quality and power delivery are similar and the ltz is better on gas, (the gas prices have been crazy lately). I do wish i had the SS as a back up daily driver though, that would be nice lol
i own a 2014 v6 impala lt i love it check out these guys push a ltz to the limit these cars ccan really perform on a windy road. my wife loves her impala total sleeper. I will confirm mine tops out at 152 ,ph apprently some were sold with speed limiters based on crap tire options or most ratings for top speed are based on the 4cy anyway check these guys run the shit out an impala on road in claifornia wine country it's insane, heres the uphill run th-cam.com/video/ahNm9DHjkdw/w-d-xo.html heres the downhill run th-cam.com/video/zZOUN2iDRfQ/w-d-xo.html
I have a 2012 LTZ and for the 11 years I have owned it, it has been a great car. Plus we have the same horsepower with a 6 speed Tranny. This car has more torque which makes 5.6 0 to 60 to our 6.1 160k miles and still going strong.
I had the LS4 GXP and man I loved that car, especially with a cold air intake and exhaust delete the thing sounded like a bat outta hell for what it was, I miss that car.
It's nice to see a clean one. These and the GXPs are everywhere here in Michigan. They all came here to die I think lol. Most are rusted and ragged out on their 2nd or 3rd transmission and a hacked up exhaust. Love the older vehicle reviews, more please!
I'm in lapeer area and I think I'm the only one left around here with a clean 08 impala ss. my wallet hurts but I keep up on TLC and I'm at 148k miles and I'm thinking about throwing a 4t80e trans in it at 155k and some engine upgrades and getting upgraded suspension and try to take it over 300k!!! love my sleeper
Ahhh I spend many, many hours behind the wheel of my grandfathers 2006 Impala SS. His '98 Monte Carlo was starting to age and get higher mileage and he really wanted another V8 and he eyed this particular Sport Red SS for many months at the local Chevrolet dealership. One day he took me with him and ended up buying the car that day! He had me drive it off the lot and take it down a backroad (Mind you at this point I'm a 16 year old kid whose daily was a 4 cylinder Camry so driving something with this much power was awesome) and told me to stop in the middle of the road so confusingly I did. At that point he had me turn the traction control off and told me to hold the brake for a few seconds and floor it. To this day I don't think I've ever driven a car with that much torque steer but damnit if that car didn't make both of us grin. I'll always cherish those memories with him and that Impala SS. With that being said the car ended up being a piece of crap. Within a few years of ownership and low mileage the B-Pillar garnish staring to fade and haze over and he did have those replaced under warranty (they ended up doing it again out of warranty). The next few years included such fun as 2 broken blend doors in the dash causing a loud tapping noise when the A/C was on the lowest setting, the car started consuming a quart of oil between changes and the last straw was around 48k miles when the transmission starting slipping. At that point he traded the car for a 2013 Buick LaCrosse which he didn't get to own long as he passed away about 7 months later. Oh I also forgot to mention these cars will go 150MPH but I don't recommend it as the old W-Body wasn't designed for that kind of speed.
Thanks for bringing back some good memories Matt. I test drive one of these when they were new. At the time, I didn’t feel like it compared very well to cars like the second generation G35 sedan. They sure sound cool though!
I have an 07 LT with the V6 3.5L engine and I gotta say I still like it. Passed down form my grandparents and it’s been reliable minus the fact that the actuators hate life. 112k miles and still strong. I’ll be pleased if it makes it 20 years. Also the speed on that version isn’t as slow as some say at least for me. I can still get 0 to 60mph at 6 seconds on the dot, plus the highway miles aren’t half bad for that engine. Just looks cheap in the grand scheme of things.
Would drive that over any of today's "bubble cars" as I call them. Expensive SUVs with a bulbous midsection trying hard to look aggressive and sporty. Rav4, Forrester, Rogue, X5/6/7/8, Audi Q whatever it's called. Don't be a sheep. Nobody is impressed, except like minded sheep.
Test drove one at a Chevy promotional event. It had some power to it, but once you braked hard, the nosediving was unreal. Then taking a turn, bodyroll was out of control. It seems like Chevy just put the V8 in it without beefing up the suspension, but I could be wrong.
In high school, my neighbor had a Daytona blue '64 Impala SS with the 409, two 4 barrel carbs, Isky cam, 4 speed and positraction rear end. THAT was an Impala SS!
Really like this review. When I saw the title, I scrolled past, but something told me you'd make it interesting and you did not disappoint, and neither did the Impala... Cheers!
Furthermore. It does great in snow. Remember to down shift with her in snow. The tires will grip the road well. Remember to condition the leather seats, and clean out the water runoffs from the sunroof to the front tires. The engine work is hard because it is a tight fit. A lot of things I replaced already. She is my project car.
At 3:09 the comment about GM not putting embroidered SS emblems on the seats. They did put the SS emblems on the headrest. That one must’ve had the headrests replaced or just a weirdly optioned one. I have a 2006 SS which it does say SS on the headrests. Mine has about every option besides the Bose audio system. These are definitely fun cars, just the dod/afm and transmissions was the bane of these cars. Also to add on since it wasn’t mentioned, the gauge cluster is SS exclusive and some of them did come with the wood grain trim.
ahh classic GM torque management at 10:41, basically it was the transmission limiting torque output to try and protect itself from being beaten to the ground lol
I've had one of these for about a year and have finally decided to sell it after sinking tons of money and time into it. Unfortunately these are prone to numerous mechanical issues, primarily due to the fact that the transmission was only ever designed to handle like 270 ft-lb of torque while the LS4 puts out about 330. I've ended up having to fully build the transmission (2nd time its been built on this particular car with 140k miles), turning off the DoD to try and keep the lifters from collapsing, and installing a few aftermarket electrical fixes. It's pretty fun to cruise around, do burnouts in, and just mess with people (since most people don't even know these cars exist) but it's also clear that GM put absolutely no thought or resources into designing this car. The ride quality is horrendous - I feel like I'm driving a 90s Cadillac (and that's with 4 new OEM strut assemblies), and it's still slower than most v6s, even from back when the car was new.
The LS4 5.3 for the Monte Carlo and Impala are a special design aluminum block to accommodate the transmission for FWD and are not interchangeable with any other 5.3 liter engine.
My 07 Impala SS has a lot of torque. It'll lay you back in the seat, and it pulls hard to the right when you hit the gas. I'm surprised by the way it performs. I'd be disappointed if I drove that one too. And my SS has SS embroidered on the head rests on the front seats as well. If you do a resonator delete it sounds much better.
I had an 07 GXP. It was the first v8 I bought and I fell in love. Everyone respected the car for what it was. I bought a RT Challenger and just sold my 21 Widebody Scatpack Charger 392. Not sure where to go from here, thinking Corvette though.
I drive the 07 LTZ V6 3.9L and while im sure there were better cars at the time I really do love it. It has really nice features like automatic lights and auto dimming rearview mirror. Which makes this really nice for what you get on the used market.
@@VideoAmericanStyle Well compare that to the loads of cars like a good amount of the asian cars at the time most of them didn't have them from what I know except on top tier models. Plus especially considering I got mine for $2995 for an LTZ with the Bose sound system I'm more than satisfied.
Nah that's a good car. I have been doing Uber for years and that was my first Uber car! I had a white '07 Impala but with the 3.5. Not a fast car but the gas mileage was respectable and it super reliable. Over 200k miles and it still ran great. Someone rear ended it though and insurance totalled it. Mine had power front seats too, even for the passenger and remote start which is good for cold climates.
My brother in law had one new I brought it to prom lol. They're pretty quick, the only issue is the FWD if they made it RWD you'd see them everywhere now hooked up GM really dropped the ball making them only fwd.
I am 17 years old with an 07 impala SS with the 5.3 V8 (like the one in the video) this is my first car and i really enjoy driving it, not good on mpg but an overall fun car to use
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My mom had a 2011 Impala with the hilariously slow 3.5L v6. She loved it and thought it would be perfect for my first car. So when I turned 16 I talked her getting me a 2008 Impala SS. She didn’t know what the SS meant. I told her it was a trim level (leather seats, nicer stereo, etc.).
Haha nice one!
Should've told her it meant super safe. 🤣🤣🤣
You moms car didn’t have a 3.4L, 3.5 or 3.9
@@donc6781 3.5, my apologies.
I had a 2007 3.5 v6 and I didn’t think it was that slow. For a v6 long boat feeling ride I thought it was plenty torque.
Nice to see old car reviews like this 👍
Can't believe this is considered old. I feel old now lol
Agreed
How is 2007 old?
@@pnwvibes_ 16 years for a car is pretty old🤣
What, trying to be Doug demuro?
Correction Matt. That did not use a Corvette engine. Corvette never used the 5.3. The C6 base vette used either the 6.0 or 6.2.
I thought C5 had the 5.3 but I was wrong, it was the 5.7. Thanks for the correction!
Yea, the engine in this is an LS4, which is just an alu truck 5.3 v8 turned sideways with some changes to make it work (send the 4t65e to orbit)
@@lookitsrain9552 the block is shorter than the truck 5.3
@@MattMaranMotoringThe C5 also ended in 2004. 2005+ was the C6 which only had 6.0 and 6.2 liter Gen 4 LS engines
Odd seeing people say the C6 didnt have the 5.3 when I can go for a walk through town and show you 3 base model ones that had 5.3s.
My dad had the Monte Carlo version of this. He did so much work to the engine, and a lot of upgrades to the interior. It was beautiful, and hilariously powerful and loud. What a fun FWD V8 muscle car.
Sounds fun!
Hellllll yaaaa lol
Does he have a TH-cam channel? I wanna see
The Monte Carlo version looked so good. I’d honestly would try to find one now.
Monte Carlo with V8? What ?
I had a 2006 Impala SS for 4 years and did a truck intake manifold, a cold air boxed intake, e85, 3 inch exhaust. That car was a ridiculously fast daily driver and definitely turned heads when people heard the exhaust note
No it wasn’t 😂
@@datrill1000 were you there?
You thought in your head you were turning heads lol
@@SqwishyplatypusI was. I saw no heads turn.
Lol a truck intake why???
I've never thought of you reviewing this kind of a car and I love it please do more of these videos of use affordable performance cars😊
I agree, I think we all like seeing throwback cars review that we all actually can afford.
What. About. Police. Version. ?
@@johndudgeon7954 Well the police inceptor version sucked until 2012. When it got the 3.6 and 6 speed. Before that it just had the 3.9 and 4 speed.
Those GM W-cars equipped with the LS3 5.3 Liter V-8 can pull hard. They had 303 horsepower and was able to go 0-60 in 5.6 seconds, 1/4 mile in 14.2 seconds, and a top speed of 150 m.p.h. They had good fuel economy as well. They were:
2006-2009 Chevrolet Impala SS
2006-2009 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
2006-2009 Pontiac Grand Prix GXP
2006-2009 Buick LaCrosse Super
You are right. I drive my 2008 ss daily and also ran it at the track 14.10 at 98mph. Not bad for at front driver. Lol also those two cars in video would not take the impala. Still to this day it holds its own
@staceyhauck4200 I know a guy who had a 2008 Impala SS 5.3 V-8 upgraded the exhaust, camshaft, retuned it, and added a cold air intake. It had that throaty grunt and he managed to get it to around to 376 horsepower. That Impala SS beat a Mustang GT in a drag race
Buick Lacrosse Super was two years only, 2008-2009 - Monte Carlo SS V8 was also two years only, 2006-2007 when it was discontinued - Pontiac Grand Prix was discontinued in 2008 along with the GXP which ran from 2005 not 2006.
LS4
We didnt know how good we had it
I have three impalas from this generation. I have an LT, an LTZ, and an SS all in matching silver. I love the impalas more than any other car ive owned. They’re so forgiving, deceptively fast, and exceptionally agile. These impalas are just down badged cadillacs. Everything is built so well, everything is heavy and has weight to it. I used to have a 2002 deville with the v8 northstar, and the impala ss drives almost exactly like it. You dont really feel the imperfections of the road when you’re driving like a normal person, but when you start redlining it and hitting curves as fast as the car can handle it can keep up with almost any car that cost less than 85k. I have full faith they will be sought after in the future after people realize how good they are, because right now you can find a used one with 45k miles on it for ~8k. They’re almost all owned by old people. As of now i have 200k+ miles on both of my normal impalas and 170k on my SS. Thats alot of driving for not too much money.
Yeah me too , this guy is just doing a hit piece for mopar ,good Canadian built car!!!!
Its probably the singular best product canada has ever made
Im surprised there’s still any of these on the road. The transmissions were literally ticking time bombs.
I’ve had two and never have I had any issues
I say that every single time I see one of these personally I like the Pontiac version better because at least it got better tires
My uncle had one with 215,000 miles on it. With the original transmission. I think it has alot to do with good maintainence and not driving like a psycho.
Awe yes a video on one of these cars wouldn't be right without the TYPICAL comment on the transmissions.
@pontiacGXPfan what is the Pontiac version?
Love the classic Harrison auto sales reviews. Always been curious about these FWD V8s
I used to have a 2006 Impala SS. I loved that car! Nice to see the love to this unique car!
Define unique.
2007 impala ss was my first car. Bought it when i was 21. I had it for 13 years. Mine had a lot of problems (transmission x2 was the major one) but i loved it. When i first bought it, it turned heads. People always complemented me on my car whenever i went. I sure do miss it.
My Mom totaled one of those after jumping some train tracks and flipping multiple times before hitting a tree. But she walked away fairly unharmed so thank you Chevy for saving my Mama👍🏻
Bought one new exactly like this one, black on black. Ran a KN air filter and used it for business travel. Loved the exhaust sound, handled well. Beat out most cars on the road. Only issue, transmission went at 30,000 miles, replaced with a rebuilt one under warranty. Had another replacement, rebuilt at around 60,000 miles under warranty. At about 80,000 miles, started to act up again, so I traded it for a 2011 Impala LTZ with V6 engine. No transmission issues. Did experience torque steer with the 2007 but the car was a blast.
My 2006 Impala SS was one of my favorite ownership experiences to date.
Same I had a GXP and still regret selling it
Same, I only sold mine after the transmission took a dump though. Such a fun car imo.
@nicholas6349 lol I'm in the same position. Even bought a upgrade kit. Still got it lol
Same! The trans started slipping ever so slightly, and at the time I didn't realize financially it would have been much smarter to fix it than to trade into a hemi grand cherokee. ha@@nicholas6349
Still have mine as my favorite so far It was lowered and straight piped plenty of fun
I guess so far I'm lucky. My 2008 Impala SS has 92,000 miles on it. I bought it in 2009. It had been used as a rental car for a short period of time. I have had very few problems with it except for the air conditioner actuators going bad. Only on my 3rd set of tires as of last week( October 2023). I have driven it hard on occasion after I first bought it. Got it up to 100 mph for short period of time, just to see what she would do. Have bought a range module to trick and keep the active fuel management turned off. So far no problems with my transmission, but after reading all these views I'm now just holding my breath waiting for it to fall out. I've always taken very good care of it, I religiously change the oil every 3,000 miles along with the transmission fluid when manual calls for it. So far a reliable car. Almost always kept in the garage since 2009. Trunk is huge. From all the negative comments here it should be a piece of junk. But for some reason I always have somebody wanting to buy it from me when they see it at the gas station . I guess I got one of the few good ones that were made. Keeping my fingers crossed.
I had a 2006 SS that I bought new and I really liked it. Bland styling, yes. Can't really recall the handling but it was a nice, affordable V8 sedan for me when our kids were young and money was tight. I really liked it. Had it about a year then upgraded to a Charger R/T and I've stuck with Chargers since, having owned 4 now including three SRTs. Don't see too many SS Impalas around these days but I always notice them the rare times I see them. Fond memories.
the late 90s to 2000s fwd sports cars from GM are some of my favorite. my dad had a GTP with the supercharged 3800 and i loved that thing. not amazing reliability but man these were some cool cars
I always loved them until I grew up and realized they aren’t what GM and some people claimed they were. My dad had a 2001 GTP for a bit when I was a kid, I always thought it was fast and I’ve now owned a number of GTPs. If you’re not $1500+ into mods, you’ll be stuck in the mid 15s and they’re extremely underpowered. The 4T65 holds them back tremendously, the FWD doesn’t help with handling at all and doesn’t properly put the power down, the throttle bogs heavily around full RPM, list goes on. The only car I personally think GM made somewhat impressive in that category, was my old 1998 Bonneville SSEi, which utilized the L67 3800 Series 2 and first generation of 4T65. That car would get up and move for it’s size and weight.
@@nick0164I’ve owned three of them, all really disappointed me. Only car I had with that same setup, was the much heavier but faster 1998 Bonneville SSEi. That car would spin at 40-50 mph and pull and pull for miles if you gave it enough. Very cool in an almost 4000lbs sedan versus the lighter GTPs that you would expect to move like that. My dad had a 2001 GTP sedan when I was young and he always said that GM lied about numbers on those cars, although 240hp/240tq makes sense for that time period, performance wise.
@@saint5ify my dad had one of those too. all black with gold badges. not 100% sure if it was the SSEi but i know it was a 98. i don’t remember that car all too well i mainly have memories of the Gtp. even if it was underpowered, 6 year old me thought that thing was the fastest in the world. unfortunately he totaled it drunk driving around 8 years ago. funny thing was we didnt even know, my mom seen the totaled car while going to work😭couldnt even tell it was a Grand prix, license plate was the only form of identification
I had a 2012 Impala LTZ with the 300 hp 3.6 V6 and the six speed. I absolutely loved that car. It wasn't the sportiest or best looking car on the road, but it was comfortable and quite the sleeper. In a straight line I was able to run with the 4.6 Mustangs and 350Z's, and even beat a couple of each on a roll race where my traction wasn't as limited. And when I took it to Florida a couple times on vacation, it held all of the luggage and could've held more , and returned 30 mpg on the highway. Eventually it was stolen and wrecked. Oh well.
Bummer, but thanks for sharing your memories!
I believe it, I had an 06 3.9 and it could beat V6 mustangs with the 4.0 in rolls and sometimes from a dig depending on the driver
Actually the 3.6 were faster than those 5.3s . Not by a lot but those 3.6 scream over 4000 rpm those 5.3 are are dead by 5500 and the 3.6 is just waking up.
The 3.6 with 6 speed is definitely more fun.
My favorite part about my SS isn't even the V8, it's the suspension and handling. I payed 4k with 140k miles so for the price it's hard to find anything else in that price range with the power and handling it offers.
I had a new ‘08 Impala LTZ with 3.9L V6. It was very quick in a straight line but if you stomped on it, it had torque steer until it broke the front tires loose and then it was a free for all. Rode well and it had firm handling so I’m thinking the wallowing you experienced was a result of age.
5.3 was also available in the Buick Lacrosse as well. These rides were dependable, naturally aspirated sleepers, that’s what I like about them. The Chevrolet SS is indeed an awesome 6.2 sleeper, but hold onto your wallet. Great review!
Set the cruise at 55 -60 and you could touch 30 MPG...
I had the Grand Prix gap with the 5.3. I loved it but the trans started slipping at 140k miles. I traded it and drive a Taurus SHO now. I wish new GM sedans had a performance version I can afford.
I remember this car came out back then wanted bad...Now it a certified hood classic 😂
My brother had a 2005 Impala SS with the 3800 supercharged V6 engine. It was pretty reliable.
The 3800sc was overall a better car, and more stylish too.
Nice. We have those here in our Holden Commodore (Chevy omega). L67 3800 V6 RWD. Bit of a boat anchor stock, but has potential.
The 3800 is a good engine especially supercharged
I have a 2004 impala ss as a winter beater, can confirm super reliable and great on gas when cruising and instant torque when you step on it...I'm genuinely thinking of keeping the engine for a rwd g body swap or camaro 3.8 swap when it gets too rusty to drive any further
The 3.8 is a reliable engine
Correction the 5.3 was never used in the Corvette , but the 5.7 LS1 was used in the Corvette from 97 until 2004 And when The super sport Impala came out the The only V8 that was available was a 5.3 l aluminum based LS instead of the 5.3 iron block used in the trucks in the tahoes
These are so cool. Sound amazing. I drove a co-worker's back when these were new. Fun to drive!
"You slip into the slot and it starts right up." Nice😊
Don’t forget about the Buick Lacrosse ‘Super’ that had the same engine, super rare!
Having owned 3 w-body vehicles (92 Lumina, 99 Lumina, 09 LaCrosse), this video brings back some good memories. I appreciate the research you did for this video, you described this platform perfectly! Thanks!
My 92 had the 3.1 mpfi, the 99 had the 3100 sfi and the 09 had the 3800 series III, by far the best out of the 3
My mom still has a Grand Prix from the same generation with the 3800 series 3 pushrod V6. Last spring when I detailed it for her, I did a little joy ride and forgot how awesome that V6 was. For all the shortcomings GM cars had, they got the feel of the power train and steering right. The 4-speed auto worked perfectly fine, strong and consistent band of acceleration, not blow you away strong, but extremely consistent power delivery. Fairly quiet even by modern day standards, and a fairly comfortable ride too.
If GM started making mid-full sized cars again, I’d definitely be interested. I especially miss the assortment of practical mid-sized coupes from 10+ years ago. Grand Prix, Monte Carlo and Riviera were all practical cars, but had a cool factor that modern sedans don’t have. I had a 02 Grand Am GT coupe at one time and loved the car, despite the fact that it definitely wasn’t perfect, it looked cool and was fun to drive for what it was. I’m done rambling now haha
I have this car and you totally get it. Cheap to buy, cheap to maintain and reliable. It’s a great sleeper and brakes are ok, suspension is better, and the engine is excellent. These make much better highway economy then any hemi. Don’t worry about the transmission. Change the fluid and filter and put a pint of Lucas trans fix and an oil cooler on it and it will be fine.
Thank you so much Matt for this older car review. Really appreciate these reviews. I'm not much of a truck/SUV person, and definitely not in favor of EVs. These older performance cars are still awesome!!!
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
The original leather seats do have the SS embroiled on the headrest.
It's an awsome car and not slow at all.
Back then it was the NASCAR option for Chevrolet.
I still drive one .... 2007.
The only thing that actually bothered me was the shiny edge trim around the shifter, which I got it resolved with some carbon fiber wrap.
You should have also mentioned the most sleeper of all the 5.3L V8 powered FWD cars from that era, the Buick Lacrosse Super!
Yeah I forgot about that one!
Yup they are the rarest and im lucky to have one myself
I have a 2007 trailblazer SS, make fun of it all you want but it's worth about $8000 more that I paid for it now versus when I bought it... Pretty quick SUV, it has a tune and a fully stainless steel exhaust with long tube headers
It’ll be cool to do a q50 hybrid surprise it wasn’t a review for it it’s the most innovative power train they made
No lie it really was ahead of it’s time before everyone jumped on that boat craz people ignore that
I had an '06 Impala SS that my neighbor put a stage 1 racing cam in after I blew the Trans and had it rebuilt. It was absolutely ridiculous to drive, but I loved it!
My grandparents had this exact car in an 08 with grey interior. The only complaints they had about it were the cheap feeling interior, and the AC really struggled to keep up on hot summer days. I am also surprised that you didn't mention that the 3.6 V6 a few years later was a little more horsepower than this.
I wanted to stay focused on the SS versions, but yeah it’s funny that the regular V6 had similar power as this old V8. That’s cool your grandparents had one!
The next, and final gen Impala, was rated a few more hp for it's V6, but had a lot less torque, and was considerably slower in the 1/4 mile.
I was going to say same thing Steve said above, About 65 lbs more torque!
Grandparents? You act like this was 40 years ago my god.
@@BabyBugBug i grew up with them a lot as my regular parents suck ass
I appreciate you keeping the videos fun and informative. Great video Matt.
Thanks! Glad you like them!
would love to see a comparison with this and a 2003 Mercury Marauder. Growing an appreciation for these cars.. maybe because I'm closing in on 50.
I’d love to review one of those too if I come across one!
I have a 2006 Monte Carlo SS, I love it so much it’s my first car, 17 btw, it’s my baby man. Gas is terrible but the smiles per gallon I get are worth it. It’s an old car but mine sis in almost perfect condition only has some transmission issues but that’s normal for this car, other than that I love the Monte Carlo and impala ss
I got a 2006 Monte Carlo SS as my first car, it’s awesome and a blast to drive. Was thinking of getting the Impala but a Monte popped up by me and I couldn’t pass on it. After only driving a 2014 GMC Terrain for my first year, upgrading to this thing has been a blast. I know the transmissions aren’t the best but I plan on swapping for the 4T80E out of the old North Star caddy’s. Great video and great car.
It’s a sleeper now because it’s a lost generation of high performance luxury coupes that people don’t respect anymore.
@@marcusallen2951 Fr man people need to put some more respect on its name. People always hate on the fwd and transmission, but a 300hp LS is a 300hp LS no matter what’s around it.
Will that trans match the monte carlo
I always say this is when GM was exiting. They made a ss or gs,gxp, gtp, version of almost every car. Buicks version was the lacrosse super. They even made a malibu ss with the 3.9l.
The Lacrosse Super even had the better suspension package from the GXP! Always thought it was funny that the Buick got the better suspension that the sportier Impala never did
In contrary to what he said, those SS Impalas did have headrests that said SS. The one he had must have not thought. But he was still wrong.
Idk why it makes me so happy to see you back at Harrison auto sales
A friend of mine had a Pontiac Grand Prix GXP. Hilarious to ride shotgun in. Those wheels on the Impala SS have always been kinda sexy to me.
My grandpa had a 06 Impala SS and took me out driving in it when I was learning to drive. When he passed it was left to my dad and it was probably the coolest “spare” car on the block until the transmission finally gave out because V8s,FWD and automatics don’t mesh very well. Lots of fun memories though.
Nice to see you do an older less known car
CORRECTION. THIS IS NOT THE SAME ENGINE FROM THE CORVETTE OF THE TIME!!!! This has a LS4 (the only front wheel drive LS). A 2007 Vette had a LS2 standard
Roger Smith's GM10 W-body debacle last hurrah. Amazing to think that this design began in 1982 and lasted up till the bankruptcy. Always seemed like a harbinger for the enevitable bankruptcy that soon ensued after this ridiculous V8 powered version came out. Had a coworker who bought one. I rode in it a few times. It rode really nice for the time, and had a good number of features for the era. Keep in mind this is pre smart phone, touchscreen and bluetooth era. An auxiliary audio jack and satellite radio was high class back then. The power steering hose went out on a trip. Finally the transmission self destructed prematurely and and he ditched it after only a few years and traded up to a Cadillac DTS as he was approaching retirement. He was a big GM guy.
I love these stories and those cars even though they seem mundane to most.
I love these blast from the past reviews. 👍
Thanks!
Huh? Dude, quit acting like this is a 1970s land yacht.
3:12 I don't even want to imagine how cheap the woodgrain would be😂
I have a 2007 impala ss. It has the wood looking trims in it. I can take off. It has a remote start. Heated seats. Sunroof. I put a lot a lot of miles on it. It’s still a good car. When it works. It’s a great road trip car. Drives smooth. I have felt it at its top speed. It takes the back roads pretty well. It just needs a lot of attention and love. I’ve fixed quite a bit by myself and other stuff with help. I still have her.
The supercharged 3800 V6 was the better engine for this particular platform I think. It has great aftermarket support, easy to make more power, plus it was more reliable. The cylinder deactivation on these 5.3 V8's was a bit problematic. Still a cool bunch of vehicles though, I'd definitely go with the Grand Prix or the Monte Carlo over the Impala.
I’d take a Grand Prix GTP CompG package with the 3800sc any day over this. I’d have the Grand Prix way longer too.
After having multiple supercharged 3.8s and one LS4 car, I still think the V8 was more fun although with the right setup the SC 3.8 can be much faster
In my 35 years of auto ownership, I've owned a Camaro, an Astro Van, an S-10 and two Monte Carlos, and the 2007 Impala SS I've had for the last 5 of those years is the most trouble-free car I have ever owned😃
I drove one of these while working as a used car tech for a Ford dealer back in 2011. I remember it being hilariously terrible fun.
bought my impala ss in 2019 my first ride many ups & downs with the car but many amazing experiences & memories on the road also around the time i did research & the impala / impala ss name has been around since 1958 first SS model in 1961 & has its history as a legendary
muscle car hot rod
while the
9th generation impala ss is overlooked because of its design especially being a FWD
I see mines & see something worth keeping & preserving for years to come till it eventually becomes a american classic of the early 2000s
got its flaws but very unique
The transmissions are known to go regularly on these.
With that said I had an ‘06 for a couple years, it was so fun, and handled like garbage haha. When the trans was starting to slip like they all do, I traded it in lol.😊
That's the thing about Chevys. They make great engines, and everything else is either made from Chinesium, or it's made from plastic they scraped from the bottom of the barrel.
Ironically, GMC vehicles actually have reliable transmissions. Why Chevy didn't get the exact same transmissions, despite being made from the same parts, same bolt patterns, idk what makes the Chevy versions of the GMC transmissions so unreliable compared to the GMC versions of the transmissions, but if you put a GMC transmission on a Chevy, and you end up with reliability comparable to that of a Toyota or a Volvo.
@@iraqifoodcart8447 That is the most crackpot thing i have ever read. They use the exact same transmissions, from the exact same plant, with the same internals..and in every instance I know of---the exact same programming. I happen to specialize in rebuilding of products from the folks over at GM powertrain Toledo
I don't have an SS but it's a 2012 Impala LTZ and I love it still! Going on 11 years and 158K. 👌😊
That’s great to hear!
The suspension setup (soft) makes it handle like a boat! Chevy Impala SS v8 303hp.
Nice job Matt . . . especially that wheel spin. 🎉
Most american cars handle like boats to manage their weight, which closely relates to the general public (in america) and probably why they're gawked at by Americans, even when they're built awfully by the same company, because who in North America would get anything other than a fat V8 to get them to and from McDonalds ever so slightly quicker
The first 1.5 seconds sum up my whole experience with this car. It still made me love,....now...15 years later.
Isn't the lack of telescoping steering wheel, bolstering and comfort features like padding and nicer materials on touch points typical for the time? We often forget how much cars have improved. I mean look at the Chevy Trax, that thing is incredible and has such a low price.
Not really, all the reviews in 2006 complained about those things and cited how competitors were better.
I ordered and received a new 2007 Monte Carlo SS. Bright red with factory silver rally stripes, grey CLOTH interior , polished wheels and no sun roof. Bone stock at (the now closed) Atco Dragway, it did a respectable 13.992@ 98.14 mph.
They really need to bring these back
They ate transmissions. My friends wife went through 2 in 120k miles, and she is definitely not hard on cars.
Did these ever offer a manual
@@naveenthemachine I'm not certain but I don't believe so
@@twotrackjack2260that’s definitely not normal. 153k and still on the original trans
they need to bring it back but rwd 😔
I used to have a black ss just like this... The motor blew eventually and I did replace it, but then I smashed it up not long after - thanks for the trip down memory lane!
Mine has SS in the headrests though... Not sure why this one doesn't...weird
Yes! A old school review . Thanks ,Matt. That generation 4 speed automatic transmission was awful tho .and would grenade when a lot of torque was put on to it
“Old school” shit I feel old
Got a new one of these back in 2007. Owned for 2 years with no issues. Last car I ever owned before going to trucks. Nice daily driver it was and decently quick despite being V8 with wrong wheel drive.
I was in the rental car business around that time and my favorite was the Monte Carlo SS. I felt at the time that this was a very fun and fast car. Didn’t hurt that the Monte Carlo basically looked like something from NASCAR 😊
IKR, it looked almost identical to the race car!
The car is 16 years old and easy to assume the original shocks if replaced with quality aftermarket parts would bring it back to life
Great review! I picked the 2013 ltz with the 3.6L v6 over the 2009 SS i was looking at. Even though I wanted that v8 sound, i think i made the right choice because the ride quality and power delivery are similar and the ltz is better on gas, (the gas prices have been crazy lately). I do wish i had the SS as a back up daily driver though, that would be nice lol
These impala are" OK" cars i bought a 07 SS with a new tranny for 3900 w/ 95k miles v8 alone sounds great just a cheap work car beater
@@davidestrada7337 i agree, they're just "okay" cars... serve their purpose though lol
i own a 2014 v6 impala lt i love it check out these guys push a ltz to the limit these cars ccan really perform on a windy road. my wife loves her impala total sleeper. I will confirm mine tops out at 152 ,ph apprently some were sold with speed limiters based on crap tire options or most ratings for top speed are based on the 4cy anyway check these guys run the shit out an impala on road in claifornia wine country it's insane, heres the uphill run
th-cam.com/video/ahNm9DHjkdw/w-d-xo.html
heres the downhill run
th-cam.com/video/zZOUN2iDRfQ/w-d-xo.html
I have a 2012 LTZ and for the 11 years I have owned it, it has been a great car. Plus we have the same horsepower with a 6 speed Tranny. This car has more torque which makes 5.6 0 to 60 to our 6.1 160k miles and still going strong.
No, you chose poorly...power delivery was not at all the same but economy was...How'd those 3.6 timing chains around 100K feel?
Very cool review Matt! Thanks for sharing it!
Thanks for watching, glad you liked it!
Chevy could’ve had a solid Crown Vic competitor if it were RWD and the V8 standard
I thought the crown Vic wasn’t a competitor to the impala. I thought that’s the job of the Taurus
@@naveenthemachineperhaps, but Chevy could’ve gotten a chunk of those crown Vic sales with these. Just fell short though
Impala went fwd because the rwd b body version simply didnt sell, most crown vic sales were fleet because it was dirt cheap and old.
Bland and RWD...brilliant! How did nobody think of it sooner? Wait, Ford had that niche covered for a decade...
the vics went fleet sale only in 2007 and they wouldnt have competed with the grand marquis or the town car lol
I had the LS4 GXP and man I loved that car, especially with a cold air intake and exhaust delete the thing sounded like a bat outta hell for what it was, I miss that car.
It's nice to see a clean one. These and the GXPs are everywhere here in Michigan. They all came here to die I think lol. Most are rusted and ragged out on their 2nd or 3rd transmission and a hacked up exhaust. Love the older vehicle reviews, more please!
I'm in lapeer area and I think I'm the only one left around here with a clean 08 impala ss. my wallet hurts but I keep up on TLC and I'm at 148k miles and I'm thinking about throwing a 4t80e trans in it at 155k and some engine upgrades and getting upgraded suspension and try to take it over 300k!!! love my sleeper
That's the midwest in general because Ohio had their fair share too! I'm in AZ now and it's nothing but Tesla, BMW and big ass trucks lol
I stopped watching your videos for since 2014, it’s good to be back!!!
A fwd setup with a v8 ?. Imagine if it had a 6 speed manual. That would be a lot of fun
Ahhh I spend many, many hours behind the wheel of my grandfathers 2006 Impala SS. His '98 Monte Carlo was starting to age and get higher mileage and he really wanted another V8 and he eyed this particular Sport Red SS for many months at the local Chevrolet dealership. One day he took me with him and ended up buying the car that day! He had me drive it off the lot and take it down a backroad (Mind you at this point I'm a 16 year old kid whose daily was a 4 cylinder Camry so driving something with this much power was awesome) and told me to stop in the middle of the road so confusingly I did. At that point he had me turn the traction control off and told me to hold the brake for a few seconds and floor it. To this day I don't think I've ever driven a car with that much torque steer but damnit if that car didn't make both of us grin. I'll always cherish those memories with him and that Impala SS.
With that being said the car ended up being a piece of crap. Within a few years of ownership and low mileage the B-Pillar garnish staring to fade and haze over and he did have those replaced under warranty (they ended up doing it again out of warranty). The next few years included such fun as 2 broken blend doors in the dash causing a loud tapping noise when the A/C was on the lowest setting, the car started consuming a quart of oil between changes and the last straw was around 48k miles when the transmission starting slipping. At that point he traded the car for a 2013 Buick LaCrosse which he didn't get to own long as he passed away about 7 months later.
Oh I also forgot to mention these cars will go 150MPH but I don't recommend it as the old W-Body wasn't designed for that kind of speed.
GM didn’t care around this era. They would just put a bunch of parts together, slap a made in America sticker on the car and send it out
Should do a video on the 96 impala ss
I’d love to if I can find one.
Thanks for bringing back some good memories Matt. I test drive one of these when they were new. At the time, I didn’t feel like it compared very well to cars like the second generation G35 sedan. They sure sound cool though!
I have an 07 LT with the V6 3.5L engine and I gotta say I still like it. Passed down form my grandparents and it’s been reliable minus the fact that the actuators hate life. 112k miles and still strong. I’ll be pleased if it makes it 20 years. Also the speed on that version isn’t as slow as some say at least for me. I can still get 0 to 60mph at 6 seconds on the dot, plus the highway miles aren’t half bad for that engine. Just looks cheap in the grand scheme of things.
Would drive that over any of today's "bubble cars" as I call them. Expensive SUVs with a bulbous midsection trying hard to look aggressive and sporty. Rav4, Forrester, Rogue, X5/6/7/8, Audi Q whatever it's called. Don't be a sheep. Nobody is impressed, except like minded sheep.
Karen Transportation Vehicles
Test drove one at a Chevy promotional event. It had some power to it, but once you braked hard, the nosediving was unreal. Then taking a turn, bodyroll was out of control. It seems like Chevy just put the V8 in it without beefing up the suspension, but I could be wrong.
If you press and hold the traction off button a little longer, it will disable stabalitrak and everything as well...
In high school, my neighbor had a Daytona blue '64 Impala SS with the 409, two 4 barrel carbs, Isky cam, 4 speed and positraction rear end. THAT was an Impala SS!
The 06-09 is the last and fastest Impala SS.
Really like this review. When I saw the title, I scrolled past, but something told me you'd make it interesting and you did not disappoint, and neither did the Impala... Cheers!
Thanks, I’m glad you gave it a shot and liked it!
Furthermore. It does great in snow. Remember to down shift with her in snow. The tires will grip the road well. Remember to condition the leather seats, and clean out the water runoffs from the sunroof to the front tires. The engine work is hard because it is a tight fit. A lot of things I replaced already. She is my project car.
At 3:09 the comment about GM not putting embroidered SS emblems on the seats. They did put the SS emblems on the headrest. That one must’ve had the headrests replaced or just a weirdly optioned one. I have a 2006 SS which it does say SS on the headrests. Mine has about every option besides the Bose audio system. These are definitely fun cars, just the dod/afm and transmissions was the bane of these cars. Also to add on since it wasn’t mentioned, the gauge cluster is SS exclusive and some of them did come with the wood grain trim.
LOVE the retro reviews. Your personality and knowledge presentation fits this segment well. Subscribed!
Please stop making me feel old by calling 2007 retro
Retro? What?
I like seeing these older reviews 🎉
I just picked up an 02 IS300, that 2JZ isn't fast but it's smooth
This was fun and nostalgic to watch Matt! Great review 🙌🏾
Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
ahh classic GM torque management at 10:41, basically it was the transmission limiting torque output to try and protect itself from being beaten to the ground lol
I've had one of these for about a year and have finally decided to sell it after sinking tons of money and time into it. Unfortunately these are prone to numerous mechanical issues, primarily due to the fact that the transmission was only ever designed to handle like 270 ft-lb of torque while the LS4 puts out about 330. I've ended up having to fully build the transmission (2nd time its been built on this particular car with 140k miles), turning off the DoD to try and keep the lifters from collapsing, and installing a few aftermarket electrical fixes. It's pretty fun to cruise around, do burnouts in, and just mess with people (since most people don't even know these cars exist) but it's also clear that GM put absolutely no thought or resources into designing this car. The ride quality is horrendous - I feel like I'm driving a 90s Cadillac (and that's with 4 new OEM strut assemblies), and it's still slower than most v6s, even from back when the car was new.
The LS4 5.3 for the Monte Carlo and Impala are a special design aluminum block to accommodate the transmission for FWD and are not interchangeable with any other 5.3 liter engine.
Small thing, that is not an engine out of a Corvette. It's an LS4, which is specifically a V8 for front wheel drive.
It’s hard enough working on a v6 front wheel dive (no room) couldn’t imagine working on this
My 07 Impala SS has a lot of torque. It'll lay you back in the seat, and it pulls hard to the right when you hit the gas. I'm surprised by the way it performs. I'd be disappointed if I drove that one too. And my SS has SS embroidered on the head rests on the front seats as well. If you do a resonator delete it sounds much better.
I had an 07 GXP. It was the first v8 I bought and I fell in love. Everyone respected the car for what it was. I bought a RT Challenger and just sold my 21 Widebody Scatpack Charger 392. Not sure where to go from here, thinking Corvette though.
I drive the 07 LTZ V6 3.9L and while im sure there were better cars at the time I really do love it. It has really nice features like automatic lights and auto dimming rearview mirror. Which makes this really nice for what you get on the used market.
Automatic lights haven’t been a “really nice feature” since about 1995 😂
@@VideoAmericanStyle Well compare that to the loads of cars like a good amount of the asian cars at the time most of them didn't have them from what I know except on top tier models. Plus especially considering I got mine for $2995 for an LTZ with the Bose sound system I'm more than satisfied.
Nah that's a good car. I have been doing Uber for years and that was my first Uber car! I had a white '07 Impala but with the 3.5. Not a fast car but the gas mileage was respectable and it super reliable. Over 200k miles and it still ran great. Someone rear ended it though and insurance totalled it.
Mine had power front seats too, even for the passenger and remote start which is good for cold climates.
My brother in law had one new I brought it to prom lol. They're pretty quick, the only issue is the FWD if they made it RWD you'd see them everywhere now hooked up GM really dropped the ball making them only fwd.
I am 17 years old with an 07 impala SS with the 5.3 V8 (like the one in the video) this is my first car and i really enjoy driving it, not good on mpg but an overall fun car to use