Chevrolet Impala

Today’s Impala, introduced as a 2014 model, was a substantial upgrade from the previous generation. New styling added visual interest, and the better-finished interior provided the room expected in a full-size American car. This Impala rode GM’s newer Epsilon front-drive chassis, offered four-cylinder or V-6 engines, and had a wide range of available safety features. Used-car shoppers should note that Chevy continued to sell the 2013-style car through 2016 as the Impala Limited.

The Impala was redesigned for 2006 with smooth, but not particularly memorable, styling. Like the 2000 model, the ’06 ran on GM’s W-platform front-drive chassis, which wasn’t far removed from the hardware in the 1990 Chevrolet Lumina. Most Impalas ran V-6 engines (a standard 300-horsepower 3.6-liter arrived in 2012), but the 2006-09 SS boasted a 325-hp, 5.3-liter V-8.

The Impala returned for 2000 as a roomy front-drive sedan, replacing the Lumina. The new car’s styling received mixed reviews; the look may be best remembered for its quartet of large, round taillights. Originally 3.4- and 3.8-liter V-6s were the only engine choices, but in 2004 the Impala SS made another comeback with a 240-hp, supercharged V-6.

Chevy’s old-school Impala SS was available from 1961 through 1969, always as a two-door hardtop or convertible. The muscle legend made a surprise return for 1994 as a rework of the body-on-frame Caprice four-door, which many Americans recognized as their local police department’s favorite cruiser. The new Super Sport’s handsomely clean exterior wore dark paint and subtle badges, while performance upgrades included a 260-hp, 5.7-liter V-8 (it would have been called a 350 small-block back in the 1960s), lowered suspension, sticky rubber on 17-inch wheels, and bucket seats.