Younger readers won’t remember Chevrolet’s catchy advertising song from long ago: baseball, hot dogs, apple pie and Chevrolet.
The ditty had the Chevy Impala in mind and GM could have added another food group: bread and butter.
Since rolling off the production line in 1958, the Impala has been one of the top-selling sedans in the U.S. It still remains the best selling American-made sedan in the land although the Camry and Accord have better sales numbers.
The Impala is a lot like bread and butter. It will fill you up but isn’t all that delicious. Bland, middle of the road styling doesn’t do anything to enhance the Impala’s once-important styling and performance image.
The Impala is a full-size sedan with lots of room for passengers and cargo in the cavernous trunk space. You can even order a front bench seat, another blast from the past, to provide six-passenger seating.
There are four trim levels and two V6 engine choices in most models. In the SS version, you can get a 303 horsepower V8. The standard engine is a 3.5-liter V6 with 211 ponies. A 3.9-liter option is available in the LT and LTZ models with 240 horsepower. All engines are mated to a four-speed automatic and are front-wheel drive.
We tested the LTZ model in gleaming white. For some reason, that big, white car stood out in any parking lot, a lot like Moby Dick.
Still, the Impala was more than capable for travel needs. As noted, the trunk is huge and can handle a large family’s needs for an extended trip.
Handling is middle of the road. The SS model has a tighter feel for the road, but most buyers will opt for the V6 versions.
The interior is clean and simple with typical GM controls. One addition is standard XM Satellite radio included for the first three months.
Our test car came pretty much standard with leather seating, power seats in the front, remote start and power windows, doors and mirrors. OnStar is standard on most GM products and you can pay extra for the voice-command driving instructions via the system on the Impala. An arm rest in the back seat folds down and includes two cupholders. But there’s no pass-through to the trunk.
The price was $28,515, which makes the Chevy a very affordable people mover. The only options were $900 for the power sunroof and $100 for body molding.
There’s not much you can do to apple pie or bread and butter to make them better. Maybe add a little vanilla ice cream or some jelly. The Impala needs a little ice cream or jelly to make it a true bargain.

Ryan’s Ride – I’m old enough to remember Dinah Shore singing the Chevy theme song. I’m also old enough to remember that Chevy, Ford and Plymouth dominated the affordable American sedan market … that was before the Japanese got into the act.
The Impala nameplate has been around most of the past 50 years, although it was replaced by Caprice for a time in the late 1980s. It has to say something that it has survived this long. The Ford Galaxy and all Plymouth’s are history now.
If you’re looking for an economical American-made sedan, the Impala fills the bill just fine. There’s lots of room for passengers and packages.
I found the seats a little firm for my tastes and could never get really comfortable on an hour-long drive.
The interior is as bland as the exterior. There’s really nothing that stirs the emotions with the economy-quality materials.
The LTZ we tested had plenty of power. With the larger V6, we still got respectable fuel mileage, the 25 gallon per mile range. GM rates the engine at 18 in the city and 28 on the highway. It also runs on E85, if you can find it. We didn’t.
The Impala handled like you would expect a large sedan to with little body roll. The steering was very neutral and the semi-soft suspension absorbed irregular roads in comfort.
While there are many things to like in the Impala, it needs more attention like the Pontiac division is giving to the G6 and G8.

Marilyn’s Moment – Yes, I too remember listening to Dinah sing the “Chevy song” and growing up thinking that Chevrolet was what America was all about.
The Impala has a definite “made in America” feel about it. There’s nothing sexy about the exterior or interior. This is a big car with lots of room.
The trunk is big and deep. I practically had to crawl inside to retrieve an errant orange after a grocery shopping trip.
The rear seating area has plenty of legroom and headroom. The center console with cupholders is nice. The front cupholders have an adjustable bar in the center to handle larger cups or bottles.
The one control feature I found annoying was the dual climate control. Instead of a knob, there are two small dials that you move up or down for comfort.
The Impala is a good choice, but probably will attract more older customers who like things clean and simple and who remember who Dinah Shore was.