How The First Front-Wheel-Drive Chevy Impala Nailed The Tricky Reboot: GM Hit Or Miss

While the Japanese bubble bursting marked the end of an era for certain genres of performance car, more regular cars throughout the world continued to aim towards continuous improvement well after the party of the early ’90s was brought to a close. Amenities and refinement were boosted, powertrain choices saw improvement, and even some old model names were brought back from the dead. Case in point: In 1999 for the 2000 model year, Chevrolet announced that its new front-wheel-drive family sedan wouldn’t be called Lumina, it would be called Impala.

It was a bold move, partly because the second-generation Lumina was an entirely forgettable machine, one of the most blob-shaped, mediocre machines ever to roll out of Oshawa, Canada. It was a family sedan you only bought if you hadn’t driven any other midsize sedan, so improvement over that model wouldn’t be particularly hard.

On the flipside, 2000 was just four model years after the final year for the awesome B-body Impala SS, essentially a factory hot rod LT1-powered Caprice that felt like the last gasp of American muscle outside of the pony cars. Chevrolet needed this reboot to not fall flat and did its best to stack the deck. Welcome back to GM Hit or Miss, where we take a look back at GM’s pre-bankruptcy product planning approach of throwing everything at the wall and seeing what stuck to determine what actually had some adhering properties.

A Restrained Face

Reviving such a storied nameplate is a tricky act, especially since some immediate visual familial link usually needs to be established. While retro styling was big in this era, GM didn’t smear it on with a trowel, instead just hinting at it with a handful of cues. A set of round taillights vaguely reminiscent of early ’60s models, an emblem on each pillar, an optional set of wheels visually similar to those on the 1994-1996 Impala SS, and that’s about it. They were just enough to contrast largely European-influenced styling cues, resulting in a thoroughly modern sedan for the period that looks just conservative enough to still be handsome.

Likewise, the interior styling falls into the conservative yet handsome category, with a firmly horizontal dashboard that’s aged far better than some of the curvy dashboards competitors offered in Y2K. Of course, this layout was also a pragmatic necessity because the Impala was available with a bench front seat, another element that drew from the past. The bottom line? The first front-wheel-drive Impala zigged when others zagged. As automakers like Ford and Dodge got swoopy, Chevrolet stayed the course, easing buyers into its reborn Impala. It learned its lesson from the old second-generation Lumina, and the result was a car with decent visual appeal.

Robust Underneath

Of course, conservative looks were only part of the equation. While the standard 180-horsepower 3.4-liter V6 was an upgrade in output over the Lumina’s base 3.1-liter V6, the expanded availability of the 200-horsepower 3.8-liter pushrod V6 made it easier to get the engine you really wanted. Buick’s one-gallon motor was famed for its durability and reliability, a big-cube six-cylinder workhorse that would stay running long after the car around it had fallen to pieces. Paired with a perfectly mediocre 4T65-E four-speed automatic transmission, the end result was a powertrain setup more robust than those in most V6 automatic Hondas of the period. Good job, GM.

However, a stout optional powertrain isn’t the only interesting thing under the skin of the eighth-generation Impala. The dash support was made of magnesium to save weight and boost rigidity, the engine cradle was made of aluminum, four-wheel disc brakes became standard, side impact airbags joined the menu, and a strut tower brace was a cheap and sensible way of stiffening up an old platform. The result was heralded as a cromulent family sedan for the new millennium, with a distinct feeling of sturdiness. As Motor Trend put it:

From a confident door slam to its competent handling on winding mountain roads, the weighty Impala feels quite solid compared with its domestic peers. Acceleration and braking are both strong, and the LS-grade suspension remains comfortably compliant. True to form, the Impala’s optional 3800 V-6 is smooth and torquey.

In short, the reborn front-wheel-drive Impala seemed to be everything sedan buyers were looking for, and GM’s uncharacteristic attention to detail meant that these well-built cars went on to be reasonably hot commodities as they aged thanks to their durability.

Getting Spicy

Of course, GM used to routinely turn up the wick on regular products, and for 2004, Chevrolet launched a trim it should’ve offered from the start — the Impala SS. Featuring the supercharged 3.8-liter V6 and beefed-up 4T65-E HD transmission previously seen in the Pontiac Grand Prix GTP and Buick Regal GS, among others, the Impala SS pumped out 240 horsepower and 280 lb.-ft. of torque, valiant numbers for the day that could completely incinerate a single front tire, as Road & Track found out.

Don’t be shy. bury the gas pedal of the new Impala SS, and its Roots-supercharged 3.8-liter pushrod V-6 will pin you against the seat like, well…remember the time you made fun of that bouncer’s earring outside the Viper Room? We’re talking torque here, 280 lb.-ft. of it delivered at 3600 rpm, and 240 bhp at 5200 rpm, enough to send at least one front tire into a smoking frenzy when the traction control is shut off.

Sure, it didn’t have the X-factor nor the rear-wheel-drive platform of the ’90s Impala SS, but it was quick enough, reliable enough, and a fitting halo to this family sedan range. Plus, it’s always fun to see a pragmatic vehicle with a boost gauge. Something for the kids in the rear seat to keep an eye on as you rush them to soccer practice.

Do You Really Want To Live Forever?

So, it’s time we called it — was the reborn front-wheel-drive Impala a hit or a miss? If you guessed it’s a hit, congratulations. Yes, this is one of the rare times where the stars aligned for General Motors on a mainstream product. From safe styling that wasn’t a complete snoozefest, to seriously strong available powertrains, a comfy ride, decent seats, solid practicality, and reasonable build quality, the reborn front-wheel-drive Impala was just the thing Chevrolet needed after the jellybean second-generation Lumina.

Plus, these are still somewhat desired cars today. As a result of the aforementioned underpinnings, the eighth-generation Impala was a hard car to kill. So long as they haven’t fallen victim to terminal rot or collision, these cars are still perfectly content carrying out everyday duties nearly 25 years on from launch. They might not be the most exciting things on four wheels, but few GM passenger cars of the time were this fit for purpose.

(Photo credits: Chevrolet)

Support our mission of championing car culture by becoming an Official Autopian Member.

• Here’s How The Chevrolet HHR Proves That Catching Up Is Hard

• Here’s Why The Cadillac Escalade EXT Deserves To Ride Again: GM Hit Or Miss

• The Saturn Astra Died Too Soon: GM Hit Or Miss

• Here’s How The Cadillac Catera Got Lost In Translation: GM Hit Or Miss

• The Saab Turbo X Was A Hail Mary Halo Car: GM Hit Or Miss

Got a hot tip? Send it to us here. Or check out the stories on our homepage.