James Fabin’s Opinion of the 2006 Chevrolet Impala’s Design:
Chevrolet has done a good job of updating the 2006 Chevy Impala’s design to make it more modern looking, while still not screaming “look at me.” The front end is more tapered and has more character then the previous Impala, which was pretty boring. The Impala also has a nice arching body line above the rear wheels that gives it a bit of sporty flair while tying it to classic Chevrolets of the past. It also gives the Impala a subtle look of motion from the front doors back, as if the car is ready to launch forward at any moment. At the rear, the Impala features dual exhaust outlets but their small size appears more economical then sporty.

Getting in and out of the Impala is fairly simple thanks to the large door openings and plenty of head room, but rear passengers will have to watch their footing due to a small lower opening. The doors open with a light feeling, but close quickly with a very heavy hammer action. Chevrolet over-designed the door hinges, so be careful with small fingers in the back seats when closing the doors.

Thom Blackett’s Opinion of the 2006 Chevrolet Impala’s Design:
Sometimes bland works just fine. Personally, I’d rather start with a blank slate and add some flavor rather than being stuck with some funky style that can’t be diluted. Such is the case with the redesigned Chevrolet Impala. For 2006, a sleek new front end with shiny headlights, gentle body side creases, and a clean tail end – all with body-color or chrome panels in the right places – give the Impala an attractive look, though upon seeing this ride close up, one company staffer wondered why anyone would consider such a boring car. To each his own, so they say. Our LTZ tester was dressed up with stylish alloy wheels, a subtle but noticeable rear spoiler, and lower fog lights up front. No, it’s not exactly the final result of an episode of Overhaulin’, but it won’t get the local fuzz wondering how you could afford those dazzling spinners, either. The 2006 Impala’s interior is simple, with a gently-curved padded dash cap, simple and straight-forward climate and radio controls, and the latter supplemented with buttons on the steering wheel. Now if Chevy would only spend a few more pennies and replace that awful faux wood trim with something a little bit more upscale.

Christian Wardlaw’s Opinion of the 2006 Chevrolet Impala’s Design:
Inside and out, the 2006 Chevrolet Impala is attractive and inoffensive – it’s not attention grabbing, but neither are its primary competitors. Our Impala LTZ came with great looking wheels, nice dual exhaust outlets, a BMW rip-off kink at the C-pillar, and contemporary triangular taillights. Chevy has done a great job with the Impala’s huge trunk, too. Liftover height is thigh high, and features a large opening. The lid is supported by gas struts rather than cheaper gooseneck hinges, there’s a handy cargo net, and the rear seats flop right down to expand space. There’s also a slick cargo solution inside the Impala, one I don’t recall seeing in any other family sedan on the market. Flip the rear bottom cushion up, and you expose a storage area under the back seat that allows the Impala to carry taller items upright – things like houseplants that cannot be placed horizontally in the trunk. The bottom of the seat cushion also has hooks for holding plastic grocery bags. See, you really don’t need an SUV.

Inside the 2006 Impala, simplicity rules with a hint of retro in the dual-cowl dash design. Our test car was decorated in a dark charcoal color that would have been downright depressing if not for the light gray headliner and pillar covers. Perhaps Impalas with this interior color should get a brushed aluminum accent trim rather than the dark fake wood currently provided.

For an American car, the Impala’s front cupholder design is not good because it’s too small for two big drinks. Storage areas are plentiful, and there’s even a pocket on the leading edge of the driver’s seat, like in a Saab. Control layout is a mixed bag. There’s no PRNDL display on the center console, so the driver must look at the gauge cluster to ensure proper gear selection. The stereo’s tuning knob is a stretch to reach for the driver, the stereo pre-set buttons are too small, I dislike having the wipers integrated on the turn signal stalk, and the Impala lacks automatic up/down for the power windows (the driver’s window is auto-down only). Plus, the power adjustable side mirrors on our test car were not responsive to inputs. One thing I really liked about the Impala’s controls is the move toward knobs with integrated buttons. For example, the headlight control is a knob with a button inside for the fog lights. A similar design is used for the stereo’s volume/power and tune/audio functions, and the climate system’s air flow/defogger and fan speed/AC systems. The result is a simple and elegant way to group features and reduce clutter.