Rented a Chevy Impala over the long weekend

"KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time" (kngt) 09/06/2018 at 13:15 • Filed to: Rental Cars, Rental Car Review, rental, chevy impala, impala

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Had to rent from Avis because one of my relatives could use his company discount which came out to be significantly cheaper than Hertz which I always take. Funny thing -Avis guys still use what I think are dot matrix printers. Anyway back to the Meh-mpala, Boy is this thing a boat. Not that I expected anything different. It is perfect for long highways though. Vanilla AF.

Yawwwn

Lazy-ass steering, simply wafts over bumps and potholes, and a gutless 4 cylinder that should have never been put in this car in the first place but fine once you get up to highway speeds. 2.5-liter four pumps out 196 horsepower at 6300 rpm and 186 lb-ft of torque at 4400. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! but I say it feels like it has 130Hp and 0-60 in 12 seconds.

The passenger space and trunk are absolutely massive though, swallows an entire family’s worth of luggage, iceboxes, groceries etc for a weekend trip. Visibility except for the narrow back window was good. Quiet on the highway.

Infotainment is pretty good though, I like the Chevy my link which is very straight forward and easy, just like Uconnect and the Kia/Hyundai systems.

Also, I drove this thing in downtown Manhattan and didn’t die or kill anyone, or even get honked at! granted it wasn’t rush hour. I don’t do crowded city driving very well, living in a town that has 30,000 people on a good day.

I have a feeling a Malibu would be a much better car. If you have to choose between an Impala and the other options when renting, go Chrysler 300/Charger or Maxima. I am now curious to drive a !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!!

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Wacko > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:11

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dot matrix printers are still used when you have carbon paper ( Multiple copies with one print) It’s still the only impact printer.

only other solution is multiple copies of each print out.

CalzoneGolem > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:12

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I just wanted to say that I live in a town of 1,500 during the summer and I LOVE driving in NYC.

fintail > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:12

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Awfully small engine for a barge like this.

I had a LTZ rental with the 3.6, it was more than adeq uate for the job.

E90M3 > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:19

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I had an Impala earlier this year. It’d light up the tires in the dry, one of the better rental cars I’ve had. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > CalzoneGolem 09/06/2018 at 13:19

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It’s not the cars themselves that are the problem, or the city layout which is relatively easy to navigate . It’s the randomly jaywalking pedestrians, the motorcycles and bikes that dart in left and right and the various delivery drivers who just park wherever the fuck they want forcing you to make quick changes.

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > E90M3 09/06/2018 at 13:21

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Can confirm. I turned off the TC just to try it, getting on to a 55MPH road (where everyone does 65 minimum) and it was hilarious.

Quadradeuce > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:21

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We were a whisker away from buying a Lacrosse Premium. Great interior for the money, quiet as a mouse, and the 3.6L is much more appropriate for a car of that size. If we had found one in the color combo my wife wanted (“I’m not driving a Buick unless it’s spec’d exactly how I want it!”) it would be sitting in our driveway. Alas, a low mileage 6MT SS popped up for sale down the road and the Lacrosse was put on the back burner. Maybe in a couple of years...

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > Quadradeuce 09/06/2018 at 13:25

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CalzoneGolem > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:28

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Yeah man. It’d be super irritating to deal with on a daily basis but I find it thrilling whenever I visit.

ItalianJobR53 - now with added 'MERICA and unreliability > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:33

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I had an ‘ 18 Impala V6 this weekend, all it wanted to do was torque steer and burnouts :D 300bhp through the front wheels was fun

The V6 sounded nice tho and the transmission was utter garbage.

Textured Soy Protein > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:35

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The Impala shares its rear visibility with the Camaro.

P.S. 99% of the time Budget is cheaper than Avis, and they’re the same company. Budget + USAA discount =  

ttyymmnn > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 13:38

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You didn’t get honked at because nobody saw you.

ttyymmnn > CalzoneGolem 09/06/2018 at 13:41

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Back in about 88, the college orchestra took a tour up the East Coast from VA. I volunteered to drive the equipment truck, because I knew it would be infinitely more interesting than sitting on the bus with a bunch of idiotic musicians. One day we had to drive into the city, and I had to follow the tour buses. They gave zero fucks about me, and it was a challenge to keep up or catch up. I had an absolute blast. 

CalzoneGolem > ttyymmnn 09/06/2018 at 13:52

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Yeah man 30 years later it’s still a hilarious shit circus.

MUGENJIBZ > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/06/2018 at 14:18

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My company sometimes rents me these things for work. I drive 82 miles each way, straight interstate. The car is incredibly comfortable and has a good audio system. Would never buy one...but it was competent for my purposes. 

KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time > ttyymmnn 09/06/2018 at 14:48

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JustAnotherG6 > Textured Soy Protein 09/06/2018 at 14:52

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Budget + USAA discount = 

good to know.

Textured Soy Protein > JustAnotherG6 09/06/2018 at 14:56

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I suppose I should link to the USAA car rental discounts. From this page you click on the “rent now” links under each rental company. You have to log in with your USAA credentials then you get kicked over to the rental company’s site, pre-filled with the USAA corporate discount. From there you can stack additional coupons on top of that.

Dark chocolate > KingT- 60% of the time, it works every time 09/07/2018 at 08:22

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Buick Lac rosse is my number 1 choice at Hertz. Infact, I might just buy one for DD replacing the grand marquis. 

Interior is one of the best in domestic premium cars . I prefer it to the Cadillac CTS.