Week In Wheels; UPDATE / Impala SS Still a Staple (Newsday 7/22/94)

AND A BRIEF WORD, before the model year is officially over, about

a Chevy product that has been and continues to be a staple of the

line in 1994:



   "First the good news: Chevrolet's all-new Impala SS is

everything you could want in a car. The bad news is waiting in

line to place an order," reports Motor Matters' resident car

critic, Tom Keane. 



   "It is understandable why this car is attracting so much

attention. The 1994 Impala SS - a name associated with

performance cars of old - is stylish, attractive and a pleasure

to drive. Chevrolet people say that it is derived from the

Caprice, but there is no comparison. This Impala SS is a thing of

beauty; the Caprice reminds me of an overgrown armadillo.

Besides, this car can move like a rabbit.



   "This is not to infer that the Impala SS is an economy car. It

has a price tag in the $ 22,000 range, but when you consider all

the equipment that is included, it is understandable why the car

is in demand . . . Chevrolet has built a special suspension,

specially tuned shock absorbers and coil springs, front and rear

stabilizer bars. This keeps the 4,200-pound beauty in check when

pushing it over winding roads."



   When Dave Menard looked at the line for Avanti News Features,

he said people followed his Impala to see what he was driving. It

only comes in black, with black-on-black emblems. It's a

four-door, and has a full-sized frame.



   "The tires are 17-inch, speed-rated, and the wheels are

five-spoke aluminum," says Menard. "The first question I got

during my week with the car was always the same: 'What's under

the hood?' Chevy has given the rear-wheel-drive Impala SS a

Corvette engine, a 260-hp V8."