With a host of new engines, improved interior materials and safety features, as well as fresh styling, the 2006 Chevrolet Impala aims to hold its own against the popular new sedans from Chrysler and Ford. Up front are large new headlight housings, and in back the red, single-panel tail lamp lens has been replaced with two traditional taillights.

Inside, higher quality low-gloss plastics decorate the cabin, including a new steering wheel and a completely new dash design, a dramatic improvement over the 2005 model. The seats feature better fabric with improved stitching, and the rear seat now offers flip and fold functionality, providing expanded cargo room and versatility. Best of all, added to that new interior are standard front and rear side-curtain airbags. Also new for 2006 is an optional remote start system, which not only starts the car from 167 feet away but also allows the vehicle to be heated or cooled before being driven.

The new base engine is a 210-horsepower, 3.5-liter V6 that generates 220 lb.-ft. of torque and features variable valve timing. A 240-horsepower, 3.9-liter V6 with 245 lb.-ft. of torque is available and also includes variable valve timing. And for consumers who have longed for a V8-powered, full-size Chevy sedan, there is the 2006 Chevrolet Impala SS, complete with a 303-horsepower, 5.3-liter, small block V8 that features Displacement on Demand technology which, GM claims, can help to cut fuel consumption by 12 percent. That V8 has been mounted transversely to accommodate a front-wheel-drive platform carried over from the previous Impala. That's fine for the V6-powered, grocery-getter version of the Impala, but the recipe for a full-size SS sedan calls for eight cylinders and rear-wheel drive. Without those two ingredients, the 2006 Chevrolet Impala SS goes from a Super Sport to a Sorta Sport.