silverrascal
Senior Member
- Joined
- May 23, 2016
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- 47
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- 1,252
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- Location
- Texas
- Vehicle(s)
- 2019 Honda Civic EX hatch
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- #1
No, this isn't a race thread.
I had to get a rental (for work) and the rental got me a 2019 Chevy Impala. I didn't ask for it that's what was available.
Exterior is good-looking full-size sedan. It was painted white and the interior was fitted in gray cloth. The engine was a V6 (305 HP, 264 TQ) and, of course, 6-speed auto.
First impressions when I sat in the car was how cramped it felt compared to my '19 Civic EX hatch. Seating was power but damn if I couldn't find a perfect setting. Steering is light and vague. Some pieces felt really cheap for a car that starts at $28 grand and can go as high as $35-plus. The AC auto was indecisive about how high the fan should go. No matter how I adjusted the temp, the fan was blowing hurricane strength despite the cool ambient temps. I turned it down manually.
First drive was a mixed bag. The V6 has plenty of go but the transmission was stumbling like a drunk look for the exit after last call. It couldn't find the right gear and then it found it and lurched forward. Made my CVT Civic feel premium compared to the Impala. Even with all that power under the hood, the Impala is a pig. Specs say 6.2 to 60 so it isn't much faster than the lighter weight Civic. Handling was okay but really didn't push it. Not too floaty but not too firm. Probably just right for a family sedan. Go over bumps and speed humps was slightly cushier than the Civic but that's expected.
Safety features were sorely lacking. Good for some people I guess but my Civic that sells for about $10 less had a better package of safety features. I did have a rear backup camera with about a cheap a lcd screen as you can get. Made my Civic's look like 4K UHD.
Now the "best" part. It was outfitted with halogen headlamps. Without looking for IIHS ratings, I'm gonna bet the Impala got terrrible ratings. The illumination was horrible. I thought one of the headlamps was burned out! But no, they're just plain bad. Maybe they needed aiming but the focus was narrow and right in the middle with significant fall off. Hitting the brights didn't help just more light in the middle but I couldn't see squat on the periphery. It's like I was gearing goggles with blinders. Even before I updated my halogens with LEDs on the Civic, it wasn't this bad.
Conclusion: It's probably a good family sedan but needs a lot of improvement and a lower price tag. The Civic EX trim level for about $10,000 less provides seemingly more room, better handling, similar performance, way better economy and much better safety features.
I had to get a rental (for work) and the rental got me a 2019 Chevy Impala. I didn't ask for it that's what was available.
Exterior is good-looking full-size sedan. It was painted white and the interior was fitted in gray cloth. The engine was a V6 (305 HP, 264 TQ) and, of course, 6-speed auto.
First impressions when I sat in the car was how cramped it felt compared to my '19 Civic EX hatch. Seating was power but damn if I couldn't find a perfect setting. Steering is light and vague. Some pieces felt really cheap for a car that starts at $28 grand and can go as high as $35-plus. The AC auto was indecisive about how high the fan should go. No matter how I adjusted the temp, the fan was blowing hurricane strength despite the cool ambient temps. I turned it down manually.
First drive was a mixed bag. The V6 has plenty of go but the transmission was stumbling like a drunk look for the exit after last call. It couldn't find the right gear and then it found it and lurched forward. Made my CVT Civic feel premium compared to the Impala. Even with all that power under the hood, the Impala is a pig. Specs say 6.2 to 60 so it isn't much faster than the lighter weight Civic. Handling was okay but really didn't push it. Not too floaty but not too firm. Probably just right for a family sedan. Go over bumps and speed humps was slightly cushier than the Civic but that's expected.
Safety features were sorely lacking. Good for some people I guess but my Civic that sells for about $10 less had a better package of safety features. I did have a rear backup camera with about a cheap a lcd screen as you can get. Made my Civic's look like 4K UHD.
Now the "best" part. It was outfitted with halogen headlamps. Without looking for IIHS ratings, I'm gonna bet the Impala got terrrible ratings. The illumination was horrible. I thought one of the headlamps was burned out! But no, they're just plain bad. Maybe they needed aiming but the focus was narrow and right in the middle with significant fall off. Hitting the brights didn't help just more light in the middle but I couldn't see squat on the periphery. It's like I was gearing goggles with blinders. Even before I updated my halogens with LEDs on the Civic, it wasn't this bad.
Conclusion: It's probably a good family sedan but needs a lot of improvement and a lower price tag. The Civic EX trim level for about $10,000 less provides seemingly more room, better handling, similar performance, way better economy and much better safety features.
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