2006 Chevy Impala Preview

Other safety features include front seatbelt pretentioners, a stronger front seat structure, higher intensity headlights for

Side-curtain roof rail airbags join twin frontal dual-stage airbags as standard equipment on the Impala. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

greater forward visibility, a tire pressure monitoring system, standard with 17- and 18-inch wheel and tire packages, and an upgraded standard remote keyless entry fob with a new red panic button. The new fob can also include remote start with a 60 meter (197 foot) range, allowing the car to be started from inside your home, and heat or air conditioning actuated depending on how you left it when parked.

GM also includes OnStar Gen 6 as standard equipment, although they'd be crazy not to, as once the initial free service is discontinued it requires a small, monthly residual that can really add up to the automaker's benefit. That aside, it's an extremely useful service that is well worth the pocket change needed to keep it active, enhancing both vehicle safety and convenience.

Like many other new GM vehicles, the new Impala receives the automaker's much improved interior quality treatment, with higher grade materials than most of its

The new Impala receives GM's much improved interior quality treatment. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

competitors, and much better fit and finish. GM has quickly moved from the back of the pack to the front in this regard.

Like many of its other sedans, the new sedan features a flexible interior too, with split-folding rear seatbacks and a truly useful flat-folding front passenger seatback, allowing long and otherwise awkward items to be stowed aboard.

Those seats, more sophisticated in design and featuring firmer cushions with increased lumbar support, come standard in a high-quality cloth or can be surfaced in top-grade Nuance Sandstone leather.