Performance and Refinement Upgrades Define 2006 Chevy Impala and Monte Carlo

Both cars feature large, wrap-around headlight clusters integrating three independent lighting units each, creased to

Both cars feature large, wrap-around headlight clusters integrating three independent lighting units each. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

conform to the sculpted lines of the hood and front fenders. And that's about where the similarities end, with the two-door Monte Carlo featuring racy fender swells, just like the current model, and the 4-door Impala featuring clean sheetmetal from front to back, not unlike a better looking Honda Accord.

That is especially true of the car's rear three-quarter view, where its triangular taillights feature a thin horizontal clear lens strip that flow towards the center to meet a classy chrome accent in LTZ trim - a really nice touch. A subtle decklid spoiler is also added in this trim level, as well as with the top-line SS. It is available with the LT.

The greenhouse features the BMW-like Hofmeister kink at the rear quarter

The new Monte Carlo looks much the same from rear three-quarter view as the current version, which is no bad thing. (Photo: General Motors of Canada)

window, first introduced on the performance-oriented black-on-black '94 to '96 Impala SS.

The new coupe, on the other hand, looks much the same from rear three-quarter view as the current version, which is no bad thing. This is definitely the 2005 car's best angle, and is actually quite unique compared to the Accord coupe, for instance, that borrows much of its design language, especially in the taillights, from Mercedes-Benz products. It gets a standard decklid spoiler, while the SS gets NASCAR-like spoilers. All of the Monte Carlo upgrades add 30 mm (1.2 inches) to the outgoing model's length.