The Impala is noticeably roomy inside, with 123 cubic feet of interior volume. Again, credit the high roofline with relatively vertical sides. The Impala's designers also carefully shaped the rear bulkhead, and moved the front seats slightly outboard. The noticeable distance between the driver and the front-seat passenger contributes to the impression that the Impala is huge inside.
The seats have been re-styled for 2004, with new upholstery for most models. Base models come with a three-passenger split bench seat in the front, with individual seats and a console offered as an option. At first glance, the individual seats look flat, like semi-benches, but when you sit in them they provide good support for the thighs and back. They feel like bucket seats. LS and SS come standard with the individual seats and console. Leather is an option with any of these combinations, even the bench seat in the base model.
The bench seat provides theoretical room for a sixth passenger, but there's a slight hump down the center of the floor to accommodate the exhaust, and it hampers legroom for the front-center passenger.
It's easy to orient yourself inside the Impala. The instrument panel gets more gauges as you step up from the base model to the LS to the SS. Exclusive SS instrumentation includes a boost gauge to monitor the supercharger, and the SS instrument panel is trimmed in graphite.
In all Impalas, individual temperature controls allow the driver and front-seat passenger to create their own microclimate. The controls have been redesigned for 2004 for a more contemporary look. Chevrolet claims that airflow is better, too, in both heat and air-conditioning mode, although we hadn't noticed that it was lacking before.
The Impala's rear seating position is comfortable and relatively high, which makes it easy to get in and out. The Impala has good shoulder room in the rear seats, but doesn't have as much headroom or legroom as a Ford Taurus or Dodge Intrepid. There are three shoulder belts in the rear, as well as LATCH child-seat tethers. In models with individual front seats, the rear seat is split 60/40 and folds down to allow bulky items to protrude from the trunk, handy for trips to Home Depot.
XM Satellite Radio is nice to have around town for listening to the 24-hour news and sports broadcasts, or for staying tuned into your favorite types of music (classical, jazz, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s), and there's no need to change the stations as you drive across the country.
OnStar works well as a navigation system because there's nothing to program. Press the button and a human operator responds, to provide directions and other assistance. OnStar always knows the location of your vehicle. The staff will notify authorities of your location if your airbag goes off and you do not respond to their calls. Or you can press the emergency button and they'll send out the troops. They can unlock your doors if you lock the keys inside. They can direct you to the nearest gas station or help find a good restaurant or motel. If your vehicle is stolen, OnStar can pinpoint its location and direct the authorities to apprehend and recover.
