For every 20th-century Impala SS a stab at the throttle from a standing start made the car want to go sideways as the rear tires struggled to put down all the torque and horsepower. With the 21st century Impala SS, it still wants to go to one side when you hit it at low speeds, but now it is torque steer and the front tires wanting to change directions, as this SS becomes a poster child for torque steer.

The Impala SS is one of those big-power cars. Front-wheel drives with V-8 engines are rare, and rarer still with an engine the size of GM's most popular truck engine. This delivers such immense propulsion that you want both hands on the wheel if you lean on it at anything less than 30 mph or hard enough to provoke a downshift, and more than enough to simplify any merge or pass and bring giggles from back seat drivers.

In true American fashion it is geared "tall" to lope along the highway with engine running at about 10 percent of potential, allowing for less noise and better fuel economy. And the SS engine has active fuel management that runs the V-8 on four cylinders in light load conditions. Alas, it does not idle on four cylinders and relaxed level ground cruising is rare on So Cal roads, so the 18/27 EPA numbers translated to 16.3 miles-per-recommended-premium-gasoline in Ventura County.

Matching the engine are a heavier-duty four-speed automatic and FE3 suspension (dual-rate rear springs, thicker antiroll bars at both ends, recalibrated steering). Brakes appear to be standard Impala and while it's not a heavy car, especially relative to size, frequent use of that big power will fade the brakes under hard use.

The SS corners quite flat and the 18-inch tires deliver good levels of grip. Steering effort is quite high for maneuvering and becomes less a workout with speed, and the big-car ride uses up front suspension travel quickly, giving the impression of a heavy snout with that big V-8 out there. Bump compliance is fairly good, though the stiff sidewalls will cause the rear to make a minor step out in mid-corner bumps.

Fortunately the clean styling isn't ruined with excess wallpaper or appendages, only discrete SS badges on the front fenders, chrome exhaust outlets, rear spoiler, and restyled grille with fog lamps. The rental look vanishes but it never appears menacing as some do, and the simple five-spoke alloy wheels ($350 if you want em polished) complement it nicely.

As you'd expect the cabin is big. There's room across the back seat for three people yet it lacks the stretch-out room of a Cadillac DTS or Lincoln Town Car. This is Chevy's largest sedan, but even Chevy lists the midsize Altima and Camry as competitors rather than say, the Avalon. If you don't fit, you're going to need a large utility or very expensive sedan.

One category the Impala ranks hard to beat in is trunk space, a cavern that would do Tony Soprano associates proud. With the split-fold rear seat down (check out the storage space under the cushion), you can even haul awkward building materials and garage-sale finds.

Typical sporting pretense touches have been applied to the cabin, including "SS" logos in the steering wheel and embroidered in the headrests, and big-digit white numbers and red-trimmed instrumentation. Above the glovebox is a chrome strip and Impala, perhaps a throwback to the glory days when Impalas were identified by three lights per side in back.

It was a long time ago that GM mastered climate control and the Impala delivers buckets of cold or hot air almost instantly, lest you sizzle on the leather. Controls are simply executed in black-and-white, the standard Bose sound system is pure enough to show flaws in the source material, and three months of XM and a year of OnStar are included with admission. Not so impressive are the dull shifter action and upper tray that must be lifted out for console access; a two-button release on the armrest covering it would be much better.

SS standards include side curtain airbags, 18-inch wheels, power accessories, tilt wheel, power driver's seat, remote start, dual-zone climate control, CD/MP3 and auxiliary input, and the flip-and-fold flat rear seat. To that $28K ours added heated outside mirrors, HomeLink, premium sound and paint, polished wheels, and heated leather seats with powered passenger side for the price of "INC".

At $30,000 the Impala SS has essentially the same V-8 brawn as a full-size ute but handles better, gets better mileage, goes quicker, weighs much less and is subtle so it won't attract looks from the Sierra Club. For when you really need seven seats, just rent another Impala.

(Whale, a longtime Ventura County resident, has been breaking parts for 29 years and writing about it for 21.)

2007 Chevrolet Impala SS

Engine: 5.3-liter OHV V-8, 303 hp

Length/width/height (in.): 169.7/67.3/59.2

Weight: 3,712 lb

MPG city/hwy/observed: 18/27/16.3

Base warranty: 3 yrs/36,000 miles

Price as tested: $30,330

Alternatives: Dodge Charger R/T, Nissan Maxima