Well received by the public and the press, the Impala Blackout concept that Chevrolet presented at last year’s edition of the SEMA show has been given the green light for production. Christened Midnight Edition, the package gives the full-size Impala an unmistakable sinister, murdered-out look while paying homage to the Impala SS that was sold in limited numbers in the middle of the 1990s.
The production car is essentially identical to the concept. The bulk of the upgrades are found on the outside, where the Midnight Edition stands out from the standard Impala thanks to a jet black paint job, black mirror caps, jet-black trim on the radiator grille and blacked-out emblems on both ends. A discreet trunk-mounted spoiler gives the big sedan a sportier appearance, while 19-inch alloy wheels with – you guessed it – black accents wrap up the look.
Chevrolet has not published pictures of the cockpit but it promises the Midnight Edition gains sport pedals and jet black upholstery on the seats, the dashboard and the door panels.
The Bowtie has not made any mechanical modifications to the Midnight Edition. Base models come with a direct-injected 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine that makes 195 horsepower and 187 foot-pounds of torque, while buyers after more grunt can order a naturally-aspirated 3.6-liter V6 mill rated at 305 ponies and 264 foot-pounds of twist. Both engines spin the front wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.
Equipped with the six-cylinder, the Impala can reach 60 mph from a stop in the mid-six second range.
The 2016 Chevrolet Impala Midnight Edition is on sale now across the nation. The blacked-out package can be ordered on the 1LT, 2LT and LTZ trim levels, with prices ranging from $995 to $1,595. Chevrolet has not announced how long the package will be available for and how many examples it plans on building.
