You heard it here. The 'Lumina' is back for '06, although the vehicle on the turntable at the Auto Show clearly says "IMPALA" on the rear decklid; my point is there is nothing to distinquish the front and back of this car from that of it's cousin-6 years removed - the Lumie.
OTOH, I will say it defintely resembles the prior 00-05 Impala from the side. Also, I cannot help but salivate over the interior of this new ride, especially the crisp, no-nonsense dashboard. The dials are great, and the radio/climate controls are much improved. The center cluster containing said radio/climate controls belongs in a BMW or Nissan as much as it belings in a domestic. Good fit & finish, GM! This is something you started with the '04 Malibu, whose spacious cabin also wowed me, and it bodes well for the new Impalas.
Ditto the '06 Monte Carlo - cleaner exterior lines, cleaned up interior, esp the dash and center stack. The view from behind could be from any year, 2000 and up, and it is still it's good old Monte self from the side.
The biggest letdown is when I viewed the Monte nose-on - nothing to distinguish it from the 06 Impala! Just the same gold bowtie set in the same trapezoid grille and the same organic headlights. I can only hope the actual production cars will have more interesting noses that set each other apart as the present duo have done.
Beyond the bland looks, the lines are crisper - tighter - inside and out, and the new 3.5L base V6 looks promising. If the 2006 can even approach the reliabilty ratings of the 2002-05, I may think of trading up to an '07 Impala when the time comes.
-CC