Who is this car for?

I rented a Bonneville in Denver for an overnight business trip. I logged about a quarter of a tank, which is roughly 100 miles of mostly highway driving.

The Bonneville is an aggressively styled, large 4 door sedan. This particular car was powered by the standard 3.8L V6 and had auto, power everything and a CD + 6 speaker stereo.

The Bonneville looks very large from the outside, perhaps due to its overstated fenders, but it drives like a smaller car. Its road manners were quite similar to a Grand Prix I rented last year. It steers true under most normal driving conditions and handled transitions well.

Performance

Maybe due to the altitude, but the car felt like it lacked the power it needs. It often felt slow, and passing required a couple of downshifts from the transmission, which seemed to be geared too tall. I should point out that the car is quicker than it feels, and it launches from a stop pretty good. It's in highway passing situations where the engine feels lacking.

Brakes feel mushy, but stopping power is pretty good. The ABS action is noticeable, even when the brakes are not pending lockup. I suppose this increases braking distance in real panic stops. I did not feel confident using these brakes.

Cruising
The car is a comfortable highway cruiser, quiet and composed at 80mph. The split bench seat is out of character with the rest of the car, and would make a long trip unbearable. The GM sound system for Pontiacs are better than many 'premium' systems.

City Driving
In stop and go traffic, the AC did not do well and I had to turn up the fan to stay cool. The vent system takes in too much outside fume, noticeable when passing by an industrial complex.

Exterior styling

As mentioned earlier the Bonneville is styled aggressively. This may suit the SSEi well, but the standard version is more like a sheep in wolf's furs. The rear lights are especially loud, as is the oversized spoiler. I like the touch around the headlights.

Interior

This is a griping point for me with most American cars, Pontial especially. The AC vent openings are ridiculous on this car, the numerous round openings in the passenger side reminding one of swiss cheese. This may be functional, but I don't like the placements.

The instrument panel - again, not one that would appeal to an entry level luxury car buyer. The placement of the steering wheel in relation to the meters did make the speedo hard to read on occasion.

Getting in and out was easy. The seats are power forward and back,up and down but the backrest are not. Being a section of a bench seat, they offer poor driver support.

I don't like the cup holders, which are too large for most coffee cups.

I didn't have the opportunity to get into the trunk or the back seat.

Summary -
The Bonneville is priced to compete in the low end of the luxury/sport sedan market. It offers comparable performance and much greater size than the competition. On the other hand, it doesn't even try to appeal to the 'luxury' buyer, stressing instead 'performance'.

To me, the problem is that Pontiac already has a car with the same qualities as the Bonneville yet costs less and looks better (at least on the outside). If you are considering the Bonneville, the question to ask is what this car offers that the Grand Prix does not.