"Ride Report" - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
Jul 10, 2005, 2:49 pm
#1
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"Ride Report" - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
Bonneville HomePage - http://www.pontiac.com/bonneville/index.jsp
The Pontiac Bonneville is the big brother of the Grand Prix, and the advantage can be found in interior room—one can get in and out without snapping one's spine, for example.
Mine is a 2005 SLE with 12500 miles on it. These are Class YG cars - Specialty Premium.
The 3.8 liter OHV engine is adequate, with 205hp and 20lb-ft of torque. It runs out of steam at the top end, and does not rev like the OHC engines of most of the competition. Mileage is about as bad as the Hyundai (at least under heavy throttle), and is formally rated at 20/29. The transmission is a four-speed automatic and if there is one thing GM can source, it's automatic trannies.
The cloth (!) buckets are grippy, which is good as handling and braking are not this cars forté. The driver's seat has six-way power adjustment with manual seatback adjustment. Supposedly they are heated, but I am not sure that is available with cloth and might require leather, which this car did not have.
The sound system is GM basic, and the car is quiet enough at speed for it to work. A sunroof is included.
Even though the ride will never be confused for a Camry SE's, it's decent enough on the highway. It's comfortable enough, while being a little more dialed-in then, say, the Ford twins or the Buick LeSabre.
All in all, a decent enough car. I'd take it over the Grand Prix for comfort, but the lack of leather in many of Hertz's GM premium vehicles bothers me. It just seems so... Budget.
The Pontiac Bonneville is the big brother of the Grand Prix, and the advantage can be found in interior room—one can get in and out without snapping one's spine, for example.
Mine is a 2005 SLE with 12500 miles on it. These are Class YG cars - Specialty Premium.
The 3.8 liter OHV engine is adequate, with 205hp and 20lb-ft of torque. It runs out of steam at the top end, and does not rev like the OHC engines of most of the competition. Mileage is about as bad as the Hyundai (at least under heavy throttle), and is formally rated at 20/29. The transmission is a four-speed automatic and if there is one thing GM can source, it's automatic trannies.
The cloth (!) buckets are grippy, which is good as handling and braking are not this cars forté. The driver's seat has six-way power adjustment with manual seatback adjustment. Supposedly they are heated, but I am not sure that is available with cloth and might require leather, which this car did not have.
The sound system is GM basic, and the car is quiet enough at speed for it to work. A sunroof is included.
Even though the ride will never be confused for a Camry SE's, it's decent enough on the highway. It's comfortable enough, while being a little more dialed-in then, say, the Ford twins or the Buick LeSabre.
All in all, a decent enough car. I'd take it over the Grand Prix for comfort, but the lack of leather in many of Hertz's GM premium vehicles bothers me. It just seems so... Budget.
Jul 10, 2005, 3:57 pm
#3
Join Date: Dec 2004
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Bonneville is a premium car? I sure hope I don't get one of those for a week next Sunday. I've had Impalas, Tauri and the like and with such low expectations going in have been pleasantly surprised. The standard V6 almost makes them a contender to 4 cylinder imports. You can buy late model used domestics for a steal, but reliability worries me.
Aug 31, 2005, 10:18 am
#4
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Recently had one of these as an "upgrade". Not impressed -- would have much preferred a Taurus. Poorly engineered interior -- what is going on with those seat belts? No real power (I was at sea level) and handling was very unresponsive. The ac was ok though. Also it has a huge footprint that seems to be way larger then the interior space would demand.