OVERVIEW:

I test drove a new SSEi and found that the car is quick, cleverly designed, and good value for the features. However, what originally caught my eye as a sporty look ultimately left me with an impression of a cheap cheesy/flashy attempt at an upscale sport sedan. The biggest reason for this impression was the overdone body cladding and the poor interior fit and finish.

EXTERIOR:

I think it is a bit overdone. As I look at this car, I can see (underneath the plastic cladding and the spoiler that looks like it was slapped on as an afterthought) a sleek design begging to be freed from cheesyness.

The SSEi model is a bit spiced up, so you get the nice chrome 17 inch wheels and rear spoiler, and the SSEi badging. While I liked the wheels, the spoiler did not do it for me. I am not sure why GM often feels the need to slap a spoiler on things. Almost every Pontiac, the Impala, etc. With the cladding and the spoiler, etc it's almost like Pontiac is trying to correct what it views as a poor look by adding cheap baubles. I would much prefer to see this car with cleaner lines that could accent the low slung design and basically sleek look.

The rear end, as well, needs a change. It looks like a rip-off of a Firebird and does not seem to fit the look for this car. The goal for the Bonneville is to be a sleek sports sedan for Pontiac, but it seems they could not resist their obsession for that rear end look that is on every Pontiac. Why make this car look like a super-sized Gand Prix? I have angst over this, because I feel there is a good look hiding underneath this Bonneville exterior and Pontiac is missing the boat on something that could look really slick.

This car shares the platform with the Oldsmobile Aurora (I think soon to be discontinued). Take a look at the Olds, it will look like a close relative to the Bonneville. I actually think Olds did a better job of making the car look classy and got closer to the true potential of the possibilities for a clean look to this car.

INTERIOR:

First impression is that this is a complicated system to learn! Buttons and dials and guages everywhere. There must be 25 buttons on the sound system alone. Some with dual functions.

DASHBOARD AND CONTROLS: Now, I am a gadget nut so I will say right now that I am intrigued by the instrumentation and controls. However, I must also say that a very large part of the population is probably going to be very intimidated by this stuff and would likely never really learn all the functionality.

From the driver's seat, you feel as if you are in the cockpit of a jet; the controls are angled toward you, all glows in red at night, and there are gauges for everything. I personally dislike "idiot lights" and prefer gauges; however it does make for a very busy look to the dash.

FRONT SEATS: In the SSEi the seats are in nice Connolly leather, and feel high quality. This is a plus (feel and quality of the leather). The minus is the lack of lateral support and general washboard feel of these seats. Also, the headrests are almost useless. They tilt forward but there is no setting to hold them into position when you do tilt them. So I don't understand why they are even movable. The front seats are not comfortable. I don't know how else to put it. The seatbelts are integrated into the front seats, this is a nice feature that makes it easier to get in and out of the car when the seats are adjusted farther backward.

BACK SEATS: The back seats are more comfortable, but you feel like you are sitting in a hole. This is the "catcher's mitt" safety feature (?) according to pontiac.

Leg room in front and rear is good. This car has a fairly spacious interior.

SUNROOF: This car had a sunroof; but it seemed clunky. The rocker switch control felt very cheap and the whole control panel that housed it on the headliner felt as if it might snap off. When opening and closing, the sunroof made a funny grinding noise that did not sound good. Definitely needs a trip to the shop for a look-see. Also, the entire interior look of the sunroof was poor quality. I could see where it was added on as an option, it was poorly fit and the headliner itself was drooping in the center. I think there were a few fasteners missing or something.

HVAC: The air conditioner seemed a bit slow on the uptake; the heater worked great. The automatic climate control seemed to work very well too.

SOUND SYSTEM: Bose upgrade for this model, eight speakers, but it sounded flat. The highs were good and well defined but the lows were missing. I think the system is underpowered. Rear "subwoofer" speakers on the rear deck appear to be for show only. Come on Pontiac, at least put a hot sound system in this baby! Overall the "premium" sound system is very mundane. However, they did seem to spend a lot of time and energy making the radio and CD player very feature rich (and button laden).

STEERING WHEEL CONTROLS: Nicely placed and functional controls for the sound system.

HEADS UP DISPLAY: I really like it. It takes a little getting used to, but once you adapt to it the ability to see your digitally represented speed (and some other info like radio station and CD info) projected out in front of you helps minimize distraction otherwise caused by glancing down below at the instrument panel.

ENGINE:

The venerable 3800 Series II V-6 is the powerplant here, for the SSEi with a blower strapped on to add some extra horses. This engine is very well proven for durability and good mileage; however with the supercharger you must buy premium gas. This engine is "old reliable", pushrod style. There is almost no hesitation when stepping on the gas, the blower kicks in right away and you are off to the races. For me, the whine of the supercharger is kind of cool - for others, it might get annoying.

This engine has good low end power to get you out of the blocks, and also at passing speed it has plenty of get-up-and-go. However, it does not make this car impressively fast. It is quick, but not blazing. No one is going to buy this car because it is one of the faster "sport" sedans.

I wonder why GM does not put a small V-8 in this car, or see if it could put the 280 HP Inline 6 that GMC uses in the Envoy in this platform. A more powerful and more high tech engine could make this car a real scorcher and more of a serious sport sedan contender.

HANDLING:

The SSEi gets a sport tuned suspension; it does give some decent handling in the turns, I must admit the car handles well. There is some slight understeer when stomping on the gas, due to the front wheel drive - but I found it easy to get a handle on. Ride is still pretty smooth (and quiet), even with the sport tuning. I gotta say, handling was pretty good while still maintaining a smooth and comfortable ride. The platform this car is built on is well designed and rigid for solid ride and control.

This model has variable assist steering (Magnasteer) that alters steering feel depending on how fast you are traveling. The idea is to make the wheel harder to turn at high speeds (to prevent a rapid out-of-control move) and easier to turn at slow speeds (for maneuverabilty). In my test drive, it seemed to work well at high speeds, as advertised. At low speeds, it seemed way too hard to turn the wheel. I think something was wrong there.

MISCELLANEOUS:

- Still no navigation system option; come on, Pontiac!
- I hate it when I read this comment about GM cars, because it seems overused, but I must admit, in this case I feel there is indeed too much plastic in this car's interior.
- The trunk is very roomy
- Generally this car is a good size, in a marketplace where full size sedans (that are a bit sporty too) are few and far between

IN SUMMARY:

I find myself wishing I could like this car, I see so much potential! However, too many near-misses in the design, and such poor interior quality are big disapointments. All in all this is a very average vehicle and for the money I think you can do much better. Lets hope Pontiac comes out with an updated model soon that makes this a cleaner looking and better made car, with a little heftier power plant.

Amount Paid (US$): 35,000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2002
Model and Options: 2003 SSEi, loaded