2003 Pontiac Bonneville Reviews, Pricing & Specs
What owners say
"Overall, owners love the 2003 Pontiac Bonneville for its comfort, reliable performance, and spacious interior. They appreciate its powerful engine, especially in the supercharged model, and the smooth, quiet ride it provides. However, some drivers have pointed out issues with handling, and there are concerns regarding transmission durability over time. There's also a mixed opinion about gas mileage, with some finding it decent while others mention the need for premium fuel and higher costs for synthetic oil changes."
I just bought (Feb./09) a 2003 Bonneville SSEi with 60K miles on it, but in mint (very well maintained and cared) conditions, for $ 8,600.00, with four new Pirelli PZero tires. The paint is the original factory Rain Forest Green Metallic color, and is like new (waxed every month). The interior leather and interiors are like new too. This is my second Bonneville, my previous one was a 1997 SE. I just don't think there is any other large american car that could be compared to this one. I truly believe that this was GM's best kept secret. I don't know why it was discontinued in 2005. I guess not many people have tried it. If they do, they would buy it. Because of it's smooth, yet powerfull, Supercharged 3.8 L V-6 engine, it has the performance of a V-8 when you push the pedal (240 + HP), but the economy of a V-6 when cruising (29 average MPG on HWY), not bad for a large luxury car. It has an excellent premium 8 speaker soound system (I connect my IPod via a high fidelity FM transmitter I bought on E-Bay). There is no need for a 12 CD changer these days. Excellent handling. The suspension is very smooth and strong at the same time, you just don't feel the road imperfections. It is certainly fun to drive and beautiful inside and out. It has all the luxury that you can find in a Cadillac Seville, but with a sleek and sporty look. It has a 5 star safety rating which includes dual front and side air bags for driver and front passenger. Strongly recommend it. Specially when you avoid all of the depreciation costs paid by the original owner.
March 18, 2009Great motor (3.8 L), good gas mileage, comfortable/quiet ride, lots of space, sleek body.
January 29, 2008Acceleration was confident, but the engine was too small for such a big car. Braking was decent with good pedal feedback - you could tell exactly what was going on at all four corners. Handling - it didn't handle very well, almost like a fat man on rollerskates. Tons of understeer under hard cornering. Build quality was not good - it started getting lots of rattles and squeaks around 30K miles. GM saw us on NUMEROUS occasions with this car. Heated leather went out a few times, auto headlights would shut off in the dead of night while on the highway, dual zone climate control simply quit, ***Steering wheel shaft went out so many times we forgot*** This is a known issue with GM, and they have NO fix for it. It causes a loud "CLUNK" when you turn the steering wheel. It's caused by inferior metal at the gears...when it slips, it causes a loud "CLUNK" to come up through the steering wheel and sounds like something falling out from under the car. I loved this car, but it's apparent it didn't love me. Styling was beautiful, nice lines, aggressive front fascia and beautiful chrome plated rims with 16" low profile tires. Rode like a cloud on the highway and so quiet you could hear a pin drop in the cabin.
October 3, 2009What owners say
I just bought (Feb./09) a 2003 Bonneville SSEi with 60K miles on it, but in mint (very well maintained and cared) conditions, for $ 8,600.00, with four new Pirelli PZero tires. The paint is the original factory Rain Forest Green Metallic color, and is like new (waxed every month). The interior leather and interiors are like new too. This is my second Bonneville, my previous one was a 1997 SE. I just don't think there is any other large american car that could be compared to this one. I truly believe that this was GM's best kept secret. I don't know why it was discontinued in 2005. I guess not many people have tried it. If they do, they would buy it. Because of it's smooth, yet powerfull, Supercharged 3.8 L V-6 engine, it has the performance of a V-8 when you push the pedal (240 + HP), but the economy of a V-6 when cruising (29 average MPG on HWY), not bad for a large luxury car. It has an excellent premium 8 speaker soound system (I connect my IPod via a high fidelity FM transmitter I bought on E-Bay). There is no need for a 12 CD changer these days. Excellent handling. The suspension is very smooth and strong at the same time, you just don't feel the road imperfections. It is certainly fun to drive and beautiful inside and out. It has all the luxury that you can find in a Cadillac Seville, but with a sleek and sporty look. It has a 5 star safety rating which includes dual front and side air bags for driver and front passenger. Strongly recommend it. Specially when you avoid all of the depreciation costs paid by the original owner.
March 18, 2009Great motor (3.8 L), good gas mileage, comfortable/quiet ride, lots of space, sleek body.
January 29, 2008Acceleration was confident, but the engine was too small for such a big car. Braking was decent with good pedal feedback - you could tell exactly what was going on at all four corners. Handling - it didn't handle very well, almost like a fat man on rollerskates. Tons of understeer under hard cornering. Build quality was not good - it started getting lots of rattles and squeaks around 30K miles. GM saw us on NUMEROUS occasions with this car. Heated leather went out a few times, auto headlights would shut off in the dead of night while on the highway, dual zone climate control simply quit, ***Steering wheel shaft went out so many times we forgot*** This is a known issue with GM, and they have NO fix for it. It causes a loud "CLUNK" when you turn the steering wheel. It's caused by inferior metal at the gears...when it slips, it causes a loud "CLUNK" to come up through the steering wheel and sounds like something falling out from under the car. I loved this car, but it's apparent it didn't love me. Styling was beautiful, nice lines, aggressive front fascia and beautiful chrome plated rims with 16" low profile tires. Rode like a cloud on the highway and so quiet you could hear a pin drop in the cabin.
October 3, 2009Pros - Reliable car, great gas mileage, great handling, great performance if you have the superchargered model, great interior, very roomy, aerodynamic appearence, quick in acceleration, decent sounding exhaust. Cons - Superchargered model is better, front - wheel driven, bigger engine, lacks horsepower.
July 1, 2009Bought this car with 35,000 miles on it. Now has 99,000 and has had no problems. Performance is a little slow but isn't bad considering the car weighs 3800 pounds. The car gets about 28 mpg on the highway and about 20 or 19 mpg in the city. Overall a good family car.
September 12, 2008love the car, full size, fast and spacious. great outer appearance, and blows most other full size cars away, with its 3.8 liter 270 hp supercharged engine. gets about 18.5 - 24 mpg highway up to 27 mpg new jersey parkway, and about 12.5-16 mpg city, but thats enough to get me from home to work to wawa.
June 14, 2008Handles wonderful on the interstate and has like 16-17 mlg in town and 20-23 on the hwy. the car rides smooth and is comfortable love the ride ,the sunroof makes summer and winter enjoyable. Great in the winter because the heated seats warm you quickly ,and the leather is cool in the summer,because of the tinted window.
September 24, 2014At this point i dislike that the light in my radio recently gone out. But other than that this car is one of the best cars that my family has owned in a long long time. I love this car.
August 29, 2011This is my 2003 Bonneville with the 3.8L V6. I was suprised that when i stepped on the gas in this car it moved. Its not even the supercharged v6. It is probably nearly as fast as my camaro. It doesn't handle so hot, but what can you expect from such a large car. Its super comfortable and easy to drive. Its also easy to burnout haha. Unfortunately with 140,000 miles on it I blew the tranny. How ever I did drive it hard, and once it started slamming into gear, i should have probably gotten it fixed. But i neglected its needs and the V6 ripped apart the little FWD transmission. My favorite part about that car is that it hits 50 in first gear and 100 in second. I thought that was pretty neat.
May 25, 2008
