The Pontiac Bonneville is an automobile built by Pontiac from 1957 to 2005. Bonnevilles were full-sized, with the exception of a brief period of mid-size between 1982–1986. The brand was introduced as a limited production performance convertible during the 1957 model year. The Bonneville (known as the Parisienne in Canada until 1981), and its platform partner, the Grand Ville, are some of the largest Pontiacs ever built; in station wagon body styles they reached just over 230 inches (5.8 m) long, and at 5,000 pounds (2,300 kg) and more were also some of the heaviest cars produced at the time. Also, they came with a Jetaway 315 and also were available as hearses.
Tenth generation (2000–2005)
The 2000 Bonneville was redesigned from the ground up with significant advancements in design, engineering and technology which Pontiac dubbed "luxury with attitude."[citation needed] The Bonneville was now built on GM's G platform,but GM chose to continue to refer to it as the H platform. Staying true to Pontiac's Wide Track heritage it had the widest overall track in its competitive class at 62.6 inches up front and 62.1 inches (1,580 mm) in the rear. GM's StabiliTrak stability control system was introduced on the top-of-the-line supercharged SSEi model, later replaced by the GXP.
The Bonneville regained a V8 option on the GXP trim for 2004, its first since 1986, as a result of the discontinuation of the Oldsmobile Aurora. This opened up a "hole" in the GM lineup between Pontiac and Buick, allowing Pontiac to expand upmarket somewhat. The engine is Cadillac's 4.6 L (280 cu in) Northstar V8, producing 275 hp (205 kW), 300 lbf⋅ft (410 N⋅m) and as Pontiac's website said, "With GXP, V8 power gets reintroduced into the Bonneville line in the form of the world-renowned 4.6 L (279 in³) Northstar V8 engine, giving 0 to 60 mph (0–97 km/h) in 6.5 seconds demonstrates better performance than BMW 330i and 530i, and Lexus ES. Its 3.7:1 final drive ratio is the most aggressive found on any car in its class."
NHTSA crash tests for the 2005 Pontiac Bonneville resulted in a safety rating of 4-stars for the Driver and 5-stars for the Front Passenger.
For the last year of production, Pontiac gave the mid-level SLE the new GXP styling. The 2005 SLE featured all GXP styling cues, except the wheels, badging, muffler tips and engine all remained unique to the GXP.
Discontinuation
GM announced on February 8, 2005, that the Bonneville would be dropped from Pontiac's lineup for 2006. The last Bonneville left the assembly line on May 27, 2005. Only about 12,000 Bonnevilles were sold in 2005. With more than half of Pontiac dealers also selling Buick models, the Buick Lucerne along with the Chevrolet Impala continued as GM's only mainstream full-size cars until the introduction of the 2008 G8.
Source: Wikipedia
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