1993 Pontiac Bonneville SLE | Retro Review
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 1 ส.ค. 2024
- Pontiac Bonneville Styling has arguably remained timeless. If this car was produced tomorrow there would be a waiting list for sure.
Show 1240 | Original Airdate 06-23-1993
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Pontiac was the performance division. They should have never let it die.
The green with gold trim model was so ridiculously popular in the 90s. Saw them everywhere
I drove an SSE like that for many years. Best car I ever spent $600 on.
Yes! They were everywhere
OMG I had a Chrysler Concord LXi with gold trim and at the time I thought it was so good looking!
I love those classic bbs rims and that 3800 v6.
Can't beat the 90s Era Pontiacs. Sporty, good looking cars for a great price.
Still a supremely handsome cat. Always loved this car. Bonneville from this model until it's demise were superb cars.
Handsome? You must be Stevie Wonder's son then.
@@runoflife87 😂he’s blind! Great sarcasm!👌😂👍
@@runoflife87 In higher trim levels, particularly the SSE and SSEi, looked really good. They were vastly different looking that the lower end Bonnevilles.
@@texan903 no trim levels can save main design mistakes, You know. The car doesn't feel as a whole thing - some brougham influences, some old BMW styling.
@@runoflife87 these were a relative success so something went well. In terms of looks, it was in line with the Oldsmobile Eighty Eight, yet better looking, and the Ninety Eight with a more athletic flair.
These cars were, and still are, fantastic automobiles. They sold great, people with families loved them, and they were mighty good cars for the money. I'd recommend them to anyone looking for cheap transport.
Yeah most 90s GM was garabage but these and the A-Bodies were solid cars. Too bad the A-Bodies completely undermined the W-10's that replaced them.
I love the distinctive mesh spoke wheel design on the Pontiac Bonneville SLE along with other Pontiac vehicles.
They were a pain in the butt to clean specially with caked in dust.
@@Mr-Clark I had a 91 SSE with the larger crosslace gold wheels and they were a breeze to clean. When they went to the mesh design it was horrible for cleaning. Preferred the SSEi body color wheels of this generation by a looong shot.
@@Mr-Clark I agree with you 💯
Those mesh spoke wheel design is a huge chore and extremely difficult to clean.
@@Mr-Clark my OCD will flare up swiftly if I had noticed that the mesh spoke wheels are dirty. To me, I would skip the mesh wheels because they are pain to clean.
This year was the year that really got me interested in the Bonneville. I was in high school at the time, didn't get one until 2000
The redesigned bonneville of 2000 looks good too.
@@toddprater14 the 2000 Bonneville SSEi is one of my favorite cars I have owned. I really love that car.
Me too.
4:10 John’s praise for the full set of gauges!
Sport sedan 🤣🤣🤣
It’s all he ever wants lol
hes consistent we can give him that
Yep, it better have a volt meter, lol
I had a white '94 SE that I bought used. Loved that car, the ride, the 3800, the 4 speed OD Trans, everything. The Bonne was very comfortable, and very reliable
This was a beautiful car and color combo , even today .I remember and drove them when new , and used. When working for a Pontiac dealer in 1994 , the car would almost sell itself once customers took a test drive . The Bonneville SLE , and SSE were as good as anything on the market then for it's price and size . It even brought in people interested in the Nissan Maxima and Acura Legend occasionally. If you compare it to those great cars , in 1993-94 , it was very competitive and outhandled them! GM was trying hard to up it's quality in the early to mid 90s . I'm looking at used ones to aquire as we speak. They were very good reliable cars that handled surprisingly well. Thanks for this post
No way the Bonneville out handled any acura legend or Nissan maxima and the transmission gm put behind the 3.8 was garbage it was the same trans used fir the 3.1 and 3.4 v6 the 3.8 and especially the supercharged 3.8 made too much torque for it..every single person i ever knew that had a 3.8 in anything always had problems with the transmission between 50k and 70k miles which is pathetic..gm should have built that trans to be stronger and it would have been fine..
I was also looking at them, but couldn't find one that wasn't completely trashed. Ended up with a 1999 Grand Prix GTP which is also a very good car.
@@jdubskiwright2380 when the 3.8 got a good trans it actually ended up being in the top 5 engines that would go to 250k or more. I had the 3.8 in a Reatta. It was no fireball but it was reliable. See that’s why GM killed it. Anything GM doesn’t make now it cause it worked
@@matthewcaughey8898 yea cause thats great business practice if it works good het rid of it..wtf??
@@jdubskiwright2380 it could be argued these can out handle a maxima. I own the last gen bonneville (2000-05), which is still a big car and it turns just as tight as a smaller maxima. A legend not so much. Cornering is surprisingly controllable even with it's soft rear suspension and immense weight. The legend probably easily out handles a bonneville though. Those are on rails but I'd still argue the bonneville rides better and with that soft ride it's still cornering fairly flat and tight. Just my anecdote. I know for a fact the bonnevilles are faster than both of those cars in a straight, it just pulls even without a supercharger, the 3.8 has a Lotta torque for a big iron boat anchor with 200hp and it tends to stay at ~3k rpm under acceleration which is when you start reaching peak power.
In 1993 a 3300 lb car was considered a “large family car”, now in 2022 a Civic weighs nearly 3000 lbs. Crazy how times change.
Safety, safety, safety.
@@Andyface79other than no side air bags, in most accidents these are fine.
I saw tons of these on the roads and highways when I was a kid in the 90s. Black and this dark green were very popular colors. The exterior styling of this generation was very eye-catching and had a combination of luxury, Euro contemporary, American muscle, and performance.
My grandma owned one of those in white honestly I thought the stance of it was quite imposing as a kid and even compared to what's considered a large car today it really still is
It looks like a cross between a Rover and a Nissan :)
I had one of these and it was a super reliable car never let me down.
My Dad had a 92 se in green. Such a nice car. Man, I miss the simpler times. :(
My parents had a 93 when I was a kid. It was surprisingly fast, especially for it’s size.
One of the best cars I've ever owned!! Really nice ride and very peppy engine too!
Awesome car, these still are great fun today. Surprising amount of power and speed considering the size.
This generation Bonneville was Pontiac’s pinnacle. This car and the second gen FWD Grand Am were everywhere in 1993-1997. Everything that came later until the end in 2009, save for the last Grand Prix, were terrible cars. This Bonneville was one of the best sedans to ever come out of the GM design studio.
I disagree. I had a '90 and a '96 SE, and then an '05 SLE. All were great cars and extremely comfortable. The '05 SLE was a one year body style which was the same as the GXP but with the 3800 V6. It had no body cladding and a smaller grill like a Grand Prix. Right after I bought it I put a good set of tires on it and it was one of the best driving cars I ever owned and I've had a lot! The ergonomics on that interior were perfect! I only had it about a year and a half and got carjacked and it was totalled. 2005 was the last year for the Bonneville.
The SSEI with it's supercharger would give this car plenty of power. I'd like to see motor weeks review on that car.
I think they covered the SSEi on in their review of this car's next generation.
@@ImmortanDan they did. this generations ssei was highly liked, but was lacking the refinement the 00s cars had. I heard complaints about the fog lights getting full of snow because they were too deeply inset, windows leaked and let in too much air because of how they opened. Dash and interior tended to shatter apart. Etc.
Driving Pontiac! Get in your Bonneville and drive.. Bonneville drive! Driving Pontiac! Thank you for sharing this GM car and review. I really enjoyed the video. This car is missing a bunch of options. There are no steering wheel controls, automotive climate control. I know they were offered on the SLE trim level. Thank you so much again!
The space on it is amazing
My Dad had a 94 Bonneville SE when I was little.
Underrated car
Pontiac, Bonneville, was the be all and end all, the last traditional luxury combined sports sedan,gone but not forgotten❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤.😮
Family sports sedan❤
Still got my 93 sle with the gold snowflakes. Can't bring myself to sell it. Someday I'll fix the brake lines and get it back on the road
My 92 was the best most reliable car I ever owned. I miss it so much
My deceased father had a few from this era, I had a few later models. Always loved these cars!
I had a 1987 Bonneville when I was younger. It was ate up with rust, but it ran like a champ. I always liked them, even the later ones.
Nice car but you USA miss out on 93 VR Holden Commodore, same engine n automatic but RWD, disc brakes all round. I had Berlina model with climate control, added cold air n improve exhaust system close to 200hp with fuel mileage 8lt/100kms.
I have ALWAYS loved the design and drivability (performance) of the Bonneville SLE/STi!
Just imagine how this would have been if RWD and powered with an LS V-8... 🤔
Think of the G8 as it's spiritual successor
Please see the last iteration of this car. It had the Northstar V8 and front wheel drive. It was a great car. They called it a GXP
VR Holden Commodore is kinda close
@@dr.jillalicecooper2587 I’m guessing he meant SSEi
Still prefer the SSEi’s styling hands down. It was like a Firebird sedan.
I had one just like that in Black. Loved that car. Most comfortable seats I’ve ever had. Handled well, ran well and got about 30 mpg, highway.
My nextdoor neighbor growing up had this exact spec car...always loved how it looked and they still catch my eye when i see one today!
This car still looks good even in 2024. Great car design.
I've always loved these.
Best color combo on these IMO
Wish there were more greens available for new cars today. I get so tired of parking lots in greyscale
Forest green definitely ruled the mid to late 90s when it came to paint color.
These were all over the road during the 90s and came in dozens of trims.,the lush interior and all the wonderful knobs and gadgets for the controls were everything. Even had the radio controls on the steering wheel. I remember getting the dealer books swnt to me as a child and use to imagine picking out all my features. Those cars had power too! Even came in super charged.
My aunt had one that looked just like this when I was kid.
Still a very handsome car. I think this was the best all-around iteration on this platform since it balanced styling, luxury, and performance so well. It's interesting that this rather large sedan weighed around 3,300 lbs, which is equivalent to many of today's subcompact CUVs, which are often powered by small 4cyl engines, yet still manage a similar 0-60 time with significantly less power.
Yeah I have no idea how a Nissan makes 0-60 in less than 10s with 115hp
*weight count
Just what a 4L60 does to your acceleration times, I guess
Gearing is a big one. Only 3 forward accelerating gears, as 4th was heavily overdriven for fuel conservation. Modern autos have far more gears and a lot less power losses going on. CVTs are incredibly efficient with infinite ratios, despite the hate for them.
@@oldtwinsna8347 I was thinking CVTs have something to do with better acceleration. I know manufacturers are using them more and more for their fuel efficiency. Apparently, they help with getting power to the wheels better too.
My first new car was identical to this one including colors except I had the dealer swap out the cross lace wheels for SE five spoke wheels that had gold accents. I’ve owned many far more expensive new cars since then but I got more compliments from strangers about that green Bonneville than all the others combined!
Excellent car overall with only lousy brakes and front drive torque steer to complain about.
Mileage was excellent and I never had any issues in three years and 75k miles. The 3.8 only made 165 horsepower but it was very pleasant and torquey. Great seats, lots of room and trunk space too.
I liked it so much that I traded it in on a basically identical 96 SLE but ordered it with the 240 horse supercharged engine (no emblems so it was a sleeper). However that car didn’t look as nice (it was restyled a bit that year), the extra power highlighted even more the lousy brakes and the torque steer rendered the extra power unusable except on the freeway.
When the transmission failed twice within a year I dumped it for a 96 Caprice with the LT1 option, best car I ever owned!
Before Doug’s “quirks & features”, we had John’s “complete set of gauges”. Nice to see the Bonneville met his expectations… only to be killed off. Pontiac was always my preferred GM flavor.
Pontiac Booneville is my fav car I had a 1999 SSE in maroon wish Pontiac didn’t go out of business growing up we had 3 Pontiac cars…
This is one of the best looking GM cars of the 90s
I always liked this car. Not many around anymore
Ahhh the “ribbed for your pleasure” Pontiac body cladding.
My dad had a ‘93 SE and then a ‘96 SLE. Those cars where so good looking in their day, especially with the updates made in ‘96.
I always thought these cars had great styling, and the interiors were very nice. This dark green color was very popular on them. The 3800 V6 is a great engine. I've never owned one but I would definitely buy one.
I had 93 SE, even though I wanted the ssei, but my wallet wouldn't go for it, but the SE was just as good.
Still looking so good.
I loved that car. I think it was one of the few American cars which could go toe to tow with the Japanese import of the time.
What a beauty and with extra power. Can't wait to see the 2023 Bonneville
damn they really coming out with a 2023?
@@NatPeterson.89_ We wish. But that'd be nice, wouldn't it? _(10/6/2022)_
We’ll see it when Pontiac makes a comeback.
A remarkable family car,sorely missed
I always love them cars I have a few of them especially the ones with the supercharger had nice power 👍
LOVE LOVE LOVE these. Such a handsome car. I’d love to find a mint conditioned one.
Soo ahead of its time!
There’s a ‘93 Bonnie that looks exactly like this one around my neighborhood, gorgeous car
This platform gave us some of the best from General Motors. The 3800 is a legend. Cool to see they made so many variants.
The 3.8 motors are good but the transmission behind them were not..they need to be upgraded and built to a stage 1 if you want them to last beyond 80k miles.
@@jdubskiwright2380 unless you don’t beat it. My Grammy put over 200k on her over 20 year Park Avenue.
@@mattmayo3539 she was lucky then. And probably never revved the motor past 2700 rpms either.. some were built stronger or better then others as well.
My first car was a 93 Bonneville loved that car
My parents had one of these when I was a kid in the 90s same color green too I loved that car as a kid I used to pull down the cup holders in the back and climb into the trunk lol I was about 7 or 8 years old at the time 😂 now at 31 I don’t think that will work out 🤣🤣
First car was a 1995 Pontiac Bonneville SLE spec just like this one but with a black trim. Loved that car!
Probably the best looking sedan from the 90s
Ah the nineties!
Love these cars... do you guys have an SSEi of this generation in your archives?
They did a video it already
what a beautiful car, I wish I could own one, long live the 90s
Wish Pontiac was stlll around....great cars.
My parents got the refreshed version of this as a rental and I thought it was like the best thing since sliced bread lol
Still the official car of Southern New Mexico
Hehe. Saw plenty of these in ABQ in the mid-90s.
these look so nice
A brilliant combination of traditional family car internal roomiest cabins padded and secure, but under the hood, it's time to leave it to beaver and get busy on the highway with the S/C and WS6 suspension.
I’m still driving a great Pontiac, a 2009 G6 GT, fully 😊optioned, with the 3.5 liter engine. I bought it 3 years ago and have never had a problem with it. Usual things to do maintenance for, but that’s it. I added a Stage 2 performance chipset and Cold Air Intake, good for 30+ hp over stock (220>250).Runs like stink. Just turned 100,000 miles, plenty left to go. 👍🇨🇦
I had two in a row. Both great cars.
Amazing car, aunt had an SSE..... comfortable and so reliable
I’d love to see a retro review on the 98 crown Victoria
These would make excellent first cars for a new driver. Safe, large, comfortable and stylish, with decent fuel economy and an affordable price tag, probably a few thousand dollars for a well maintained classic.
I saw these a lot as a kid and I always thought they were pretty nice looking cars. Never rode in one, but my 7th grade teacher had one. She also occasionally came to school in an Isuzu Rodeo. Thinking back in it now, it was probably just her and her husband swapping cars from time to time.
Good looking Pontiac !!!
Saw one yesterday it looked good was white between 96-99. I used to have 92 or 93 brochure when was a little boy loved these always had prefer the shifter on steering wheel for some reason didn't like it down by console guess because my late aunt '84 Buick shifter was on steering wheel. I always thought cars looked so good with nice styling sure miss these kind of cars and good old days the 90s was great.
Green I think was the most popular color for this car, saw a lot of them around NW Ohio-SE Michigan back in the 90s and early 2000s. Less then 20 years, Pontiac would be no more.
I had the 2000 SSEi. Great car. Traded it for a 2004 LeSabre because I prefer a smoother ride and quiet vs better handling and power. Both in the GM family and VERY similar.
I had a 1995 SLE mine had a sunroof, steering controls and the auto climate controls, paid $200 for it and loved it I sold it and regretted it
This seems to be the best all around model at that time. It looks rather tasteful while being well equipped.The SSE and SSEi looked way too flamboyant! I loved them at the time but now when I look at them what was I thinking?!
Dad had two of these, a 92 and a facelifted 96. He loved those cars, have to agree that they had solid performance for the time off the line, but felt a bit lazy in passing maneuvers. The 3.8 would get close to 30 mpg on the highway as well.
8yrs my parents had a SE same colored green. After damn near getting killed in a Tercel 91. Lol borrowed it at 14yrs old drove well, had a great speaker system, power was good for 1994.
Had a new white 1993 Bonneville SSE and although I had few problems with it, I thought it was one of the better looking Pontiacs in the 90’s.
I was just thinking that it had a passing resemblance to some early 90’s BMWs from the side, then John of course mentioned it 2 seconds later lol. When I was a kid, I used to think Pontiacs were knockoff BMWs because of the split grille looking similar. 😂
Beautiful car. I wish I had one. I still have my 2004 Grand Am which has been a problem-free car. I still can get it over 90 mph on the freeway and the steering wheel and handling at that speed is as smooth as Noosa yogurt. My 2019 Tacoma doesn't impress me like my old Pontiac.
Wish they made vehicles this spacious..
Good looking car. 👍🏼
Pontiac: We Build Excitement ❤️
As a child this was the company car parents had in my town until Lexus arrived.
These must have been good cars. They are some of the only cars of this era I still see on the road...
These were nice cars
hey MotorWeek, do you have any 1987-1991 'bricknose' F250/350 videos? love these, thanks
It was a winner 🏆, and after 30 years it still is 3800 and all
Now i see where the M5CS got its looks.
We need the 1993 pontiac trans am road test
The Bonneville was the best looking of all H bodies
I Miss Pontiac cars ☹️🥺😢😥😭
I'd want a SE for a split bench seat.