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Automotive Industry

Cars Worth Noting - Brief Article

Automotive Industries, Jan, 2000

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi

While most of GM's divisions struggle to find or retain their identity, Pontiac seems to have been able to stay focused on what it is and what it wants to be. The all-new Bonneville is an excellent example that.

The SSEi that I tested retains all the "boy-racer" characteristics that Pontiac embraces, but this "boy" obviously came into money. The interior has more leather on it than a dairy farm and when I cranked up a Rolling Stones CD in the Bose stereo, I had a tough time deciding whether I should steer the car or rip off some "air guitar" licks with Keith.

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The Bonneville is also quite a good performer, especially considering it has 3,700 pounds of mass to deal with. The tried-and-true supercharged 3800 V-6 turns the tires over convincingly on launch and the torque curve climbs as fast as a "dot-corn" stock. Keep your foot in it and the heads-up display is just a blur of changing numbers. Toss it around at the same time and you'll get a whole new appreciation for the suspension tuning in this car. The ride is "cush" until you crank the wheel, then this giant sits down on its springs and feels like it's 1,000 pounds lighter than it is.

Now I'm sure Pontiac wants me to believe that that's because of the Stabilitrak handling system that's standard on SSEi. But I prefer to believe that I'm still "boy" enough to wring out all the performance that was built into it.

-- Gerry Kobe

2000 GMC Yukon

At 5 feet 3 inches tall, I was a bit skeptical as to how the interior layout was going to agree with me. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the controls were easily reachable. The step-in height, which has been lowered since the previous generation Yukon, was also a good fit. The lightweight aluminum liftgate was also a plus.

The seats were supportive and the ride was fairly smooth, even when off-road. The new Vortec V-8 engine gave this SUV an adequate amount of pickup. With a significantly shorter turning circle than the previous generation Yukon, the 2000 model handles well on winding roads. The wheelbase is decreased by 1.5 inches, which adds to the vehicle's maneuverability.

Yukon's Autotrac lets you put the vehicle in a stand-by mode, so that the 4WD kicks in when the vehicle senses it needs to. This is terrific when encountering unanticipated slippery pavement, and also helps out with fuel economy. New for the 2000 Yukon 2WD models is electronic traction control, as well as larger brake pads.

The seat-mounted belts are easy to access. The second-row 60/40 split seats are collapsible and allow for plenty of cargo room. However, I did find that getting to the third-row seat a bit cumbersome.

Pricing for the base SLE 4WD model is $35,280, which is a $1,491 increase over the previous year.

-- Gail Kachadourian

Petty School Monte Carlo

I'm a devout NASCAR fan. I love the smell of 106 octane in the air. The thunderous roar of an unmuffled V-8 is music to my bleeding ears. I'm lucky in that my career has allowed me the opportunity to be close to the sport I love. But none of that comes close to experiencing all of those things from behind the wheel.

Thanks to the people at Hot Wheels, I recently was a privileged participant in the Richard Petty Driving Experience. Eight laps in a Monte Carlo-bodied stocker around the Las Vegas Motor Speedway, following closely behind an instructor that kept me at a respectable 140 mph.

Wrapped inside a cocoon of steel bars that not only made me feel safe, but stiffened up a chassis that made this 600-hp muscle car handle like a Porsche 911, I looked out the windshield at that familiar in-car camera shot. Only this time it was my hands on the wheel and my face staring back in the rearview mirror.

Oh, the pure joy of diving hard into the corners, holding the 3,500-pound racer down on the bottom of the track, then letting it drift out toward the wall as I give it more throttle, feeling the vibration of that powerful drivetrain coming up through the floor, the wind whipping at the window net speeding down the straight.

Like most good things, it was over much too soon.

The King has called it right. This is an experience. And one I won't soon forget.

My adrenaline is still pumping.

-- John Peter

Automotive Industry

Cars Worth Noting - Brief Article

Automotive Industries, Jan, 2000

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