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I had trouble bonding with the 2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi — the flagship car of General Motors Corp.’s Pontiac Division.

The problem was styling, which was extreme inside and out.

Exterior elements included a low-slung body with a drop-nosed front end, accented by a snarly grille atop prominent fog lights. The waistline was tapered with ribbed accents. The wheels were large — 17-inch-diameter cast-aluminum pieces painted bright silver. There was, of course, a rear deck-lid spoiler.

The interior resembled a jet fighter’s cockpit, replete with red back lights and a head-up display system that projected vehicle speed and other operational information on the inner left quadrant of the windshield.

Pontiac calls it “luxury with attitude.” I call it an embarrassing example of trying too hard.

But the new Bonneville SSEi isn’t aimed at me. It’s designed for buyers who are seven to 10 years my junior. I’m 52.

Pontiac makes no apologies for this. Long regarded as GM’s “excitement division,” Pontiac has made a thing of being different. It is pursuing a niche market occupied by dreamers, self-avowed control freaks and would-be fighter pilots — seriously.

This might not appear to be the case in a cursory examination of the Bonneville SSEi’s average buyer’s profile. He seems to be a normal guy. Guy? Yeah, 70 percent of the Bonneville SSEi’s buyers are male. Fifty-five percent finished college. Fifty percent are professionals of some sort. The average household income for the SSEi group is $95,000.

But they differ from other auto buyers in that they are essentially “young at heart,” said Mary Boland, the new Bonneville’s brand manager. They don’t mind raising eyebrows. In fact, they rather enjoy it, she said. And they are gadgeteers, which is why Pontiac loaded its new SSEi with almost every gizmo available, including a programmable keyless-entry remote control that automatically positions the driver’s seat, adjusts the climate-control system and even programs the sound system to suit an individual driver’s tastes.

Another thing: In various surveys, Pontiac asked prospective Bonneville buyers to choose a dream occupation. The vast majority of those polled chose “fighter pilot” or “airline pilot,” Boland said. Thus, there is the Bonneville SSEi’s aircraft-styled cockpit.

All of this would be a meaningless conglomeration of gimcrackery if the SSEi were a slouch on the road. It’s not. Far from it. I don’t like its styling cues, but I love its performance.

Discernibly absent from the new SSEi is some of the looseness, the errant sway, especially in tight corners, that characterized predecessor models. Credit a new chassis — based on one used in the luxury Oldsmobile Aurora — for the favorable difference.

The new Bonneville SSEi is 60 percent more rigid than the 1998-99 model. That extra stiffness, atop a recalibrated four-wheel independent suspension system, yields a higher quality ride and much-improved handling.

And, easily, the SSEi has one of the best V-6 engines in the business, a supercharged V-6 designed to produce 240 horsepower at 5,200 rpm and 280 pound-feet of torque at 3,600 rpm.

Added to all of that, as standard equipment on the SSEi, is GM’s StabiliTrak system, which employs sensors to help prevent the car from spinning or swinging out of control on slippery roads or during emergency steering maneuvers.

The SSEi may not be for me. But, hey, I didn’t rush to return the car to Pontiac, either.

Nuts & Bolts

2000 Pontiac Bonneville SSEi Complaints: Enough said.

Praise: The car is on target for its intended audience and should do well in the marketplace.

Head-turning quotient: The test car drew praise and ridicule in equal portions. People who hated it called it “adolescent” and “typical Detroit.” Those who loved it did so unequivocally, some saying that they would buy it simply because it, ahem, made other people angry.

Ride, acceleration and handling: Very definitely a long-distance runner. I’d have no qualms about taking this one cross-country.

Brakes: Power front and rear discs — vented front, solid rear. Standard anti-locks.

Trim levels: Three, including the base Bonneville SE, the more luxurious SLE and the leader, the SSEi.

Capacity: Depending on the chosen seat configuration, the Bonneville can accommodate five or six people. Fuel capacity is 18.5 gallons of recommended 92-octane unleaded gasoline for the tested SSEi. Cargo room is 18 cubic feet.

Mileage: About 25 miles per gallon in mostly highway driving.

Price: Base price is $31,635. Dealer’s invoice on base model is $28,946. Price as tested is $33,650, including $595 for a 12-disc CD changer, $195 for heated driver and front-passenger seats, and a $630 destination charge.

Purse-strings note: Compare with Chrysler 300M, Mazda Millenia and Lexus ES300.