Overview & Reviews

The Pontiac brand is part of the General Motors family, and is home to many of the automaker's more performance-oriented vehicles. Currently, the marque offers a broad range of sporty cars and SUVs. However, as part of GM's restructuring plan, the brand is slated to be discontinued by the end of the 2010 model year.

Pontiac originated as the Oakland Car Company of Pontiac, Michigan, in 1907; it was founded by Edward Murphy. Acquired by General Motors in 1909, Oakland introduced the first Pontiac vehicle in 1926. Dubbed the "Chief of the Sixes," the car was powered by a six-cylinder engine and made its debut at that year's New York auto show. It was so successful that the Oakland name was phased out in favor of Pontiac, the name of an 18th-century chief of the Ottawa Indians. Throughout the 1930s and '40s Pontiac made coupes, sedans and wagons in the low-to-mid price ranges. A unique styling cue of Pontiac cars from the mid-'30s to the mid-'50s was known as "Silver Streak," a set of art-deco-inspired chrome "speed lines" that ran up over the length of the hood to the base of the windshield.

The 1950s saw the introduction of the Pontiac Bonneville. The sprawling, stylish cruiser offered equal measures of performance and luxury, and was a breakout hit. But it wasn't until the 1960s that the Pontiac brand truly came into its own. American manufacturers had begun to offer downsized alternatives to the gigantic cruisers that had ruled the highways in previous decades. Pontiac came to market with the compact Tempest. In 1964, Pontiac made its biggest impact yet with the creation of the GTO option for the Tempest. By equipping the car with the powerful 389 cubic-inch V8 from the full-size car line, Pontiac created the first "muscle car." Phenomenally successful, the GTO helped define the burgeoning muscle car category. Pontiac also saw tremendous success during the latter part of this decade with its Firebird and Firebird Trans Am.

The oil crisis of the '70s made fuel efficiency a priority for many car buyers. Following the lead of its GM siblings, Pontiac made compact vehicles like the Ventura and Phoenix a major part of its lineup. The '80s saw the launch of the two-seat Pontiac Fiero. Despite its modest beginnings (it was initially marketed as a "commuter car"), the Fiero eventually blossomed into a credible sports car.

The '90s saw the launch of Pontiacs like the Sunfire and Montana minivan. Pontiac has slowly lost sales due to changing tastes and a lack of differentiation between its models and those of other GM divisions. In hopes of recapturing past glory, the division embarked on a plan to retire aged models and introduce all-new ones with distinctive styling and personality. For a while, the effort seemed to be bearing fruit. New models like the Vibe, Solstice and G8 made Pontiac a brand to consider in many segments. However, GM's financial troubles in 2008 and 2009 have resulted in the company's decision to phase out Pontiac as a brand. It's expected 2010 will be Pontiac's last year for new models.

User Reviews:

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  Awesome - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Zapote21 - November 3 - 10:00 am

  After months of looking at various vehicles, including imports, we settled on a Grand Prix. Best decision we ever made! Sporty, powerful, and great fun to drive. Anyone looking at ANY 4 door family sedan should take a long, hard, serious look at this vehicle. Beats any Honda, Toyota, Nissan offering out there.

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  Teriffic value - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Larry - November 3 - 7:03 am

  Update from 9-28:purchased (oem)19in rim & tire, fits perfectly into the spare tire well.R/R air pressure sensor failed, quickly replaced by Pontiac. Mixed very easy driving yielding about 21/22. We dont drive very much these days, so gas mileage not a problem. Fretted about buying an 8 cyl, did not need nor want the extra horses, it just drove better than the 6 cyl. Quieter & many options were standard. Apparently no insurance penalty for the 8 cyl. Love the overall quietness & comfort of this car. Rumor has it GM is ready to do away with Pontiac. Would not have purchased it had I known. If this happens I guess the 5 year 100k warranty will be worthless. Too bad, love the car.

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  nice car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By dave - November 2 - 7:10 am

  i bought the 06 g6 in 2007 it rides very nice a lot better than my girlfriends accord and my brother in- laws Camry. i travel 50 miles one way to work it averages 31mpg thats about the same as her accord with its 4 cylinder. i dont understand why it gets bad reviews

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  Sunroof - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By sexxy1969 - November 2 - 3:16 am

  Ive own my Pontiac Grand Prix GTP supercharge since 2002. I bought it with 21,000 miles.

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  Im in love - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By jordanface - October 30 - 8:32 pm

  I dont know much about cars, and from what I hear, Pontiac isnt the greatest kind of car....but I must say that Ive grown to fall in love with my car. I bought it in 2009 when it had 30,000+ miles on it. Since then, Ive put about 20,000+ miles on it and Ive had absolutely no issues with my car. My only issue is that the front end bumper is so low, it end up scraping when I park. Ive also got a minor leak in my oil pan, but thats nothing major. All in all, shes gotten me to numerous states and back with no issues. Its more of a "small person" car, but I dont have issues driving it.

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  i love my car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By kmae1223 - October 29 - 5:23 pm

  my seriously.... lets start here.. i bought a grand am and they lemon lawed it back and gave me a G6, i wish i could have just afforded this car from the get go.

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  I like it - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By grand prix - October 29 - 1:43 am

  excellent vehicle, and one I would recommend to others. I bought the base GP, but it has everything I want. I would like the roof to be a little higher to make it easier to enter and exit. Powerful engine and smooth ride, much better than Focus I traded in. Gas mileage is good, but could be better.

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  I like it! - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Frank Guthrie - October 28 - 2:00 am

  I bought this one because of the good reviews and the fact I felt like I was actually getting a Toyota from General Motors. I liked the idea of the station wagon features and the advertised good mileage. Unfortunately, it was difficult to find Vibes at my dealer, and I had to settle for one that didnt have the anti-lock brakes and anti-theft deterent and side airbags which I really, really wanted.

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  Last Bird - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By SteveK - October 28 - 2:00 am

  Out of the 5 Trans Ams Ive owned this one is the best. Previous years, 1984, 1990,1995,1998 all bought new. I plan to keep forever as it is a 3rd car.

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  Great for My First Car - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By HarborMatt - October 28 - 2:00 am

  This is a great car to have. It has the power where it needs it. Its only a 2.4L I4. It can go quick when i need it. Burning out is easy. Just turn off the ETS and you can have some fun. The Stock System in the Pontiac....just great. I only have a tape deck so I use a Tape Adapter with my CD Player and it pumps out even more bass then just the radio. The gauges are sweet at night...the red background. The only problem that I have had is the Heater didnt work but thats no big....just went to the dealer and got it replaced in like 10-15 minutes. The Gas Mileage stinks (15-17 m.p.g. City) but you can get some aftermarket parts to help with that.