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:

• 

  Love it so far - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Doug - November 14 - 3:13 pm

  Ive only owned the car for 2 weeks, but I love how it looks (except fake hood scoops), rides & drives. Lot of room, decent Blaupunkt stereo. Power & torque are addictive, but also getting 21 mpg on mostly highway driving. Rare vehicle, so you dont see yourself coming & going.

• 

  back again - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By jay - November 13 - 10:00 pm

  I had 2 1964 gtos forget the "not retro" nonsense! This is one terrific car!! Get one before they are gone!!

• 

  Fun to Drive - 2008 Pontiac G5
  By Lloyd - November 13 - 5:13 am

  Ordered this car to replace 1999 Sunfire in October and have been very satisfied with the performance of this car. This car replaced the Sunfire and Pontiac responded to all the Sunfire owners on how to improve it. The ride is much smoother and the handling with the improved suspension is great. It has a lot of the features that more expensive cars have at a lesser price. Handles well in snow!

• 

  Great Used Value - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By FLADAD - November 11 - 2:23 pm

  I have had my Vibe since new and have 45,000 trouble free miles on it now. It is fun to drive and feels bigger than it is while driving. Made by Toyota it will undoubtedly have good reliability thru 150,000. That is my goal. 35mpg at 65mph is true. Only drawback is the rear window washer, its useless. But thats a small defect in a great car

• 

  GM builds a solid car - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By Albany Vibe - November 8 - 11:40 am

  I had been researching new models (Honda Fit, Yaris, and Versa) when the 09 came out. Was pretty much set on a Nissan Versa. The Vibe was only about $2000 more than the Versa comparably equipped. With the added features not available on the Versa (ABS, disc brakes all around, stability control, traction control, XM radio, On Star, and hands free phone) it made the Vibe a very nice upgrade. I now have 1300 miles on it, and have averaged 32.6 mpg 50-50 hwy/cty. The 5-speed is very smooth and nicely placed high on the floor. Ride is great; performance is more than adequate while delivering excellent gas mileage. Really a nice car.

• 

  The 2000 Grand Prix GTP Coupe - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Myron - November 8 - 2:00 am

  I believe the Grand Prix is an excellent purchase. For the amount of money you pay for this car I really cant ask for to awfully much more. I think the Grand Prix GTP is the perfect car if you want something that has a resonable amount of luxury and an excellent amount of power.

• 

  GXP - 2004 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Mr. Bonneville - November 8 - 2:00 am

  This car is really fun to drive. Its performance is very good since its a V8. The horsepower is a little too weak for a 4.6L V8, but the 300 twisting pounds of torque make up for that. The only bad thing is the 17/24 city/Hwy mileage. Overall, I think Pontiac put a lot of effort into this smooth ride and it handles pretty good. I love the brakes.

• 

  A great Car - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By benjordan2 - November 8 - 2:00 am

  I love this car. I was kinda worried about the price, but it was well worth it.

• 

  love this car - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By NBKEN - November 7 - 7:00 pm

  Had this car fora month, a blast to drive so far so good

• 

  Ram Air TA - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By Mike - November 5 - 10:13 pm

  Ive had 7 Fbirds or Camaros going back to 1970. This one would blow away ANY 60s Muscle Car and outhandle any race car of the 70s or 80s. For $32000, nothing touched it within $15K and then only a Vette. Next closest was $75K for a 911. 98% of a Vettes performance, 70% of the price--and better looks with more utility. Bright red is the only color for a GT. 160++ top speed. Only 17000 miles on it. And 25mpg on the highway. The ultimate American GT (with the SS Camaro.)It looks exactly like what it is: pure American Muscle. The Mustang needed a supercharger to just stay with it! Supercharge a TA and you put out 500+ hp. It will run with a Viper that costs 3 times as much.