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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  Best car for the money - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By HKK1 - August 15 - 2:00 am

  One of the best cars I have ever had. Its sporty, quick, and drives great. The gas mileage is excellent and the deisgn is a gret new change. Best decision I have made and the dealer made a great deal on it. Better deal than any foriegn car I was looking at.

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  Aztek is Terrific - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By susanjskinner - August 14 - 10:00 am

  All we can say about our one year old Aztek is - FANTASTIK! Cant understand why more people arent driving them - perhaps if the dealers made an effort to sell them (ours was in the back of the lot)--- very comfortable, great goodies, quiet ride, powerful...we love it!

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  Great dependable fun car! - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Karen - August 14 - 10:00 am

  I have a 98 Pontiac Grand Prix with 117,000 miles. No problems with this car. Fun to drive and turns heads. Only complaint is the headrests on the front seats, they definitely need redesigned. Other than that, a great car.

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  I love my car!!! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Connie - August 14 - 8:26 am

  I have always wanted a 2000 GT. Bought it used and now have 110,000 on it. It is wonderful and I get compliments on it all the time. I had the passlock problem that Tons of others have had but luckily my husband does alarms, remote starts and other electrical on cars for a living and he solved it no problem. I think a car depends on the person driving it and how they take care of it. I am super protective of my cars. Especially this one.

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  Green Machine, not a gas guzzlin SUV - 2009 Pontiac G3
  By Janko - August 14 - 12:23 am

  Im giving this car a 10 across the board. Im doing this with the mindset of my expectations of a compact economy car. It met my expectations 100%. Im 66" tall and cannot believe how comfortable the seats are. I love this car and its exactly as I expected. For the people who rate the performance anything less than a 10, go buy a Corvette. I had a Honda and am soooo happy I sold it to buy the G3. No complaints, very happy!!!

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  3rd Grand Prix - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By VVT - August 12 - 8:23 am

  I love this car it is my 3rd grand prix. Its got all the features you could want with a strong engine, what more could you ask for?

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  I like the retractable hard top - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By ugh lee - August 11 - 8:13 am

  As the owner of an older Ford Mustang convertible, it is so nice to not be worried about having to replace the top every 5-7 years. The interior is amazingly roomy nad safe . We have three kids and the back seat will comfortable seat tehm as they get older (the 11 yr old boys are not much shorter than my average height wife) and the front seat is real safe with the dual stage air bag (one heck of an improvement over two pint seat belt and no air bags in the older car). Its also quiet and comfortable with the top down! Heated seats are a great way to increase top-down time in the Fall.

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  Wallys Tec - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By Wally Crane - August 10 - 10:00 am

  I liked the style and reviews on the net art the time. I had a few problems, one major. Modules have had to be replaced, Trunk opener had to be adjusted, some gauges recalibrated, all under warranty. The major prob was the trans. At 43,000 it fell apart. After some struggle GM paid for 1/2. I still enjoy the tek though.

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  Get past the looks - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By jonic911 - August 10 - 10:00 am

  Extremely happy. Great gas mileage. Unbeleivable room. Very solid.

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  Good Vibe-rations - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By hmccoy1 - August 10 - 10:00 am

  Bought GT w/6-speed manual in February in Pittsburgh and had not one problem in the snow. Moon and Tunes package a great buy and have loved playing my CDs while tooling around. Long trips are a pleasure and I am 64". Great get-up and go through town and on the highway.