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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  Fuel for the Soul - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Colorado Goat - November 16 - 2:00 am

  This car is everything I expected it to be and then some. Performance, handling, ride, and interior comfort are superior to anything Pontiac has produced previously. It is a joy to drive and does live up to its heritage of being the first true Muscle Car.

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  amazing - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jch10 - November 16 - 2:00 am

  I just got this car today and i love it already. All the features are nice

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  I love my G6 but - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Danielle - November 15 - 6:06 am

  I have had my G6 for about a 1 1/2 now and it has a little over 25 thousand miles. I am having brake issues. The car feels like I am riding with my brakes on. Its like the car is fighting against the brakes. If I let off the gas the car will come to a complete stop on its own. There has been a couple times that the front end of the car will start shaking really bad when I am going over 60 miles an hour and that is really scary. The dealer ship has shaved my rotors, replaced the brake booster and now they are going to replace the master cylinder. I really hope this solves my problems because I really do like this car. It rides nice, I like the look and the gas mileage is great.

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  One Awesome Car! - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By bowtiefan1 - November 15 - 4:43 am

  Ive owned my new G8 GT since December 08. Its mostly my weekend and pleasure ride and I can tell you, its more fun (and practical with kids now) than my last sports car, an 89 Corvette! Its too bad that Pontiac and the G8 will soon be history. GM finally got it right with this car and sadly, they are getting rid of it. My only hope is Fritz will listen to Lutz and will rebadge it as a Chevy or Buick and promote it, like Ford is doing with its Taurus SHO. No one, except enthusiasts, really knew about this car. Buy this car soon before it is gone! Its spirited performance and awesome handling will have you hooked! Lastly, everywhere I go, I get lots of positive looks and feedback.

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  Too much maintenence - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Matt - November 14 - 7:43 pm

  Bought the car with 62k miles, have only driven it for 20k and have spent close to $2,000 in repairs already. New wheel bearing, intake manifold, electronic repair to ignition because it wouldnt release the key out the the hole, fixed wipers twice! When the car is running, I like the smooth ride, decent power and the roomy comfortable interior. The sound system is good, but the interior is made up of cheap plastic parts, much like the rest of the car. I would like the car a lot more had it not broken down so much. Ill never buy a pontiac again.

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  Best performance sedan value period. - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Family man - November 14 - 10:00 am

  I love this Pontiac GTP. No car is perfect, this one comes close if you want low cost high performance. Stock, the GTP run hard. With small changes like a reduced diameter supercharger pulley and K&N intake you can run with Z-28s and Mustang Cobras. The GTP is the Grand National of the 90s. Im on my 3rd GTP and I couldnt be happier.

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  Hate to See it GO - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By Top Off - November 14 - 10:00 am

  What a CAR, None like it on the road, for feel and comfort, I drive mine hard and fast. AND IT HANDLES IT. Been a Firebird owner for years and it just KEEPS GETTING BETTER, Shame it is not coming back, WAKE UP GM!!!!!

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  My first Pontiac - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Dre - November 13 - 3:16 pm

  My first Pontiac and I love it. The power this thing has along with the ride comfort is just amazing. Me constantly driving to the coast, a good 300 miles, I get great gas mileage. The city on the other hand the mileage just drops to about half of what I get on the highway. All in all its a great ride.

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  Mediocre GM build - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By blaine - November 13 - 7:43 am

  I was impressed by initial style, comfort, and fuel economy. Soon discovered its limitations. V6 is a bit noisy and seems unrefined. Suspension is loose. The car wants to jump out of your hands- when you accelerate (I mean step on it) – it pulls to one side. Before our 36,000 mile anniversary we started having popping sounds coming from front suspension (especially while turning corners), even with a tire rotation/balance routine and alignment, the tires had cupped out, and rotors warped. Bye-bye G6 After 18 months together I’ll miss your roomy comfortable cabin and leg room. Will not miss your little trunk opening- awkward for large items.

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  2004 Grand Am 260K plus and keeps on going! - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By mikiejay21 - November 11 - 10:07 pm

  I have had my 2004 Pontiac Grand Am for 6 years now and I still love it! Up until this week, ive never had a problem until the climate control went out. Turns out that I blew out the blower motor, and blower motor resistor, along with the circuit breaker. It was about an $800.00 repair which isnt bad considering how many miles were on the car. Other than that, no major problems at all, and it still runs like its brand new!