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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  SSEi = Super Special - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By absbill - April 19 - 2:00 am

  This has been a great car for my wife: a real looker, classy, excellent fuel economy considering how powerful the car is. Shes been very happy with it.

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  frustratingly great and horrible! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Stacy - April 18 - 11:16 am

  have had this car since 2000. replaced the alternator, battery, rebuilt the front end (brakes, rotors, pads, calipers, brake lines, 2 wheel bearings), paid $500 to have a dealer replace 2 sensors to keep the security system from kicking in and shutting the car off, the volume knob is broken (vol goes up when turning it down), front window motors need replaced (works 95% time)plastic dash is cracked, radio LCD light dead. spark plugs, coil packs, coil housing, replaced and still is mis-firing. During the warm months its a bear to drive with the tranny slipping badly.

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  2006 G6 Sedan V6 130,000KM - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Mr Sanipass - April 16 - 11:46 pm

  I feel compelled to write a review about this car as we put a lot of hard miles on our cars, our sedan came with remote keyless entry, remote start, power pedals. We serviced the car every 5000 or as needed. We have replaced front and rear brakes and rear stabilizer bushings. Other than that everything works perfect powerful fun to drive. Great fuel economy for a v6. Just a note, when it comes time for a transmission service dont get the flush, they hacked my transmission line and has never since stopped leaking, they say it needs a high pressure line which cost more then the car is worth, LOL. We have recently purchased a 07 with 30,000 km hope it last as long as our 06.

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  Great Fun! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Trance - April 10 - 4:46 pm

  Love the car for its performance. Even though the car is large...the interior feels a bit cramped. The back seats are almost useless to adults. However...Im single and bought it for the performance...so Im happy.

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  True Long-Distance Driving - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Mike L - April 10 - 9:43 am

  I worked for a firm that leased a couple of different vehicles one of which was the VIBE. I was due a new vehicle and chose to try the Vibe since it seemed to be a mini SUV wagon. The vehicle was the best vehicle I ever was issued. No breakdowns, always reliable sturdy, and "quick" dispite the under- powered engine (should be larger 4 cyl or 6 cyl) Only issue was starting from the line, no pep and you need some distance to enter a busy fast highway. However, using it on the streets of NYC I never had a problem. The only issue I had was the interior design, window opener locations, lack of rear seat heading, Air conditioning ports seemd sloppily designed. I recommend it for all.

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  Overall Great SUV - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By wax - April 9 - 4:33 am

  Get a lot of comments about how good the Torrent looks with the 17" allows. A very versatile, roomy SUV. Great pickup and smooth transmission. Interior materials are somewhat cheap. Very few reliability issues so far, at the 43,000 mile mark. The center arm rest design is a disaster. Would buy it again.

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  Mean Manta Green GT - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By barbay - April 8 - 10:00 am

  First car I ever purchased new. Had a long commute to work and put over 100 miles a day. The first 5 years were great with little maintenance required just the average wear and tear. After 5 years though I started having problems: First it was the Fuel pump, then the switch for the headlights, the driver side window followed and now the water pump has a leak. All of this has been within the last 12 months. Id say the car hit 100K miles and started to self destruct.

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  Great Car - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By nice car - April 3 - 2:26 pm

  I got this car for free since it was no longer accommodating for my Dad (the very low seating position and getting in and out is difficult when your 72 years old and have hip/knee problems). Replaced all the brakes and rotors (all 4 were warped...no idea why). Put in about $200 for parts and did the work myself. Only problems now are non-functioning electric window on rear passenger side and an oil leak (one from sending unit and a rear main seal). I dont plan to fix these since I dont ride in the back seat (sorry passenger) and the oil leak will probably be expensive....I will fix it if it is just the oil sending unit....wont do it if it is the rear main seal. Got the car 9 months ago

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  Goodbye big SUVs, Hello CUVs - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Uncle John - April 2 - 2:00 am

  I finally downsized and got rid of a GMC Jimmy which was nothing but trouble. I picked the Vibe since its got the heart of a Toyota and the body of a Pontiac. The car hugs the road around corners, handles better than any vehicle Ive ever owned, and has a 5 star crash test and gets 30 mpg. locally. I got the 5 speed with the moon and tunes package (Sunroof and 200 watt sound system) and the safety package with side air bags and antilock brakes. The storage space is amazing with the back seat folded down. I bought a 4X6 foot indoor/outdoor charcoal carpet at Home Depot to line the storage area. This car is so much fun to drive as a 5 speed.

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  i love my grand prix se - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By mz mylkshake - April 2 - 2:00 am

  i bought my grand prix not too long ago and i have not been dissappointed it had 68000 miles on it when i bought it and a few small knicks and scratches but i love it nonethe less, it is so fun to drive and although i could not get the gt i wanted the se has alot of kick i love the room i have i love the car all im missing is a sunroof which i may add myself