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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  Water pert near floating spare tire - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By laniki - March 16 - 9:22 pm

  I can not find the source of the leak. I had to use the spare in the middle of winter and had to chip ice in the middle of a snow storm to access my spare!!! I almost tore out the wires for the trailer plug removing it! Car washes and heavy rain fill this compartment up to the tire!!! I have caulked all possible leak points that I can see to no avail. Any help in this matter would be appreciated.

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  Old, Mostly Reliable. - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By GrandAmCaravan - March 16 - 12:20 pm

  Ive had this car since it was nearly brand new and I have never had anything major go wrong with the engine. However, various stupid things go wrong with it, instead. Design flaws include: The back wheel wells were designed so rocks chip the corners of the back doors and it rusts like crazy, the security system will randomly cut off the fuel so it wont start, the exterior mirrors will break off if a light breeze blows past, there is something in the front doors that scratches the windows, and the brackets that hold up the power windows are flawed and break easily. Also, many parts are flimsy plastic that break. Other than that its a solid vehicle thats a good size and drives well.

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  GM still doesnt get it quite right - 2004 Pontiac Bonneville
  By alanb - March 16 - 10:00 am

  Bought this 2004 Bonneville 2 weeks ago. It was delivered with rusted brake rotor hubs that look like they came out of a scrap yard. If they are going to use these new style, very open wheel designs, they need to treat the brake hardware so that it doesnt rust like crazy. Also, the chrome plated aluminum rims have chrome bubbling and flaking off the clearly visible inside diameters. Dealer has ordered 4 me new wheels. This is shameful. The A/C cools erratically for the first 2 or 3 miles of driving. And this car came from the GM plant that JD Power rated the best in North America!! How can that be????

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  Grand Prix A.K.A Tranny Problems - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By mishmish - March 15 - 11:20 pm

  I love this car but hate it at the same time. The car really is a eye catcher. This is my 2nd prix first one (96)tranny went out at 110k, my current one went out 111k and then went a 2nd time at 135k. I almost forgot I was told the 99 Prixs only fit 99 trannys. Fun fun. The frames on them are crap so if you wanna add more horsepower good luck on not cracking the frame. Headlights fog up with dirt. Good luck getting up any hills in the snow without all 4 studded tires.

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  Great car for the price - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By buster - March 15 - 9:30 am

  Purchased value leader sedan. Sure, I want a better car but this is all I really need and with the rebates, no car is more affordable, no way. Has all the basic features, performs well even with the 4 cyl and is reliable.

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  Sleeper GXP - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By wzntme78 - March 14 - 12:40 pm

  I purchased this car with about 12,000 on it, as a former program car. The car right of the bat sold itself as far as performance and comfort went. I fell in love with the rumble of the exhaust..And punch the pedal and you can feel the pull. As for torque steer, we are talking about an big torgue high hp V-8 in a car...Not some little handa with 200 hp and no real torque, so of course you will have this at times. Just hold on and make sure you are aimed in a direction other than whats desired! Torque steer can also be found in any Cadillac fwd with the northstar!

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  Please Dont Buy - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By jefferywayne - March 14 - 11:59 am

  this car is fast and fast to break down. problems started as early 30k mi. the water pump was the first to go. that was wierd cause the car was new.then after that it was the battery. mind you that every part that i took i replaced with the top of the line parts available. i finally came up with the rasio that for every 1 new part put on the car 3 more parts broke. then the lower control arm snapped.wheel hub assemply went out. oil drain plug decomposed and the list continues. from transmission shifting hard to total loss of horsepower and deallights failing. just dont buy the car. when it works the car is gorgious and fast.

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  problem with brakes and tires a lot - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By crisco - March 14 - 2:20 am

  It is 2009 now and this car was gotten in 2004. It only has 2900 miles on it and I have had to get the breaks replaced twice now. Both times the life time warranty pads have been replaced and the the rotors as well as some other things. There was a recall after a couple years as the check engine light will come on , but they fixed that. I have had to replace the tire a few times now , the front tires wear on this car very quickly as well as the breaks. Also the windshield wipers fluid doesnt last at all. Other than that I havent had any problems. Although that seems like a lot considering the mileage .It has good handling and looks.

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  Decent car for the price - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By jason - March 10 - 9:13 am

  I really think for the sticker price this is by far the best performance your going to get from a new car. The 3.8L supercharged puts down a impressive amount of power, IMO it handles better at high speeds then the Mustang Cobra.

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  Great Performer if taken care of properly! - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By gypsybeth81 - March 10 - 7:48 am

  Ive had 1 major and a few minor problems with my coupe. Im currently the second owner and bought it when it had 84,000 miles. Unfortunately the engine blew which was likely the result of poor driving from the previous owner or myself when showing off at times :( Since then it has been replaced with another engine with 30,000 miles less then the previous one, and I must say this has been the best performance car Ive driven! And Ive driven 15 to 20 different cars in my time. Handling is great,has lots of room for a coupe, and has ability for modifications on a smaller budget. Gas is average,but factory tail lights are poorly made and may leak in time. Some interior detail is poorly made.