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:

• 

  Decent - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Im Awesome - May 21 - 1:23 pm

  The car hasnt given too many problems. Weve put 100,000 miles on in just 7 years, and for an American car, Id say its pretty decent. Weve had had some electrical problems and fuel problems.

• 

  Sporty, Fun To Drive, Great Economy - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Leo-Bailey - May 21 - 10:00 am

  What a great ride! I have 26000 miles on the car with none of the problems listed by other reviews. Did have a shaking problem between 65 & 70, but found the tires to be at fault. Goodyear replaced them free of charge-- Problem solved! Solid, great handling and fantastic fuel milage with great performance! Some girl followed my wife for 10 miles just to tell her the car was the best looking car she has seen. She wanted to know the make and model

• 

  All the benefits, none of the expense - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Movie Buff - May 21 - 5:26 am

  We just purchased this Grand Prix, and so far have nothing but positives to say about it. And Im a die hard Japanese car buyer. But, after speaking with many Grand Prix owners, researching and test driving, we took the step to domestic. Weve met many owners with mileage well into the 100,000k, many over 150,000k, on model years 03 forward, with little if no problems. Ride is fantastic, corners like a pro, with little "roll". Interior comfort excellent, quite and well mannered on the road. Acceleration is excellent, and were getting 28 to 30 on these mountain roads of SW Virginia, which by the way, the car does very well in the snow and ice. We kept our "Subie" as a second car

• 

  Family Safe Car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By ellaarkin - May 21 - 5:03 am

  This the first car I am actually comfortable driving my children around in. My children are my most valuable treasure and we found a reliable and economical family car.

• 

  My Blue Bird - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By jackrussel420 - May 20 - 10:58 pm

  I have a 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix SE with the 3.8 Liter motor and I have to say it is a fast car, for being just the SE anyways. Ive gotten up for 115mph in under 10 seconds! Engine has oil pressure problems anyone know why? other than that the only thing that has gone wrong is I had to replace a window regulator which is typical for any car these days. Oh and did i mention mine only has 47,000 miles and it is 13 years old!

• 

  i love my G6 GT - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By T Davis - May 19 - 11:03 pm

  I love how this car drives, rides and handles. Sporty looking "Mommy" car! (my first 4 door out of 6 cars owned). Very roomy inside and great trunk space. I get stares and questions about it. I just love it!!

• 

  Not Happy!!! - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By rebels77 - May 19 - 5:00 pm

  had the car 2 1/2 years and had more than enough problems.1: aircon. had to be fixed.2:wheel bearing in the front was bad. 3: rear window regulator broke.4:front pass. window works only on once in awhile. 5:intake manifold is leaking has to be replaced.6: power steering pump is leaking.7:dash lights are burning out. Cant wait to buy my new Dodge Charger!!. This is coming from a person who has driven Gm Cars for 30 years, Very disappointed!!! This car has only 132,000 km which is 82,500 miles

• 

  Wouldnt trade it for anything! - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By FREX10 - May 19 - 1:20 am

  You havent driven until youve driven this car. The power and response are thrilling. The safety features are comforting. I took a TBone hit square in the driver side front door (i was crawling and she was traveling at 40 mph- and she never hit the brakes!) and my 10 yr old was in the front passenger seat- neither my son nor I were hurt at all, the cars frame was not bent, the glass did not break - it was amazing. the traction control feature is amazing as well. if you hit the brakes in light rainy conditions and your wheels fail to grip properly, the car takes over and bumps the vehicle to a stop (no idea exactly how, but it has saved us a couple times!). Pontiac should resurrect production!

• 

  Love Pontiac - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Air Assault SGT - May 18 - 6:16 am

  I bought a 2003 sunfire and fell in love with it on the test drive. Since I bought it I have changed things that way I can race it. The only issues that I have had are the o2 sensers and the converter. I have almost 200k on it and not one drop of leakage. I have lowered it and uped the hp and it runs like a champ and handles better than any other car that I have drove and I run a low 11sec in the quarter mile. I race my car with a stock engine and it has never let me down. This is by far the best 4cylinder that is out there. Better than the Vtec and the Zetech. Just do your regular maint. on it and it wont let you down. I love my car and it loves me and shows me every race.

• 

  Excellent all around! - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Misterbaker - May 17 - 10:00 am

  This is the best car Ive owned!