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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  Value - 2005 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Mikey - July 21 - 2:26 pm

  It just seems like consumer guides these days only rate the performance of the vehicle and totally ignore value. Im here to tell you about the value of this car. I paid $16,000 CDN (after taxes) for a 1-yr old car loaded with features - all power - and with only 23,000kms w/ 2 yrs remaining on the warranty. What can you buy with this money? Zip. My friend bought a 2005 Civic, paid $24,000 CDN and has to manually roll up his windows! His car is so weak on hills that you feel like you need to get out and push. Ha! My GA flies up hills, has tons of low- end power and gets about 25-30mpg. The hype about foreign cars is bull. Ill be driving my GA when my buddys Civic is mowing lawns!

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  2002 Pontiac Firebird Collectors Ed. - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By Quentin Thomas - July 21 - 1:43 am

  The drive of this vehicle was great, but the performance and reliability were not that great at all. It was a automatic and it had transmission trouble, it had brake problems numerous times. The electrical system was messed up. and the t-tops leaked. In the short time that I did own this car, it was in the shop a good fourth of that.

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  Great even as a Daily Driver - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By John - July 20 - 4:43 pm

  I drive my GTO daily when Im in town. Unfortunately the car sits at the local airport 3-4 days per week. The car is perfect for me as a daily driver. It has great power, its unique in that the GTO is not so plentiful out there that people see them everywhere so they notice it when they do see one, it handles well for the muscle car it is and its comfortable even for me at 64" tall.

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  not bad so far - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By figgiedan - July 20 - 4:56 am

  had it for 2 yrs now - knock on wood..no issues as of yet -

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  Great for the money - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Clark - July 20 - 12:46 am

  I love this car, My problem has been in the steering wheel... The car seems to do its own thing when driving between 50 and 70 on open roads alot of play in the wheel. but the seats are great!!! I traded in my Ford Escape for this car and drove the Altima and the Jetta and picked this one due to the DIS system in the radio along with some extras that they didnt come with. I feel that ABS sytems should be standard on all units in the 05 and current line up. I find it a hazzard not to have it. Oh and word to the wise..... the gas mileage is true. My avg. is at 26 if not better. ALso I se that the G6s rear is a copy of the Chevy Cobalt.

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  Rear passenger room - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By Mrstitch - July 19 - 8:53 am

  Poorly designed for passengers entering or exiting the rear seats. When a front seat passenger adjusts his seat backwards often the rear seat passenger gets a seat jammed into his knees.

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  Good Car, But dont buy one used - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By Kevin - July 16 - 7:46 am

  Smooth ride...very adaptable...nice sound system...great tailgate vechicle...good in snow...decent MPG. The problem is the parts, under the first warranty the AC condenser,head and tail lightbulbs, broken plastic trim (overhead interior) had to be replaced. On the advice of a service tech. I extended the warranty what good advice...right after the first warranty expired the water pump, the starter, the 6-way power seat and the AC condenser (again), replaced. This is why people get mad and buy foreign because GM knew of these flaws and refused to fix them gratis...if you dont extend the warranty youre doomed. We still have it, and no problems I guess all the bugs are worked out.

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  attention getter - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By attention getter - July 16 - 6:46 am

  i bought my G6 in Feb of this year. i love the looks and features of my car i have a GT gets people attention with my panoramic sunroof. Have had a few problems wit it at 33,000 my coolant reservoir fell out of place and melted and now at 46K my steering pops,my headlight has moisture in it and the driver side back door window switch fell out of place but other than that i love my car fun to drive

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  PRND3L - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By veaudry - July 15 - 7:04 am

  This is my complaint. the shifter does not highlight when in any position,, there is no indicator in the dash to inform you what gear you are in.. Does anyone else have this missing on their G6s

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  Reliable but buggy electronics, and plenty of things to break - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By bobsmith70 - July 13 - 6:25 pm

  The 3.8 has a great transmission and engine, decent mpg, great performance, incredibly smooth, fun to drive but comfortable on the highway. Always started for me. I owned it from 90k to 140k. The problem is the electronics around it. Power steering rack leaks, gas gauge bounces around, traction control stops randomly, power windows love to break. Brake cylinders seize, the led on the radio like to dance sometimes. And nothing is $250 or less, everything is at least close to $400 or more to fix. It still works if you can live with the flaws as it is extremely dependable. Home mechanics go for it, but after 120k avoid it like the plague if you cant fix it yourself.