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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  Ugly but good personality - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Podoghouse - May 15 - 10:00 am

  We always called Azteks "the ugly truck" but once we drove one we were sold. The outside may be ugly but the inside is great!

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  Great gas sipper - 2007 Pontiac Vibe
  By Matt - May 11 - 10:40 pm

  I bought this used car with 12,000 miles on the odometer. It now has 38,000 miles on it, including round trips from Minnesota to Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, and Ontario. It gets 37 mpg, 35 with 2 bikes on the back, and 30 even in congested Toronto.

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  Fun to drive - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By DBrickey - May 10 - 12:50 pm

  I find myself wanting to drive past my house so that I can keep driving. There seem to be a lot of Mustangs and little punky 4 cyl out there that think they can keep up. I dont think so...

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  The Car of Your Dreams - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Nails - TX - May 9 - 7:30 pm

  I have never seen so many double-take, jaw dropping, envious stares in my life! The kind of attention I get is only matched by exotics. The car was bought for my wife to run around in. She LOVES it. I LOVE it. EVERYONE loves it. Pros: Everything.. Style, Performance, and Price. Cons: Not a Family car! Gas mileage is on the low side, 16-18 straight city/ 27 HWY. Somewhat limited trunk space (although I have stowed an entire grocery basket full of groceries).

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  Keep or Sell ??? - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By tam10 - May 8 - 2:41 am

  I wasnt sure if I wanted to keep my 2004 Pontiac Grand Am Gt but I LOVE IT & its such a nice looking car I would hate to get rid of it & would certainly miss it. Although since January all I did was start to replace things in it that have gone bad. First the rack in January then a good cleaning on the EGR sensor then last week front brakes,pads & routers then to top it all off on Saturday while moving a friend of mine the factory battery finally went after 7 yrs. Also the TRANSMISSION. OMG didnt know what to do at this point, pay the bank or pay 3000.00 to have the trans fixed, Well guess what I decided to do. Everything is getting fixed & replaced. Cant wait to get my "NEW" car back!

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  Finally an exciting Pontiac - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Steve - May 7 - 12:56 am

  It drives like no other sedan on the road today. It does not handle like a sedan in the sense that you have to pay attention to what you are doing, and in this day of people yapping away on a cell phone this could be a blessing. It fun to drive and I find myself driving more than I used to drive. The cosmetics of the interior are uninspired with the notable exception of the gauge cluster. Acceleration is crisp and the sport shift 4-speed is just plain fun. The seats are comfortable for long trips or the short hop to the grocery store, but are forewarned, space in the boot is cramped. Two thumbs up, Pontiac finally put some excitement back into their basic grocery getter.

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  Great Bonnie! - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By DMP - May 4 - 10:50 pm

  Purchased as a demo in 2007 with 21K kliks as a replacemennt for my 94 SLE (nice car); Now at 53K. Daily driver for mostly city driving. I love the styling - stealth-look black exterior turns heads and clears traffic on the highway. Interior is comfortable for my tall frame. Excellent ride. The GXP is very thristy; in keeping with the performance image the final drive was raised to 3.7 which drops the mileage by about 20% over other NorthStar equipped cars.

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  Unhappy with the G5 - 2009 Pontiac G5
  By Un Happy - May 3 - 10:06 pm

  My 1st new car and its been to the dealership 3 times for a clunk in the front end, which started around 7,000 miles. After replacing the rack and pinion, it still had the noise, it went back again and this time the inter. shaft and steering column was replaced, it no longer makes the noise (for now), but I have found 2 items not put back together correctly. I am not happy with the car, or the dealership I have it serviced at. The car handles bad and has since I got it, even with new tires it just doesnt handle well, I can see why the company went under!

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  Love It - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By Carol - May 3 - 1:20 pm

  If you can get past the back end of the Aztek and look inside and drive it, you will love it. When I first saw these on the road I thought they were the ugliest things ever. When I test drove it, I didnt see the back end and didnt realize it was "THAT" car until afterwards. By then I had already wanted it. Tons of room! Very comfortable and I dont feel like I will tip over in it like I did in other small SUVs (like the Hyundai Santa Fe). There are some blind spots however, once you get used to it you learn to work around it.

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  silver streak - 2002 Pontiac Aztek
  By blueyz - May 2 - 10:00 am

  ive owned several SUVs and none were as fun to drive as my AZTEK. it handles well, takes tight turns and the gas milage is great. i did some sporty work to it and it looks great..