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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  Horrible - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Lala - June 27 - 6:43 pm

  I bought my G6 and at first loved it, until it snowed. These are the worst cars to drive in the snow ever! Battery went dead and now the cd player is broke. I will have to buy a new cd player for $350. I hate everything about this car, cloth seats are horrible and very uncomfortable.

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  Grand Am Cup Holders - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Pamela - June 25 - 11:16 am

  I absolutely hate the cup holders...the design makes no sense at all (in front of the gear shift). When the car is in park you cannot have a cup in the cup holder. In addition the cup holders are so shallow that everything tumbles out and spills on the carpet. I also hate the sun visor...they are so small, they are of no use! I went to edmuds.com to book out my car and the resale is very poor. I also have a 2002 Honda CRV with 100k+ miles and the value is 6 times higher than my pontiac. We have had continuous problems with the tail lights. and the..we keep replacing bulbs ..there was a bulletin on this also....The radio volume no longer works...

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  engine revs up and down - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By djc44 - June 20 - 2:00 am

  with the rear window defogger on and the headlights on when you shift the car into gear the lights will dim and the engine will rev up and down all by its self g.m. says that it is designed that way nothing they can do to fix!

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  sunfires have lots of problems - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ggirl - June 19 - 10:00 am

  I bought mine two years ago and I have had many problems like alternator,battery radio, a grove was dug in my roator by my break pads, they are not made very sturdy.

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  Minivan Madness - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By Cheryl - June 17 - 9:40 am

  I have owned this vehicle for 2 years and had the head gasket go at 39,000 miles. Heat always feels like its on when its not. Backlit sometimes stays off. Headlights dim slightly on and off when driving at times. Would not recommend this van to anyone, I would not buy one again. Beware before you buy. Rattles a lot when driving and bad over bumps.

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  2005 Montana SV6 - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By dlink - June 16 - 10:10 pm

  Purchased new at dealer in Fall 2004. Bad electricals from the start (flickering head lights & dash lights) as well as annoying wind noise at 60 mph+. Dealer has no clue as to fixes. Electrical wiring short occurred at 3.5 years and 106,000 miles involving main electrical circuit. Dealer charges $2,500 to fix!! This has not been a good vehicle given the fact that the van is worth about $6,000. GM deserves what they get in the world of cars; they are losing market share for a reason. Others make better cares and treat their customers slightly better! I will never buy from this dealer or GM again!

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  Very disappointed with this ride! - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By KCOOK - May 28 - 5:03 pm

  This car has given me nothing but headaches. I had 2 head gaskets blow when it had only 12,000 miles on it. I also cannot keep brakes on this car. It only has 32,000 miles on it and I have had the brakes worked on multiple times. The rotors just do not last. My latest repairs included spark plugs and wires and leaking sunroof just this past week.

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  It was the worst I ever owned - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By wayne - May 23 - 8:20 am

  I now drive a ford zx2, I had a 1998 grand am for bout a month, it had a 3.1 v-6 it was a 2dr. gt. When I test drove it, it was great, it was powerful and handled nicely. After buying it I was impressed with the fuel mileage, but within a month I had to replace the radiator, heater core, alternator, head and intake gaskets, battery and a power window motor. Last Pontiac Ill ever buy.

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  dont waste your money on this one - 2002 Pontiac Aztek
  By bigsuzukifan - May 13 - 10:00 am

  since i bought this i had problem with it every day. try looking for some other japanese suv. try the suzuki xL-7 the aztek is so ugly. dont spend money on this american junk. it took me almost 6 months to sell this thing. even the gm Dealer gave a very low tarding value. only $6000.00 for it with 10000 miles on it

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  Sunfires are Bad Cars - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By LGrant - May 3 - 3:53 am

  We have had nothing but trouble with this car since we bought it. The latest is that the motor mount broke in half which messed up the axles. The car is an accident waiting to happen. I am just lucky my daughter didnt get hurt. The hood is still loose on one side but the dealers will not replace it. We have been in three times. When the trunk started leaking (two days after we got the car)they found a wire coat hanger inside the wall but could not explain it. The car is a pile of junk. It is defective but Pontiac will not do anything about it. I guess they are waiting for someone to die first.