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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  Best of both worlds - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By bryan - December 13 - 11:00 pm

  I was looking for a vehicle to be a four door and sporty with enough power. The Grand Prix has both of them and great fuel economy for its size. Am a traveling salesman and this vehicle is a perfect fit for my present situation and would recommend it to similar people

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  Great Value - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Liner56 - December 13 - 10:00 am

  The Sunfire is a great car from my experiences so far. It is very responsive when it needs to be and is a smooth ride. Performs well on highway and in the city. It gets good gas mileage (26mpg city; 32mpg hgwy). The 6 speaker sound system is very impressive. I am very pleased with its performance to date. Highly recommended buy.

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  Love this car! - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Bonnie - December 8 - 9:03 pm

  Ive had this car for a month and I absolutely love it! I bought it with 28k on it so its practically brand new. I was really hesitent to get a car this big but Im so happy I did. I went from having a 4 cylinder to a 6 so Im not used to the gas mileage yet but it doesnt seem to be using that much. The car looks awesome and is so fun to drive! Im hoping to have this car for a long long time.

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  1997 Sunfire - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By McPharlane - December 7 - 2:00 am

  Great car to drive. Good handling, great gas mileage, seats are very comfortable for long drives. Would buy another one.

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  Firebird V6 (My 1st car at 18 yrs. old) - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By TexasBird - December 7 - 2:00 am

  *Performance 5: V6, very weak. Has tendency to embarrass you. *Comfort 8: Front seats very supportive. *Fuel Economy 7: Great everyday driver. I got 31 mpg on I-10 for a road trip. *Fun to Drive 6: Only good for lookin good. Get flirted with a lot more. *Ext. Design 10: Great aggressive stance and body look. *Int. Design 9: Cheap plastic buttons dont look good. Red glow of instruments at night is awesome. *Build Quality 8: No squeaks, leaks, rattles etc. You get what you pay for. Trans Ams are a lot better built. *Reliability 8: Only thing to break is pop up headlights and CD player.

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  Sorry you guys have problems - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By jaydub - December 6 - 5:33 am

  Ive had mine for going on two years now and Ive put over 45k on it. Thing runs like a top. No problems with the panoramic sunroof. I get great mileage for a 6-cyl on the highway. City is not so great but I recently went on a 1500+ mile road trip and was getting 30+ mpg, thought the computer might be broke so I figured it out myself and I wasnt dreaming. Handles great and is smooth and reliable in these New England winters.

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  Go Fast Big Sedan - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Atilla - December 5 - 10:00 am

  I ordered by Bonneville SE with the supercharged engine and ride control. I liked the idea of a wolf in sheeps clothing. Shifting to peformance ride for mountain driving provides confidence and fun. Normal ride mode provides a comfortable ride for the long distance drive. The car has been very reliable with the expected repairs for a car with 120,000 miles. I consistently get 24 mpg commuting 100 miles per day. I love the tire wear. My first set went 80,000 miles and then I replaced them due to a nail in the side wall that no one would repair.

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  LOVIN IT SO FAR - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By pat - December 5 - 10:00 am

  Ive only got 1100 miles on my GA so far and I couldnt be more pleased. I initially had a problem with the brakes but the people at Suttle motors in Newport News took care of it post haste and there has been no re-occurance, The interior and exterior styling are out of this world (even though there are a lot of these babies on the road theheads still turn!) and the performance has been first rate.

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  ABS TCM - 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
  By adamsjjjr69 - December 4 - 4:30 pm

  Has 220,000 miles but recently the ABS TCM lights came on. When I stop to restart the car and clear the lights, the wheels "lock up" and it will not move. Had to have it towed twice. Had to have the ABS TCM module replaced ($1200) and it worked ok until yesterday. Did the same thing and the wheels lock up. Anyone else have this problem, because my mechanics cannot figure out why. They are replacing components but not sure of the cause.

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  No more Sunfires! - 2002 Pontiac Sunfire
  By MLukey101679 - December 2 - 10:00 am

  About 9 or 10 months after i bought it, I had trouble starting it on the first try. The dealer had trouble diagnosing the problem and when they thought they did, the car again would not start on the first try. It occasionally does this still and I refuse to take it back to the dealer b/c I am sick of different people telling me what is wrong. Around the 2nd or 3rd time I took it there, there was a posting on the Internet in regards to the starting problem and what to do about it; it did not work. Now, my problem is when I start my car (when it does start!), the clock goes to 12:00 - Ive resorted to just leaving it at that time.