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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  Great Car Overall - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By blakehannan - October 3 - 7:00 pm

  I bought this car last February used. It is very fast, rides tight... Hard suspension so its a little bumpy but ill survive due to the performance. I love the look of the exterior with the factory wheels, id love to put some different wheels on to make it look even more sharp! But, the downfall to this vehicle is the interior, the seats are nice, but the plastic throughout the car is a little annoying and i do not believe that Pontiac put any time into it and did not give the consumer what they should have gotten. Could have been an AMAZING vehicle, but due to this, just great. Good fuel economy for 5.3 L V-8.

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  Vibe has pluses and a couple of needs - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Vibe Owner N - October 1 - 11:36 pm

  The only difficult thing about the car is that it is hard to see out when looking towards the rear or the sides.The window configuration could be better to fix this problem.The fold down seats are excellent.It would be nice if it had a bit quieter ride.

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  Style Great Engine Stinks - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Leia - September 28 - 6:26 am

  I purchased the car with 100,000 miles on it. Within the first year I had to park the car and replace the intake manifold gaskets and the fuel pressure regulator. A year later I had to park it again to find out why the car wouldnt go into park anymore. After taking of the solenoid from the shifter I was able to drive it again only to find the tranny leaking and a major rack and pinion leak. Over all I only got 20,000 miles out of it and sold it as fast as I could. I loved the body style and it was wonderful to drive but to fix it you have to have deep pockets. Its a money pit. I will stay a ford girl after this. Change the engine and I might come back.

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  Beware!! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Schwoopie11 - September 28 - 12:10 am

  I have had nothing but a headache with this car. Yes, it is fun to drive but that is only when it is not in the shop. I have had this car in 10+ times in the last year for the same thing, a bad BCM. No one can figure out the problem, not even the engineers. I have always been loyal to Pontiac. But never again..This car is not worth buying, beware.

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  ABS/AWD Disable - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By AZTEK - September 25 - 4:26 pm

  I just bought this car in January 2008 and am having trouble already with the abs/awd disable light. nothing shows on my mechanics computer but looks like a lot of trouble with sensors or harnesses. which would be the cheapest to start with? i just got it and cant really afford to trade it already.

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  The most beautiful car ever! - 1998 Pontiac Firebird
  By JCMoya - September 24 - 10:00 am

  After 5 yrs and 56K miles I still in love with my bird. This is my 2nd Firebird. The 1st one (1986) was the worst, but this one (1998) is the best car I ever owned (of 14 cars so far). CR use to rate the reliability of this car as the worst, but my experience is very very very different. Except for the regular Lube and New tire installation, this baby has not been touch by a mechanic. Thats right, NO PROBLEM in 5 years. Thats a lot better than my neighbors Camry.

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  Finally a good product innovation - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By DAVE - September 23 - 3:16 pm

  Pontiac division has been needing a new product line to bring it back from its stagnant ho-hum stylings. Ive bought Pontiacs in the past for improved style, comfort and roominess but had been shied away until this hardtop convertible came out. I like the idea of being able to either have a hardtop or convertible, like two cars in one. The hardtop doesnt leak water as in most convertibles tend to have and is much warmer inside in colder weather. The remote control start feature works great on days when its cold outside and you dont want to sit in a cold car waiting for it to warm up. The heated seat feature warms up faster than on other cars. The GTP has more styling over the GT models.

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  Great - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By ryan w - September 23 - 11:40 am

  I feel my 98 has held up better than most cars half its age. I work at a car dealership and the Bonneville has a much roomier interior than any 06 Impala. The interior is quiet, although less wind noise would be preferable, and The interior had a tenancy to creak and rattle in colder conditions. Overall, this is a good car and I wish more cars were built like this.

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  2006 GTO - Bad struts!!!!! - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Chris Smith - September 22 - 9:26 am

  I am soured today because my GTO has 730 miles on it and the left front has blown out for the second time. Each time strut oil is flung all over the place, melting the undercoating creating a goo that is difficult to cleanup. Look on www.nhtsa.dot.gov to witness the 55+ entries for this problem alone. Pontiac also doesnt appear to be too concerned about this problem as well. I get tons of lip service from their customer support but overall it is what we all know and expect as GM. I am very saddened by this as I want GM the biggest and baddest. Well... to my chagrin the latter is true. My wife’s Odyssey certainly looks like the better of the two purchases.

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  Great but only when new - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By alex3877 - September 19 - 10:00 am

  Lots of repairs! Alternator went, climate control panel replaced twice and now gone again, coolant in the oil, transmission acts funny, the list goes on… The V6 gives it a good get and up and go but its noisy. Now the cabin noise is high at highway speeds and much of the suspension needs replacing. The extended warranty covered the car through 75k and it paid for itself at least 5 times over and it was only $900 to begin with. When the car was new, it was absolutely beautiful inside and out. More repairs are needed but I think I will just throw it away for a new car, trade-in is almost nil.