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 Little Car! - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By TW - December 28 - 7:20 am

  Bought 9 months ago with 100,000 mi. LOVE this little car. It runs like new and never have a problem. Good mileage 28/33. Great design, part minivan, part SUV, part sports car. Very comfortable seating for 4 six footers. ONLY problems are: clicking behind clove box, could fix but is harmless, cold idle is too high cant fix, red dashboard light is hard to see in bright daytime. Other than that its perfect! I expect it to go another 100,000 miles.

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  Fast and Furious - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Mr Norm - December 27 - 3:56 am

  The day I received this car all I had was a smile on my face, I love the brazen orange paint, the crazy torque the comfortable seats and the launch oh my god, faster than all the sports cars that I have own, and I had some good ones, and IROC-Z, Mustang GT, Buick Grand National this thing smokes them all I do have some performance parts such as eibach springs, koni shocks, subframe connectors, alum- driveshaft bmr axels and stubs headers, supercharger, comp cam and magnaflow exhaust. But the thing I like the most is that you dont see them all over the road. Ill keep it until the wheels fall off.

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  Montana Good and Bad - 2001 Pontiac Montana
  By Lynne - December 26 - 4:43 am

  I drive our 2001 Montana and I enjoy it for the most part for smooth ride and roomy interior. Has been reliable and smooth running up until replacing intake manifold gasket at 60,000 miles due to dry rot. A $790+ repair cost that I contacted Pontiac about and was reimbursed 50% of the cost. Recently, my glove box door fell off due to plastic "hinge" breaking. The fold-down rear seat plastic hinge looks like it will be next to go. When gasket was being replaced at local dealer, mechanic broke air box and it will have to be replaced. Also, having problem with an engine sensor that indicates a problem with 1 of 3 possibilities. Sorry that OnStar will no longer work after 12/07.

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  LOVE THIS CAR! - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By SHELLY - December 25 - 12:53 pm

  Purchased this car on ebay from a dealer in texas. paid 13,000 car had 13,000 miles on it. i love the roomy interior. i use this more as a truck sometimes than a car. always seems i have something to haul and the fold down back seat is a lifesaver. we used this on a trip from NW indiana down to mississippi and had no problems. we use this car now more than our other one. havent had any problems and have owned for about six months but have made several long distance trips in it.

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  SunFire - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Lorraine Fernandez - December 25 - 2:00 am

  My experience so far has been a good one. Its a fun car to drive especially if it has a sun roof.

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  My Pontiac Grand Prix Daytona Pace Car - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By IWI My Way - December 25 - 2:00 am

  The Pontiac Grand Prixs have the best performance in power and handling with out losing practicality. Not to mention the beautiful shape with aggressive curves.

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  Great Car - 2002 Pontiac Sunfire
  By hambone - December 25 - 2:00 am

  Great car

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  Great Car! - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Nik - December 24 - 10:56 pm

  I traded in a 1995 Pontiac Grand Am for this car. What a deal! The car rides great and met my expectations. I read previous reviews of this car and agree with what people said, good and bad.

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  my pontiac - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By My pontiac - December 24 - 2:00 am

  I bought this 2001 Pontiac Bonneville because I wanted a sporty family sedan I had a Mitsubishi diamante and let me tell you Ive read some these reviews with problems with the Bonneville well go own a Mitsubishi. those cars were problems from the beginning my Bonneville currently has 140,000 miles on it I had to replace the catalytic converter other then that the cars dependable for me only thing it lacks is speed it seems slow but it is a big car I didnt think Id ever own an American car Im more of a foreign car owner but I thought Id give it a shoot and havent regretted it yet I wouldnt buy another American car again but I will keep this Bonneville running for as long as possible

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  2008 Pontiac G6 4cyl - Sun and Sound Pkg - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By BAPerformance - December 23 - 8:20 am

  We bought this car to replace my girlfriends ailing 2004 Pontiac Grand Am V6 SE. She took a drive in a demo vehicle and loved it immediately. My dad bought an 06 new and has loved it so I thought it would be a good vehicle to try. We compared it online with all the other comparable cars in its class and enjoyed this one the most. She wanted a sunroof and 4cylinder for fuel economy so this fit the bill. The telescopic steering wheel, cockpit feel, good looks, and smooth handling sold it for her.