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:

• 

  Standard GM quality - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By justducky150 - May 28 - 9:50 pm

  This has been a wonderful family vehicle. We bought with 29K in 2002 for $18M. Fully loaded w/o DVD and 100K/6yr warranty for $2K, great value by the way, after all its a GM. Standard accoutrements are excellent. The leather, rear air/rear sound, automatic sliding door, quad seating are all you can ask for unless you appreciate listless children drooling over the most recent Disney DVD. We love this vehicle and wish GM wasnt leaving the utilitarian minivan market. Crossovers dont offer the room and the Suburban is too big. Were going foriegn due to GMs shortsightedness and lack of caring for the family utility vehicle...the mini-van. God rest its soul. Marketing sure led to its demise.

• 

  Passlock problems - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Ali2681 - May 28 - 3:00 pm

  Until this year I have never had a problem with my Grand Am. I loved the car....that is until I started getting stranded all the time. Everyone says to wait 10 min with the key on but I always end up waiting at least 40. And its not always my security light that goes on its the service engine soon, trac off and ABS. I am getting really tired of having to sit in parking lots for up to an hour waiting for my car to start, how will I go grocery shopping when its hot!? This is a BIG problem and GM needs to do a recall on this issue. I have always had a problem with the brakes on this car too.

• 

  Highly Under-rated vehicle - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By wayseeker - May 28 - 10:00 am

  I have owned my car for almost 3 years now. I have only had three things in need of repair at the shop - the drivers side window, a gasket leak (caused by me), and new brake rotors. Otherwise, with regular maintenance, this car has been a reliable and consistent performer. Excellent pick- up, great handling, decent fuel- economy from a domestic V6, and styling that still turns heads. They didnt skimp on interior features either - the seats are comfortable, even on lengthy trips, and passengers arent crammed in as an afterthought. The sound system is solid, and the A/C is still icey-cool.

• 

  not a quad 4 - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Lucifersinferno - May 24 - 10:00 am

  this is not a quad 4, it is a 2.4l twin cam, the quad 4 was in the 95 and below grand ams, it was a 2.3 and said quad 4 on it, so they didnt put a quad 4 in another car, this engine is actually pretty reliable, granted, there are "those" cars that have problems from the get go, i love my GA and would suggest future posters to study up a bit on their car before writing a review.

• 

  grand prix - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By carrie chase - May 22 - 10:00 am

  i have only had my car for less than a year and already had a lot of problems with it.

• 

  Pontiac Aztek Wind Noise - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By aztec - May 22 - 10:00 am

  At highway speed (70 mph) the wind noise is excessive, so much that you can not talk on the cell phone or carry on a normal conversation. The manufacture calls this a wind turbulence and admits that it is there,however they will not fix or replace this defective vehicle.

• 

  Great car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Ken Horton - May 22 - 9:30 am

  manual transmission lets you drive for mileage: I consistently average above 36mpg. Large amount of interior space that is very flexible to configure with the 60/40 fold down seats. Rock solid reliability (its a Toyota). No repairs other than routine maintenance at 50K miles.

• 

  AZTEK REVIEW - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By GROUSEHUNTER - May 18 - 10:00 am

  THE AZTEK I OWN HAS BEEN & CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE FINEST AND HANDIEST VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED IN MY 40+ YEARS OF DRIVING. IT HAS NEVER FAILED ME IN ALL TYPES OF WEATHER EXTREMES. THE GADGETS AND DRIVER INFO CENTER ARE EXCELLANT

• 

  Grand Prix GTP Supercharged - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By gtpprog - May 18 - 10:00 am

  I am the orginal owner of this car. This is a great car to drive and it looks great. Unfortunately the build quatity is poor. This car has been in the shop over 50 times for warranty work. I am very luckly that I purchased an extended warranty on this vehicle.

• 

  1998 Pontiac Grand Prix GTP - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Bob Ryan - May 17 - 7:30 pm

  Great car to drive. Average in snow, good in rain. Have had some mech. problems after 60000 miles. Supercharger bearings need replacement;appox. $500 to do myself, close to $2000 for a shop to fix. Power window switch replaced;$80. Automatic dimming rearview mirror stopped working;havent replaced. Comfortable for 4 adults. Decent gas mileage if not driving too hard.