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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  G8-Pontiac got it right - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By KLester - May 13 - 4:30 pm

  This car is a GTO/Olds 442 throw back. Great acceleration, exceptional handling. Good fuel economy. I get approx 25 mpg. Practical family car.

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  The rear end - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By john32348 - May 12 - 2:53 am

  This is a totally mean machine. Power beyond belief. My only complaint is the rear end alignment. It really wears tires out fast. After months in an out of the shop, and finally changing one part, it still is 15% out of aliment. When we finally got someone from gm to talk to us, their only reply was good luck. The tech who work on this problem said that gm has a bad problem. They just need to admit it, and take care of it.

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  My Car - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Sherry - May 11 - 6:36 pm

  Car is good over all. Comfortable. Headlights arent that great. They get scratched too easily. I have problems starting the car. had mechanics check the problem and they cant find anything wrong. engine light wont go off. its been checked by dealership as well. my car has about 80,000 miles now. its a little cramped at times. the chevy impala was my first choice b ut had to settle for this car because of pricing. still paid too much. paid 14,000 a year ago. now supposedly worth only about 8,000. no major repairs so far at least. good gas mileeage. would recommend.

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  Still keeps on going - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By stillluvit - May 10 - 5:43 pm

  I bought mine new in 2006 with all options except AWD...didnt need it...had great tires...now it has 159000 miles and continues to be comfortable, quiet and great on gas...dont know where the naysayers got theres or how they drove it...if Pontiac still sold these, Id get one.

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  Fun to drive but - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Great car - May 9 - 4:20 am

  Bought this in 2008 with 135,000k on it, its now at 160,000. My only warning to anyone traveling on long trips is to keep a spare pulley tensioner and serpintine belt, because my bearing seized up and the plastic outer part kept spinning until it melted off ! once that goes you have no power steering, no charge to the battery,and no water pump spinning to keep engine cool, and in half an hour your battery is dead. Learned that the hard way. Other than that I love this car!

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  OK CAR - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By RANDY1 - May 7 - 2:00 am

  I SHOULD HAVE WAITED FOR MORE REBATES FOR THIS CAR.DOOR HANDLE PIECE FELL OFF WHILE DRIVING HOME. JUST FOUND A LEAK OF SOME SORT YESTERDAY.MY 92 GRAND AM HAS MORE POWER THIS CAR.FUEL ECONOMY HAS BEEN WORSE THAN I THOUGHT.GETTING IN AND OUT IS WORSE THAN MY OL GRAND AM TOO. BUT I DOO LIKE THE LOOKS OF THIS CAR, IT JUST ISNT WORTH WHAT I PAID FOR IT.

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  Buy This Car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Plat2005Vibe - May 4 - 12:40 pm

  I bought my Vibe a few months ago and I love it. It is an Automatic, with "Moon & Tunes", Power group, aluminum wheels, and black leather interior. Average gas mileage is 28 city, 35 highway. Current miles: 2560. I compared this with serveral other cars and this was the most that I could get for my money. A similarly equipped Matrix would have cost me over $3000 more. Fit and finish are pretty good. The car feels solid and is surprisingly quiet inside. It maneuvers well in traffic and brakes well. For those who had problems with the car "falling apart", maybe they are a bit too rough on it. I find it to be well made. Very versatile and economical!

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  98 Bonn. - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By emmk - May 4 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle is roomy as expected for its size.Good mileage.Will not score more then average for handling at speeds over 60.Rock and pinion was replaced at 43,000. Traction Control not much of benefit. Large moon/sun roof is a plus. Im switching to an import for price value.

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  Fantastic Little Hatchback - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By LostPsyche - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I have only had this car a month and I love this thing. It is really fun to drive and seems to be really solid on the road even in the turns. It is no Mazda 3 but for me it is sporty enough with a lot of practical applications. I really wish GM had not killed this car off, they could have re-badged it to a Chevy or Buick nameplate which is a shame that they just let it drop instead. The cruise control takes a bit to get used to. The Engine is nice too, a little torquey on take offs but it is a solid engine and great for quick merges.

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  Last of the breed - 2010 Pontiac Vibe
  By Dakovich - May 3 - 1:10 am

  We purchased the 1.8L with optional Auto tranny. We went with the Vibe over a Scion XD for many reasons. Better looks, better interior, way more comfortable, seats go up/down, tilt/telescope wheel, more room, larger cargo area, similar mpg, still a Toyota basically so equally reliable, and the GM warranty beats the Toyota/Scion one. 1.8L Auto has plenty of juice for us, were not aggressive drivers but it has get up and go when needed. We like the tight suspension and steering which takes bumps surprisingly well. Not many 1.8Ls left around, lots of 2.4Ls and AWDs though. We Didnt want to trade mpg for the extra power.