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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  Fun & Great Toy - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By newragtopowner - May 3 - 5:46 pm

  What a fun car to drive! I dont understand how the "expert" reviewers can rate the Sky higher than the Solstice. They are virtually the same car. This is a roadster & therefore should not be considered a roomy car. It would be great if the top were powered instead of manual but its not difficult to put up & down. I would stop the car to put up & down anyway.

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  Love It! - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By joflier9202 - May 2 - 12:23 pm

  Driven my Aztek for 2 years, and its been a great experience. It drives better than my moms sports car and is the most comfortable for the long trips! Have had no problems. Lots of people think theyre ugly, but hey, dont knock it until you drive it! It won over my heart!

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  I love this car! - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By SuperVibeGT - May 2 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned my Vibe for about a year now and Im still as excited about it as the day I bought it. It has served me beyond my expectations. The Vibe makes hauling things back and forth to and from college easy. Also, theres plenty of room for several friends and sporting equipment. The unique engine with the 6-speed manual transmission makes it unsuspectingly sporty, which really appeals to me. Braking is great, handling is good. Safety ratings and fuel economy are great bonuses with this car.

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  This car can move! - 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
  By dmk - May 2 - 10:00 am

  The Bonneville gives outstanding acceleration and steering performance. I wanted a hybrid sports car / large car. The Bonneville fits the bill.

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  40th Anniversary Winner! - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Johnny Grapes - May 2 - 10:00 am

  An excellent vehicle on all fronts. Great styling, handlng, supercharger kicks in nice and smooth with a steady excelleration, much more so than that of a turbo. Dark Cherry paint and interior two tone nice touches. Best of all is the braking system, which is the BEST I have ever driven. No complaints with the MPG as I am averaging 26mpg highway, and 20city.

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  2008 grand prix gxp - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By DUANE - May 1 - 10:00 am

  Beast car I ever had, love how it handles and hugs the road. Great body design

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  The best "Mothers Day" present ever! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By mosquito2376 - April 30 - 3:03 am

  I traded in my 1994 GMC Safari, for this beautiful machine during Mothers Day weekend this May. I love its acceleration, handling and sound. The interior is comfortable, my kids can actually look out the side windows and not just see a "seat" in front of them as they do when they ride in my husbands 1998 Z28 Camaro. Buy a 6 speed, I test drove a used 2004 with an automatic and it just made me hungry for more. What a beautiful classy car that definately can compete with the BMWs and Mercedes on the road today. "Sleeper" is the best word to describe this car, Ive had many a young fellow pull up thinking they had the "guts" to beat me and I left them in the dust everytime.

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  best little car - 2008 Pontiac G5
  By g5gt2008 - April 26 - 12:56 am

  i bought the G5 GT because i wanted a new car. i cant be happyer with the car i picked. this car is very powerfull for a 4cyl i have taken to the 1/4 mile and ran a 15.03 all stock with the 2.4 5 speed. i have 30k on it already and my dealer has not seen it ones. i get 40mpg on the highway and 33 in the city. the ride is very nice. the car stoped on a dime and the inside is nice and laid out right with not to many bottons. the seats are for good for long driveing. i just drove it on a 31 hour one was trip and it was great. would def but another one.

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  Best Used Car Been Very Reliable - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Ladylynnette - April 24 - 11:53 am

  this car is the coupe and has very good suspension with the low track. Has luxury along with takes corners really well. I bought my car with 95,000 miles on it and it still runs like a new car, it now has 112,000 miles on it. I occasionally have something go wrong. I had the air mass flow sensor go out and then replaced and runs great again. It is more sporty luxury than complete sports car. I have really enjoyed it. It is much harder to find the 2 door couple which is much sportier looking.

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  Sorry Pontiac is no more; luv my Torrent - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Norma - April 23 - 9:36 pm

  Mar 2006 bought brand new 06; Absolutely loved it; less than 40,000 mi since then, totalled last week. So happy with the 06, replaced with new 2009 by phone, sight-unseen, from Hubacher Cad, who ordered from Bay Area (were in Sacto, CA area.) Problem: they had no gold, only silver. Have had 3 days, not driven yet (broken ribs.) Hope its as great as my gold 2006. Original like new still, regular maintenance, and only one problem with electrical which dealer fixed immediately. Only things I didnt like were red lights on dash, and gas gauge ... cant tell when the darned things on empty until the gas tank icon lights up! Would recommend to anyone. sorry Pontiac shut down.