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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  If You Think So - 2003 Pontiac Montana
  By zigs - February 7 - 7:33 pm

  I think they tried to lure people in with the looks of the van more than the quality of it. This vehicle has never been wrecked. Yet a lot of the seams dont match or some are wider than others. Real poor quality control I would say. Sliding door hits the the driver door. You have to open the driver door so you can shut the sliding door. I havent owned this vehicle very long so I cant say about the long term. If you buy one look at all the seams of the vehicle. With gas prices going up the fuel effeciency is fading fast on this one. It does ride smooth however.

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  tall person/ miss rear wheel performance - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By mary - February 7 - 6:10 am

  excellent headroom and legroom; appreciate lumbar support and heated seats, standard sun roof not exciting- would have loved hardtop conv.; good pick up/ acceleration; would have preferred tighter steering; disappointed with gas mileage (16.9 city with 3.9 v6) awkward to reach through drivers window.

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  Rattle trap - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By Marky61 - February 5 - 4:06 pm

  This is the last of the old-style Montanas, sold in Canada as a 2005 model. I was attracted to the low price (used) - half the cost of an Odyssey or Sienna. I had also heard the bad head gasket had been solved. Ours had about 42,000 miles on it when we bought it. It has performed well over the past year, though we had to replace a bad front wheel bearing, the rubber door gaskets came loose and the wind stretched the drivers door hinges (fixed at our local college). Recently replaced the crap General tires with Michelins and vastly improved the ride and noise; gas mileage is better too. The one thing we cant address are the rattles in the sliding doors. Overall, great value in a used van.

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  Still a Very Good Car - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Joe - February 5 - 9:40 am

  This is a powerful and fun car to drive. It handles well and goes like Jet Stink when you need it. Primary complaint is that at Highway speeds, it gets 22.5 - 24.5 maximum, no where near the 28 EPA estimate. I can usually meet or exceed the highway EPA estimates in all my vehicles, but not this one. The 3.8 V-6 normally aspirated gets 30 - 34 on the highway, but lacks the power. Interior is a little tight and design is dated. I was sorry to see the Bonneville retired, but this is a close substitute. Runs fine on regular gas. I expect excellent reliability on the proven 3.8 V-6 and 4 Speed Automatic. AC works well as usually for GM.

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  Not Perfect but Fun - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By mike - February 5 - 5:03 am

  Fun car for relatively cheap money. about $28K for a $35k sticker car. Looks sporty yet classy. If you dont like compliments or random questions from strangers at gas stations about the car, dont buy one! To the person who complained about the OVERSPEED "ding ding" at 70mph, take 30 seconds to look in your owners manual and another 15 seconds to shut it off. Its not hard! I hated the "ding" just from the ride home from the dealership and shut off the overspeed when I got home. Winter tire and wheel package are a MUST if youre in the snowbelt. Drove the summer tires in a small storm while waiting for mail order snowtires. Yikes! All in all, quality is not BMW grade but the performance is.

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  my review - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By gagirl - February 5 - 2:00 am

  I have had my 99 for three yrs now and have been fairly pleased. I have had to replace the altenator once and a window motor once, other than that just routine maintenance. Im trying to sell the car because I have two children that have outgrown the small back seat but then again its a sports car not an suv.

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  Great looking and fast American car - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By Erik - February 4 - 9:43 pm

  Picked up the G8 this week... The best looking sports sedan Ive seen in awhile. The body design alone will make the Euro lovers rethink things. The V8 packs some serious punch. I thought the interior would be chintzy, but its not bad. Great leather seats and the leather steering wheel is nice. The dash could be better... but compared to past GM cars its a big step up and not that far behind euro competition. This car is one helluva value and turns heads everywhere I go.

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  Really an OK car for the money. - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Bub - January 30 - 6:46 am

  I bought this car new because my mom was stuck with a GM credit.. otherwise would have bought a Sienna. However, the Montana was $5K cheaper (although now its payback time - no resale). It has really been surprisingly dependable - little stuff (fuel pump under warranty, power window switch, currently at 75K the fuel gauge and cruise control are out) but it has been overall quite dependable. Average gas mileage (17-24), loads of power, and really handles well now that I have switched to 235/60-15 tires - youve simply got to do that. Turns it from wallowing pig to confidence inspiring sport-minivan. Air Conditioning is marginal - you might want to get the dual AC. Seats - barely OK.

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  Few problems overall... - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Jason - January 28 - 1:43 am

  I have had this car almost 3 years now, bought it with 60,000 miles. I did replace the Intake manifold gaskets due to coolant leaking into the oil, but this is a known problem with this car that will only get worse if not fixed. It wasnt cheap but I knew this going in, and got a good deal because of this. Other than that I have had no serious problems. Just a little problem with the hazard switch that ended up being recalled by GM and fixed for free anyways. Someone busted my passenger side mirror, but it was surprisingly cheap and easy to fix myself. I have been happy with this car.

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  Grand Prix GT Sedan - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By tcapman - January 27 - 10:16 pm

  Bought this car with 34k miles and currently have 122k miles. Overall has been a great car. Had to replace 1 fuel injector and the fan controller around 80k miles. Replaced both front wheel bearings (did myself) around 110k miles. The engine and tranny have been flawless other than the 1 injector. The car has good interior and trunk space and love the looks. Finally starting to get a few squeaks here and there, but then again it has been through 10 Iowa winters and summers.