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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  On or Off-road, The AWD Vibes a Winner - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By pattdc - October 22 - 6:53 am

  Im a 55-year-old independent documentary film- maker and freelance journalist who travels extensively to get the story. Since purchasing my AWD Vibe in April of this year, Ive put 14,000 miles on her without any problems -- most of the miles on the interstates... but Ive also taken The Vibe off-road in the sand, rocks, washes and gullies of the Sonora Desert; crossed over the Rockies three times; and zipped down unimproved roads through several National Forests. Vibes peppy performance is adequate without being special. P.S. Im 6 tall and weigh 250 lbs, but The Vibe comfortably fits me, plus my luggage and equipment bags, and has room to spare.

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  worth the price - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By harpe00 - October 20 - 11:30 pm

  I was looking for an affordable transitional car and found this to be the perfect match. As an upcoming college graduate and moving into the workforce this summer I needed something reliable, dependable and affordable to make the transition.

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  My G6 Experience, so far - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Norman Potter - October 20 - 9:43 pm

  I have owned my G6 for under a year and am already having problems. At about 7500 miles I started noticing that the brakes were becoming comparable to those of my previous vehicle, which was 13 years old. About a month ago I noticed that it starts to shake and squeak when accelerating from a dead stop. I noticed earlier this week that when driving at around 30 mph there is a squeaking noise that sounds like it is coming from the engine compartment, or possibly the wheel bearings. I currently have about 12,000 miles on it and about 90 percent of those miles are highway driving miles. The car has ran well for me so far as the only problems have been noise and shaking. As well as brake wear.

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  This is amazing - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By DrHorse - October 20 - 4:46 am

  Love it, just an amazing car. Fun to drive and never have a problem running in mod (I make little off-road with it). The security is very high, I face a hit and run and I got nothing, and very tuff. Only body was affected, now is look like and run like a new one!

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  Overall Great Vehicle - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By ridgeman4 - October 19 - 8:56 pm

  We purchased this van the day before we left on an 1100 mile vacation. That is always the making of a disaster. However, against our judgments we did it anyway and were not disappointed. It performed well during our trip and every since. The DVD player was nice for the kids and the sanity of my wife and I. The restyling of the front end has greatly improved the looks of the Montanas.

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  New Owner Review - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Terry - October 19 - 2:20 pm

  After three months just waiting to be able to order the car and three more for delivery it was all worth it just seeing it for the first time. This car is a clasic in only its second year. Although it looks great, driving is even better. The Solstice hugs the road and takes turns with zero roll or sway. Acceleration with the 2.4 ltr is good. Wind noise (top down) is minimal and conversation is easy. Top goes up and down easy and with the head-liner (tough to get) its very quiet and temperature stable. Visibility with the top up is limited (bad blind spots). We purchased the automatic and its smooth and handles Northern New Mexico mountains well. At this price, this car rocks.

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  Great Car - 1999 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Bill Paterson - October 19 - 12:33 pm

  Bought in 2002 with about 30,000 miles. It is a beautiful car. It is very comfortable, handles great, gets very good mileage, and has been very reliable. I have only had to tune it at about 90,000 mi. and nothing else mechanical. I have a friend with an older model with over 200,000 mi. and he has had only had to replace the alternator on his at about 150,000 mi. The only bad thing is that they do not hold their value well. My car is valued at about $3000 but I wont let it go for less than $8000. Looks like I may have to keep it forever!

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  Too Many Troubles! - 2008 Pontiac G5
  By WOOF - October 19 - 2:40 am

  Bought new and had for almost 2 years before finally parting ways. Decent power, styling and MPG but way too many problems. Heres the list of things it went back to the dealer for in no specific order: Power windows, power door locks, sunroof switch bezel fell off repeatedly, std tranny shifting problems repeatedly, water in headlight assy, CD/Radio replaced twice (orig, and replacement both failed), etc. etc. etc. The car did start and run every day, but I feel that the benchmark for a "new" car should be just a little bit higher than that. Wish I had researched before buying. My main reason for choosing it was the "good deal" (rebates). Sorry GM, but Im done now. Just bought a Mazda.

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  Five years and going strong - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By L Rabbett - October 18 - 9:20 pm

  Purchased new in Dec, 2002, I have had vehicle for over five years. Decided to look at new vehicles to trade in. ended up looking at the new Vibe along with many others brands. Really like the new Vibe, but decided to keep what I have even though the new vibe has a more powerful engine.

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  PoorFuel Economy - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Jeremy - October 17 - 11:26 pm

  Father of 2 and happily married, We love out Torrent. But It seems to suck down the gas and we travel on the highway often because we live in a small town so to go shopping or to get to work we are taking frequent 15-20 minute trips. We have only been getting around 240-260 miles per tank? We are wondering if anyone else is noticing this? The specs say we should get over 300? Besides the punch in the face at the gas station we love it and it fits our sporty lifestyle.