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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  Vibe 2009 - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By dangelo - August 15 - 12:40 pm

  Bought a black 2009 Vibe, because the car I really wanted was not available in my area. The Vibe is a nice car, but GM still does not have a clue on how to build a small car with the things most Americans are looking for.

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  No Help at Dealer - Under Warranty - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By electrified1 - August 7 - 5:23 pm

  The 6 speed manual tranny is a blast to drive. Gear ratios are perfect, especially in stop and go traffic. I can make u-turns going over 25mph. The dealer has tried to fix my leaking sunroof 3 times. They have turned my brake rotors 5 times. the motor mounts make a horrible noise. power steering groans in cold weather. Airbag light just came on. I am out of warranty and now had to fix my sunroof, brakes, engine mount myself. I would call it a piece of junk but if the dealer had fixed it the first time.... it would have been the best car I have ever had.

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  Good looking car, but not more than this - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By diolta - August 4 - 10:00 am

  Not a reliable car. You never know what will break down next. Constatntly have to fix something, even though I do not drive it too much. Most of the problems happen when it is too cold or too hot. Interior plastic is cheap. Headlight glass on each side just falls down by itself (probably it is a bad glue that GM uses) Dealership sells the lamp and the glass as one piece and charges around $120. I know several people who had the same problem with this car, but GM does not have a recall on them.

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  I Bought American - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Robert - August 1 - 2:40 am

  I bought this V 6 car based on the reviews and must say that I am most disappointed in the quality. So far the vehicle has been to the dealer 3 times for brake squeal and now there are issues related to fit and finish that have to be dealt with. As an example, the front valance does not fit properly and the grill is warped. Vehicle gets very poor gas mileage and stalls when idling (another issue that the dealer has yet to fix). I will not be keeping this vehicle and will most likely return to a Toyota Camry. Sorry, but I gave GM a chance and they failed.

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  2000 Montana Ext - 2003 Pontiac Montana
  By Danb - August 1 - 2:00 am

  Great running gear, but everything else is a mess. Has 35,200 miles and I have replaced the instrument cluster, stereo, cup holder, rear lock 3 times, auto sliding side door mech. 2 times, front seat cushions 4 times (side airbag box built in the seat kept cutting them), front seat cover once and a rear seat belt lock. The service at the dealer is the worst Ive ever seen. Some of these items took four visits and up to 5 months to repair, some have never been repaired. Warranty expires in 800 miles. Im trading in on a new Honda Pilot in this weekend, who know what will break by then?

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  roberto - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By roberto9088 - July 30 - 11:00 pm

  Engine and transmission very good, very good handing. Interior materials very cheap, the seats are horrible and very unconfortable. The body paint need to be improved the quality. The rust is coming out already. I changed two of the four electric motor windows already.

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  Well - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mike - July 25 - 2:00 am

  A month after I bought the car, the both power windows went out. GM wants $315 per motor. You can find them online for $50 - $80. I bought a power motor online, and it wasnt an exact fit. Sent it back, and requested another one. Hopefully it will work. The car hesitates when pushing on the gas when it isnt warmed up. Im sure guy I bought it from warmed it up before I came since it didnt do that when I test drove it. Long story short, I wished I hadnt bought it.

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  Front Seats are Torture - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By CJ73160 - July 11 - 11:30 am

  The only real complaint I have with this car is the front seat design. It is very uncomfortable to me. I prefer a more flat seat. The side supports in the seat and back begin to bother me after about half an hour of driving. They are helpful when cornering fast, but they are a real pain otherwise. The bottom seat surface is hard and uncomfortable, too.

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  gas howg - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By booo booo - July 10 - 10:00 am

  great car uses to much gas no way it gets past 16 miles per gallon

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  sporty yes, quality **NO** - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By mattyvp - July 8 - 4:25 pm

  i dont know how to feel about my g6. (im more of an import person) i have an 07 GT with the 3.9 V6 (240 hp) it gives me many reasons to hate it but i cant! its got an extremely cheap dash and poor quality, but that engine and awesome styling makes me forget. i only have about 22,600 miles on mine and only 3,000 of those miles are from me, so nothing has gone wrong YET, but the g6s track record isnt promising! the car rattles to hell, and ive come to get used to it, but its semi rough ride enhances all the rattles. also when i pull into reverse the suspension squeaks and the car shakes, this is normal now but scary at first. it sounds like the maybe the tie-rods? they constantly go on these