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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  Bonneville Good But Bad - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By fig newton - November 7 - 2:33 am

  GPX is a great car, but if you buy a used one please get a 0 deductible warranty. Have had $6000.00 of work done. lucky all but about $800 was covered (Shocks and brake-not covered), all problems caught by dealer during normal maintenance. The problems,oil and H2O leaks, rear drive problem, Onstar/radio, control for heat and air condition, wheel bearings eta. I have one year left on warranty- lucky me.

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  Ram Air TA - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By Mike - November 5 - 10:13 pm

  Ive had 7 Fbirds or Camaros going back to 1970. This one would blow away ANY 60s Muscle Car and outhandle any race car of the 70s or 80s. For $32000, nothing touched it within $15K and then only a Vette. Next closest was $75K for a 911. 98% of a Vettes performance, 70% of the price--and better looks with more utility. Bright red is the only color for a GT. 160++ top speed. Only 17000 miles on it. And 25mpg on the highway. The ultimate American GT (with the SS Camaro.)It looks exactly like what it is: pure American Muscle. The Mustang needed a supercharger to just stay with it! Supercharge a TA and you put out 500+ hp. It will run with a Viper that costs 3 times as much.

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  Nothin But a Good Thing - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Vader953 - November 4 - 1:26 pm

  Im soooo impressed. Ive wanted one for a year now. Found a black one with Red Int./6 speed for a STEAL. I have a Vette and am in a Vette club, and this car is equal in performance. The inside sold me as much as the performance. I am in love. I look forward to going to work in the morning now. Im most suprised about the build quality. Just like an import. Handling is amazing for a non- Vette. Ride is a bit rough, but well worth it. You have to be an acrobat to access the rear seats, but they are roomy and usable once inside!

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  Cant beat a 4 Cylinder - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By SakatchewanSnow - November 4 - 10:00 am

  A 4 cylinder engine is not built for performance, but my baby still has the zip at a green light to get out ahead of the traffic. Highway driving requires the proper use of 4th gear, not sure if I would buy the automatic. So many features that have increased my enjoyment of camping, Cargo space, 110 volt plug in(for curling iron or blender), roof rack, plastic cargo w/ tie downs.

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  2004 Grand Prix gt1 - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By clinton - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Really fun car. We got the base model with a power front seat as the only add on. The base model is not stripped at all to my surprise. Traction control, ABS, CD, Power windows, P locks and P mirrors. The re-design of the cruise control makes it very user friendly. Hopefully all of GM cars will adopt this style of the cruise control. This is a car that I will definitely keep a while. Love the new color also...fusion orange. The cars response to driving is the best. The Pontiac is so much better and funthan the 02 sebring. The headlights give excellent vision at night. Really like the way the doors open wider to a 90 degree also.

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  Excellent Value - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By nysign - November 3 - 3:16 pm

  We bought the Vibe a year ago, but waited until now for a review. The car is perfect! Wait, almost perfect: the side view mirrors could be a bit bigger. The car has AWD, Side Airbags, Moonroof and fancy radio - all the bells and whistles. And it didnt cost an arm and a leg. Seats are more comfortable than our Infiniti. This winter we outfitted the car with studded snow tires: were invincible in the snow! Would I buy another of these? In a heartbeat! But it will probably be a while because the car acts as though it will last forever. Want one? Theyre so reasonable, you might as well buy one new. Just a great car.

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  Best Car I Ever Owned - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By JimPaule - November 3 - 3:03 pm

  This 2004 Vibe is the best car I have ever owned in terms of reliability. Six years, 63,000 miles, and never had any warranty work whatsoever! The brakes are still original, even with considerable stop and go driving. GM really blew it by dropping Pontiac and especially the Vibe. It has been a Consumer Reports Best Buy since its inception in 2003! Of all their bad decisions, this one ranks right at the top. We plan to keep this car forever. It tracks through our bad northern Ohio winters with no problem with the all wheel drive and still delivers 20 mpg in town and 28 on the highway. Why would I ever sell this car?

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  Pontiac Grand Prix GT: Take another look - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By DMV - November 2 - 3:16 pm

  Looking forward to the release of Buicks replacement for the Regal, I kept looking at the Grand Prix. After driving both the LaCrosse CXL and the Grand Prix GT, the choice was easy. The GP-GT is more to my personal liking due to its crisp handling (for a midsize vehicle, it is great), and the responsiveness in acceleration, even though the LaCrosse & GP are built on the same platform and use the same powertrain. The GP is simply more sporty than its cousin from Buick. On a rercent trip, I experienced 31 MPG at highway speeds. The comfortable leather interior that kept away fatigue on a 5- hour drive: very nice! The Monsoon system would be worth the extra money

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  Great car! - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Angela - November 1 - 10:43 am

  Ive had this car for about a year and a half now and I have absolutely no complaints! I bought it with 32,000 miles as it was a rental car, but it looks great, runs perfectly, and the 3.5l V6 is perfect. Such a fun, sporty car to drive. I love it! I dont know what everyone else is complaining about.

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  Great Car - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Joe mussey - November 1 - 10:00 am

  First of all I would like to say this cars speakers are incredible. I bought 2 12" subs (which the alternator ran fine with, more on that in a litte) and the speakers sounded great even with the volume all the way up. the alternator is pretty good at 105amps, it ran my sound system for about 2 months before fially failing to charge my battery, but parts for this car are dirt cheap and i upgraded it. Performance is great espically w/ the v6. great car