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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  Alot of trouble w/ few answers - 2001 Pontiac Montana
  By kelbels - November 1 - 10:00 am

  Terrible vibration in front end that could not be explained or fixed. Loud jack hammer noise during braking that no one seemed concerned about(except me). Took 4 trips to dealership(not a rental car offered) before finding a thermal auxillary exhaust valve was the culprit. Hard shifting and unreliable performance from the transmission. Vehicle always felt like it was dragging. Went over the mountains and had a hard time maintaining 55 mphs. Despite all my major mechanical defects I have recieved poor customer service, lack of sympathy, even when I felt my vehicle was unsafe to drive they failed to be concerned.about situation.

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  Way Cool - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By vicini - November 1 - 4:33 am

  Just fun to drive if you want a stick shift. Easy to take care of. Most parts interchange with the Toyota Matrix. Dont know why anyone would pay $1,000 for the Toyota??? Itll eat tires if you let it!!! BTW Im over 50.

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  Best Car Ever - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Dan - October 30 - 10:10 am

  My 2006 Pontiac GTO is my first new car. When I realized they were going to stop making then after 2006, I just had to have one. I ended up driving 6 hours to get the exact car I wanted. I drive the car everyday, and love every minute of it. I love having everyone comment on how much they like the car. This car is a steal at 30k. If you can find a new one buy it, if not get what you can find on the used market. The interior rivals many high end luxury cars, minus a few frills, and will run with just about any sports car. I just wish I could buy another new one when this one is paid off.

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  Great Car - competitive - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Greg - October 29 - 10:00 pm

  Originally looked at the LaCrosse but found the interior a bit boring and the responsiveness not as good as the GrandPrix... My wife said the LaCrosse was an "old ladys car" and saw the GrandPrix as sportier. She is right.

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  Unreliable - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By calisk8er23 - October 29 - 12:46 pm

  I bought this car and it ran great for a few thousand miles, and then I replaced the wheel bearings, water pump, two hoses, brakes too many times to count, air cleaner, flushed injectors twice, and traded it in with it still having problems. The front end hums bad and the engine clunks and bangs, and shakes. I never missed an oil change and always kept up ion maintenance.

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  Overall a dependable car - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By tcestes - October 29 - 10:06 am

  I bought mine almost 2 years ago in March 2007. It had 80k on it when purchased. I drive almost 55,000 miles per year for work. And Ive gotta say this has been a dependable car. Im currently at 192k on it and I had to replace the fuel pump 1 time. Other than that it has never left me stranded. And that is very important for my job. On the highway, I regularly got around 30mpg, which is hard to beat. The only recurring problems Ive had is the TRAC light coming on, and a strange clicking sound, which Im told is tied to the ignition system. The security light did come on around 180k but has stayed on with no problems. Ive been very impressed with it, its done the job for me.

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  Great Car for everything - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By ecolei - October 29 - 10:00 am

  Its a tuner type car thats actually usefull. Power with utility and an excellent ride with superb handling. The only down side is to this point I am only averaging about 26 mpg. In a 4 cyl with less than 2.0L of displacement I expeted more around the estimated 30 mpg between highway and city, but Ive never broken 30 mpg.

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  The best car I have ever had!!!! - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By master7777 - October 29 - 10:00 am

  I love my DaYTONA 500! It is the best car I ever had It ran a 14.57b in the 1/4 mile stock!!! With under $200 in parts I am running high 13s. It is one of the best things I have ever Bought. Everyone should buy a grand prix and everyone will get along............I love my grand prix GTT!!!

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  new Tek fan - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By pontiacboi - October 29 - 10:00 am

  I recently puchased the new Aztek, and Im a fan. I got mine in bright red, which really does this truck justice. It has an excellent ride, better than many I rode in. I researched SUVs for 8 months before buying this. I know I made the ride choice. There is no SUV made that can offer as much as the Aztek does at the price. I drove away with close to $8,000 off sticker. I dont know any other vehicle in this price range that can offer you that. Its comfortable, very smooth, and quiet inside. The stereo is awesome, although it is a little difficult to figure out how to use.

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  Love the GTP! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By TomcatRyan2 - October 29 - 10:00 am

  Ok, I only have had the car for a month so I almost hesitate to submit a review this early, But I love the GTP! Its a huge improvement over the 03 VW Junk, I mean Jetta that I traded out of. The GP has excellent highway performance. It is a fun to drive and the heads up display is awesome! This feature has been around for a while, Im not sure why it didnt make it into more GM products. So far my only negatives with the GP is that is a missing a few items you would expect in a car with a $32k sticker, like climate control, heated mirrors, and Navigation, althought they did add it to 2005s. All in all a great car plus over $5,000 in rebates from GM!