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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  Costly Repairs - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By j gray - October 23 - 10:26 am

  I purchased the vehicle in 2002 and three years later Ive spent thousands in repairs. Ive had to replace the brakes (just once so far, so I guess Im luckier than others), the power steering pump, the gas sensor (ran out but gauge said it had 1/4 tank), and the blinkers were recalled. There is also a lot of road noise so its not a quiet ride.

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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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  GETTING BETTER; not there yet. - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Gingee - October 16 - 10:00 am

  WHERE IS MY AUTO-DIMMING REAR VIEW MIRROR?? A performance vehicle like this should not leave its driver blinded during night driving. Ive had my GTP back to sevice several times. My rear door panels buzz. One of my security lug nut caps flew off. The emergency trunk release was not hooked up and was rolling around in the trunk lid. YIKES! The entire interior vibrates at half of the Monsoons power. If you can get past the poor quality and less than advertised refinement at a bigger then should be price, the GTP maybe right for you. My GTP looks like a Grand Am and plenty of people let me know it. Booo. The incentives swayed me to this vehicle.

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  Should have listened to Edmunds! - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By K White - October 12 - 6:53 pm

  Bought this van second hand, with 153,000 km. Since then, I replaced water pump,spark plugs, wheel bearing, rocker panels, head gasket, intake gasket, thermostat. Also, roof leaks, needs front and rear struts, rear windshield wiper doesnt work, abs light is on, air bag light comes on and off. Front end vibrates. Get about 500 km to a tank. Needs a transmission part, up shifts and down shifts hard.

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  Just Traded Mine - 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
  By SpartanMan2 - October 9 - 10:00 am

  Owned my 98 for 4 years. Traded it in with 55,000 miles. Engine coolant leaked and brakes were squealing.

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  This car could double as a blender. - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Shaking - October 4 - 2:00 am

  I love the looks and the equipment. It is a lot of fun if you drive under 60 mph. At high speeds, the vibration will liquify your brain. The dealer has put three sets of tires on, replaced the front lower control arms, and road force balanced the tires at least six times. He now claims it is within GM specs, but the vibration is awful. Apparently, GM dose not have very high expectations for their cars.

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  Poor mans sports car - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Brent Andrus - September 23 - 11:06 pm

  This is a reliable car when it comes to the powertrain (engine, transmission, etc.). It has pretty good horsepower, a sleek look, and the inside has lots of gadgets and gizmos. But all those ancillary electrical components are very cheaply made. My car is nicknamed "Trixie" because it is just full of "tricks". For example the windsheild wipers are stop in the upright position rather than down, the radio volume dial goes up when it is supposed to go down (and vice versa), several warning lights like "check tire pressure" are always on, and two back windows just gradually fall down and have to be pushed back up. Overall, quite reliable but you have to overlook annoying defects.

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  Poor interior design - dont recommend - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By Joan - September 22 - 8:33 pm

  The performance of the Torrent has been wonderful. Was tail-ended, everyone safe, and the cost of repair was very reasonable because the rear bumper is in a couple of different parts. If the whole thing had been one piece, it would have been higher. The interior design is sorely lacking. If the cup holders are in use, the parking brake cannot be. You have to remove drinks from the holders to put on the parking brake as well as use the cigarette lighter for recharing cell phone. When putting on the parking brake by habit and there are drinks in the holders, the drinks spill or the holder is in danger of being broken. P Drives wonderfully. Fun. Even 17 year old son likes to drive it.

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  The future freaks me out. - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By pontiacg607 - September 22 - 2:38 am

  I like the way my G6 looks. Otherwise, the car make me nervos. My steering has made that infamous clunking noise since I bought it, but when I bought it, the car was already out of warranty, so I just live with it. At this point, I dont even notice it anymore. I also had to stick a piece of cardboard inside my key fob because the part that holds the battery in place broke. The interior is cheap, but attractive. The car has nearly 82,000 miles on it and hasnt seriously let me down yet, but I am starting to get worried. I do have a wheel bearing going bad I think. I will keep this thing until it dies, but if I could do it over, I would do my research and buy something else.

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  Worst Ever! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Leah - September 20 - 1:16 am

  This is the worst car ever built! When we bought the car it had 40,000 miles. So far we have had to replace the gasket intake, windows twice, brakes twice, the electrical system shorts out, and now our transmission is slipping. Im buying a Ford next time!