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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  luv it - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By jklnx - August 15 - 2:00 am

  very fun to drive. the interior design is very comfortable. the little extras make the interior comfortable for passengers and drive. the drive is quiet, smooth and comfortable. the turning radius is better than i expected. i cant wait to try the awd out in the snow and ice. i am sure it wont disappoint.

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  Awesome Car! - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Bruce Helton III - August 15 - 2:00 am

  I needed a car that had lots of room for a tall person like myself, and that had a lot of power, and this was it! I especially like the fact it can outrun a Mustang GT with about $500 worth of mods! Ah, the look on their faces when a "family car" beats them! I bought it with 96,000 miles on it, it has 102,300 miles on it now with no problems yet.

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  Best car for the money - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By HKK1 - August 15 - 2:00 am

  One of the best cars I have ever had. Its sporty, quick, and drives great. The gas mileage is excellent and the deisgn is a gret new change. Best decision I have made and the dealer made a great deal on it. Better deal than any foriegn car I was looking at.

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  Avoid long trips - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Ernesto Rodriguez - August 14 - 3:33 pm

  I drove the car 300 miles, and that trip was not very pleasant as far as driver sit concern, after a couple hours, my butt was telling me get out of the sit, (there is not enough padding, cushion in the sit)and Im a normal weight guy 170 pnds, and the same comment i heared from other people who has driven that car, for the other hand the car is just fine.

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  Aztek is Terrific - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By susanjskinner - August 14 - 10:00 am

  All we can say about our one year old Aztek is - FANTASTIK! Cant understand why more people arent driving them - perhaps if the dealers made an effort to sell them (ours was in the back of the lot)--- very comfortable, great goodies, quiet ride, powerful...we love it!

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  Great dependable fun car! - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Karen - August 14 - 10:00 am

  I have a 98 Pontiac Grand Prix with 117,000 miles. No problems with this car. Fun to drive and turns heads. Only complaint is the headrests on the front seats, they definitely need redesigned. Other than that, a great car.

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  I love my car!!! - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Connie - August 14 - 8:26 am

  I have always wanted a 2000 GT. Bought it used and now have 110,000 on it. It is wonderful and I get compliments on it all the time. I had the passlock problem that Tons of others have had but luckily my husband does alarms, remote starts and other electrical on cars for a living and he solved it no problem. I think a car depends on the person driving it and how they take care of it. I am super protective of my cars. Especially this one.

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  *Sitting on the Fence* - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By MizIndependent - August 14 - 1:40 am

  The Car is very nice looking,and fun to drive, however we had problems right off with the A/C- dealership refused to fix it, so car was not truly "certified used" a bit upsetting, brakes have been fine so far, the car is smaller inside then it first looks, we have a hard time fitting the rear facing child seat, and latch system not recommeded for use in the middle of the back seat. Impressive trunk space- Overall, nice economy sedan- but dont think I will buy pontiac again.

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  Green Machine, not a gas guzzlin SUV - 2009 Pontiac G3
  By Janko - August 14 - 12:23 am

  Im giving this car a 10 across the board. Im doing this with the mindset of my expectations of a compact economy car. It met my expectations 100%. Im 66" tall and cannot believe how comfortable the seats are. I love this car and its exactly as I expected. For the people who rate the performance anything less than a 10, go buy a Corvette. I had a Honda and am soooo happy I sold it to buy the G3. No complaints, very happy!!!

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  yeah - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By JAy ZEe - August 13 - 5:23 pm

  Buy this and forever be king of the street! Great car, its a sleeper, noone knows its a gto untill you drop the clutch and speed ahead and they see it on the back. best coup i have ever ownd and i have ownd a corvette,a mustange, and a 840ci.