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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  my gto - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By 06goatman - March 15 - 5:03 am

  Absolutely love to drive this car. Punch the gas pedal and feel the smile on your face grow. The interior definitely was a pleasant surprise over other GM cars. The leg room in the back seats very surprising. 2 adults can sit comfortably in back. Getting into the backseats can be a bit of a pain but once back their its all good.

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  Very pleased - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Chris Guinn - March 14 - 12:56 pm

  Patience paid off as I waited to buy until GM finally offered incentives. Car is comfortable enough for my daily commute, yet still has the power available when I want / need it. The only drawback to this point has been dealing with every 18 year old kid in a Mustang wanting to race at stop lights - Im 32 and the tickets (and danger to other drivers) stopped being worth it long ago - although I have to admit Ive had it up around 120 on open roadways and it purred along at about 3,000 rpm - plenty left if it werent for the electronic governor! Ive owned lots of vehicles and this is the first one Ive had thats still a joy to drive every day six months later.

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  Caution Danger! - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Kirby - March 14 - 11:56 am

  Until now, I had been very happy with my Torrent which I had purchased less than a year ago. Although, my recent experience has left me terrified of the vehicle. I been driving for four hours in the middle of the summer when without any warning whatsoever my car had died. I lost all steering and veered to the side of the road. A bad alternator had caused the car to die. Because of this, the power lock doors and windows would not open. I was trapped inside my Pontiac Torrent midsummer in 37 degree Celsius sun unable to open any doors or windows. I had learned the hard way there is no emergency release within the vehicle to unlock the doors and car windows.

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  Great first car but has its own cons - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Brendan McRobie - March 13 - 10:03 pm

  I got this car for my first car and I can pretty much say I love it. I got it used with two previous owners that didnt take care of it it seems. I purchased it and have drove it a lot. I found it needed a fan, sunroof drain pipe fixed, and now it needs new struts. The dealership fixed everything and hopefully will fix the struts. But all of that are used car problems especially when the last owner(s) didnt take much care of it. I love my car. Has everything that comes with it. I dont know if they are added features or if the GT comes with all of it. Sadly mine is an automatic tho. I love the pioneer audio, the heated seats, the sunroof, everything. Its a beautiful car and gives a powerful burst when on the gas even tho its only a small ecotech 4 cylinder. And when I go to fill it halfway up because thats when I always do. Never let it get below half is my way and I always fill it till its full. I spend only $13. Some cons that I noticed are the doors swing pretty far out. Not a con but the con is they can sometimes swing open with small force so Im constantly telling people be careful. Another con. Doors and trunk hit hard. When closing the doors and trunks the seem to slam. Doors I have no idea why but the trunk because the spoiler weighs a lot. Another con involving the trunk is the spoiler being heavy. Not so much a con but makes it hard to open the trunk because when pushing the button to release it it doesnt pop up very far and I dont like using the spoiler. One con is that it doesnt shift until the rpms are pretty high. Unless thats my way of driving. You may get better shifts and better gas mileage where Im averaging only 20mpg where it should get 25-30. Those cons arent that big of a deal but the worst con I have and the thing that I hate the most is the turn radius. You dont want to make a u-turn unless you are clear for a long distance. You may need to back up. I have a fairly big highway to u turn on and sometimes Im still scared. I can barely back into my driveway because where everyone turns into to back into the driveway or back out. Its a pit filled in with gravel and I always end up in the wooded part behind it. So thats my review on the Pontiac G5. I love it but be careful turning always.

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  Car is bulletproof - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By ikeinpgh - March 12 - 6:50 pm

  Bought the car over 3 years ago new. Dont drive it as much as I would like, because I have too other cars. This car is so pratical, its not even funny. I use it mostly in the summer to haul my two kayaks around. I can get one kayak inside with the front seat folded down and still close the hatch. Amazing. I bought the GM crossbars and have two kayak holders for the top most of the time. Gas mileage is around 30 all the time. Havent got much more than 33. I think its because of the cross bars and the fact that I dont have many miles on it. Looking forward to many more trouble free miles. Only complaints are the plastic body cladding is coming off around the back wheel wells.

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  Not happy - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By rick - March 12 - 6:10 pm

  This car was great in the beginning, well maintained, but consistent front suspension rattling (repaired, but still exists) had to replace intake manifold, catalytic converter and now instrument panel cluster that controls gas gauge, tach etc. I called gm and the "violin" was playing. I work for gm (25 yrs.) and they do build quality products, but they forgot the most important word. "reliability." Just go to technical services bulletins and you will find all the problems. Ive had too many problems that shouldnt be. Come on gm, listen to us or youll lose me and others to you know who!

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  Economy, comfort and reliability - 2009 Pontiac G3
  By Nan - March 11 - 8:00 pm

  Great car for the money. Good pick up and drive..Great visibility..very comfortable. Not alot of space in back seat although would be okay for kids. Great trunk space. Regret we dont have ABS.

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  Nice looks and powerful engine but... - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Josh - March 11 - 6:00 pm

  The looks of this car is what sold me. Beautifal car. I was looking at an 2002 Trans Am, but couldnt find one in good enough shape for the price. Bad things - at 40,000 intermediate steering shaft needed replaced, I guess this is standard as I have seen it many times in other reviews. Leaks from either the windsheild seal or from the antena are common. Water comes through the front dome light, luckily right into the cup holder. Brakes have become horrible, pads are at half wear and squeel noticeably loud, probably due to the drilled rotors. Significant rattle coming from the undercarriage, maybe exhaust? Only happens when in Drive, shift to neutral and the noise disappears.

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  Finally! - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Steve - March 7 - 2:26 pm

  Ive been in love with this car months before the first 06 ever hit the road. It was the day before I was to pick up a pre-owned 2008 G6 GT I had just purchased when I was told I just received a pretty substantial pay raise. That was it, it was finally my time!! 4 days later I was driving home my Brazen colored Solstice. I love this car. This car is sexy as hell and IMO blows the Sky away in the looks department. Its a blast to drive and never fails to turn heads. My only regret is I purchased it with only a couple of months of driving days left before it gets put up for the winter. Thats ok - between employee pricing and end of season blowout they knocked $5k off the MSRP - what a steal!

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  95,000 miles in first 2 years - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By 2001 Aztek Owner - March 4 - 10:03 pm

  This car has been a pleasure to drive. I love the HUD, the rear stereo controls. The vehicle is very responsive and has pretty good zip. Had 2 irritating problems in first year. A/C compressor went out and due to the miles I was putting on at the time my warranty was out and Pontiac refused to take care of the problem. Also, some kind of sensor for the fuel pump went out and again Pontiac would not help. This is a great handling SUV/SRV and it is a shame it has not taken off. If not for the extremely poor resale value I would consider buying another.