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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  Looks sporty but not very reliable. - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Dave Crump - December 6 - 11:13 pm

  I got this car with 83,000 miles on it. First time owning a Pontiac, and I tell you Ill never buy again. Drove it for two weeks and it died in a parking lot and stayed there for 3 days, checked everything my experience told me to look at and changed the crank and cam sensors and finally gave up and took it to a shop. Charged me $75 to tell me they couldnt find anything wrong with it.( It started right up after having it towed, apparently). The motor has an annoying tap(upper engine), the brakes are the worst Ive ever dealt with. It seems like Im fixing something Bi-Weekly. The car also has a lot of electrical glitches that are annoying. Cup holders are way to small and in the wrongplace

• 

  Great Car - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By BG - December 5 - 5:10 am

  I was a little skeptical about this entry level car but so far it has made a believer out of me! It is a real eye catcher and its low ride and sporty looks reminds me of the good old american cars from the 70s. Its starts every time up here in Canada and gets pretty good gas mileage even in real cold weather. Our other car is a 2004 Civic and to date the Sunfire has had less problems than the Honda, go figure!

• 

  Lots of fun - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By vlee - December 4 - 10:00 am

  I purchased my GTP this month from my company. It has been my company car for four years and Ive now put 117,000 on the clock and still a sweet ride without any major issues.

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  sucky brakes! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By jess - December 1 - 2:40 pm

  I have had this car for 4 or 5 months now and I got this car at 50,000 miles and it has 59,445 now and I have had to put it in the shop 5 times now. they would rotate my roters a total of three times, and it didnt not fix my problem with my brakes and they need new roters now! also i have had to have new brake pads and a new steering wheel and new dome light and radio. they also have had to rotate my tires then i had to get new ones. this car has a problem with the roters and brakes. i wouldnt recommend buying a ponitac g6!

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  Value Leader Package - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By m - December 1 - 10:30 am

  So far, so good at 2,000 miles. Getting a combined 26 MPG with highway consistently in the 33-34 MPG range. Traded up from a 1999 Civic for more room at a very competitive price without losing too much in mileage performance.

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  We got the lemon - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Pink Arzora - November 30 - 10:36 am

  Ive had many Bonnes & theyve gone forever, but this one was a complete $$ pit. In 11 months and a total $7000 investment it sits in a junk yard. The ignition locked up, the gas gauge didnt work, the catalytic rattled, the struts - shot, the sunroof broke & leaked, the window motors were failing, and after 500 into trans to save it - still slipping, and then 700 into engine for it to throw a rod. It hurt to see such a beautiful car that we babied to go to sh*t. It had 129K when we bought it, Bose/Onstar/SuperCharge/Tinted/Leather - thought would be our reliable car, but my 94 Bonne turned out to live longer and WAY more reliable.

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  Grand Prix GT - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Fyrfytr1 - November 30 - 2:00 am

  I use this vehicle to commute to work approximately 100 miles per day. I also use it as an emergency response vehicle(full siren and lights). It corners nicely at higher speeds and cruises nicely at higher speeds. The vehicle handles well in crosswinds and when overtaking slower traffic has a good throttle response.

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  GT2 - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By bcarlton - November 30 - 2:00 am

  Traded 2001 GT for 04 GT2. What a differance. Better ride Better road feel. Car feels much tighter. I can live with the crappy plastic center radio/climate control skin for the improved ride. Throttle by wire very reactive for better gas pedal responce.

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  GM Service lowest of the lowest - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By vjchap - November 28 - 11:53 pm

  The enjoyment of this vehicle is overshadowed by having had it in service three times for hub replacement - $600 a wack. The first time was covered by warranty, but the other two times it wasnt. Even the ones that were replaced had to be replaced. 3 times to service for the same defect, once each year for the first three years I owned the vehicle. It would make sense to most consumers that GM would care- but they dont. They even had recalled hubs,and denied me the recall reimbursement. I wouldnt be surprised if I have to replace them again. I only drive the vehicle to work. My husband and I have had several GM products, but well never purchase another one. Itll be imports for us now.

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  like it...but - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By traveler - November 28 - 10:00 am

  The general tires suck...34,000 miles and I already need new set. Rack & pinion is being replaced due to a leak also. Like the styling overall, but the uneven floor creates loading problems; everything slides or and tips forward.