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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  car was free would never buy this after ownership experience - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cannedbobs - June 10 - 11:37 pm

  so i got the car when it was 8 years old with 5,000 miles on it, previously owned by my grandmother as an extra car. havent had to do anything major on it since owning it, biggest annoyance is that every time i have something break and i cant figure out what is broken to cause my problem i find the answer online telling me that this crap happens all the time on this model. lots of interior pieces broke or warped due to gm using plastics that deteriorate after 5 years, as i was told by a gm employee. lots of little quirks, but car has never left me stranded. would be a solid first car for some teen, as fun to drive as a honda, which is saying something.

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  Perfect small car - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By wewans - June 10 - 7:23 am

  86,000 miles, not one bit of trouble. change oil every 3,000 miles, runs like new

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  Fun and Reliable - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By justin_c_wood - June 10 - 4:31 am

  I bought this car with 198 000km on it and it now has 218 000km. This is my first car and Im very happy with it. All Ive done besides regular maintenance ( tires, brakes, spark plugs, oil and e.t.c) is replace a heater fan van vent motor and an idler pulley. Both were cheap to replace. I also find it accelerates decently for a pushrod 4 cylinder motor with the manual 5spd. When driven easy, its not too hard to attain around 32mpg highway.

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  Great vehicle to drive - quite zippy - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By SR Peterson - June 9 - 1:06 am

  This vehicle is fun to drive. Although getting into the rear seat with is difficult, once there, the seat in back rivals the bucket seats in the front. This car sounds and responds wonderfully. The dash has a neat feature in the color of the dash in the daylight is different to the color at night (it turns black when the lights are on due to placement). The car seems to be very reliable.

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  Got a good one - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Terry - June 8 - 6:33 pm

  Bought this car new in November of 1997 and for the most part has been a very good car. I have 104K and all of the electronics, HUD, windows etc. are still working as new. Leather seats are in good shape. Still has decent power and comfortable to drive. When I test drove this vehicle I punched it down the length of the on-ramp of the freeway, bought it then and there! Repairs to date have been a new water pump and AC compressor (I live in Phoenix) and valve cover gaskets. I have a slight oil leak from the oil pan gasket but will probably just let it be. I like others love the HUD and controls on the steering wheel. I would gladly pay extra for these features on any car.

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  gto review - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By jakedy - June 8 - 3:50 pm

  i love this car. its fast and handles well but lacks in the muscular look like the older gto.

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  New Beginnings - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Prin - June 8 - 1:30 pm

  I havent had my car long, but I have enjoyed every minute of it. It rides very smooth, has great "get up" and just feels wonderful. I am very happy with my purchase.

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  Point and shoot driving - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By SlyDover - June 8 - 10:00 am

  This 1998 Bonneville SSEi is my second Bonneville. I had my 1988 SSE for 7 years and loved it too. The 1998 is so much fun to drive, I can believe its legal. The dual mode suspension is great. The performance mode is very stiff and accomidates aggressive driving while the touring mode is perfect for gliding down the freeway. In performance mode you just point the car where you want and it goes there. Point and shoot driving at its best!

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  GTP Fun Car - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Rich-In-MA - June 8 - 10:00 am

  I recently took delivery of this new- to-the-market 04 GTP/Comp-Pkg Silver/Graphite vehicle. I traded in my 97 GTP. I got all the options minus chrome-wheels & side-airbags. This car handles MUCH BETTER than my 97. The suspension is totally new. The car corners FLAT like a sports car. Acceleration is improved, and brakes perform very linearly w/o nose- dive. My 97 had few problems in 92K miles, and I expect to get even better results with this car. Bravo Pontiac!

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  80% more Fun! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Rexorg - June 8 - 10:00 am

  Pontiac has another winner with the 2004 Grand Prix. I have a GTP with the Comp G package. This is one great value for the money. Had a 2001 GTP, and there is no comparison. Everything is better. Front end styling takes a little getting used to. All and all Pontiac will sell thousands of GPs.