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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  Nothing but GOOD! - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By Liana - July 5 - 7:53 am

  I bought this car brand new in 2003 . I have NEVER had any trouble with it. I change the oil & have tune ups (regular stuff) but thats it. This is a GREAT car. Plenty of room!! Great for trips. I have the leather seats, 6 cd changer, moon roof etc. FABULOUS car! I would buy one all over again! I can ONLY say good things about this vehicle. I really do like ALL the room withour it being a huge SUV. If you have an opportunity to buy one, go ahead - do it without hesitation. This car has been extremely reliable!! Mine is not a 4 wheel drive but it handles great in the snow. GREAT car!!

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  Great car for the price - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By Shawn - July 4 - 10:16 pm

  Got this car last week it is fun to drive and has alot of power for a V6 love the Xm radio and Onstar is great love the turn by turn nav and the remote start is a nice thing to have, and the warranty is up to 100,000 miles so that made us like the car even more.

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  Amazing - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Chris J - July 3 - 10:43 am

  All the complaints dont define this car. Being a mechanic I know most of malfunctions are driver wear without maintnace. although there are somethings that just happen. the clunk noise in the front end is a strut plate the seals are just a litte flawed and owning many 3.8s the intake gaskets are only a matter of time. Fun to drive. Great gas mileage. Looks Sleek and has plenty of power and room if anyone complains about that tell them to get a mini van. Oh and one more thing. Start making them again !!!!

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  2.5 yrs later I still love this car - 2001 Pontiac Firebird
  By JET147 - July 3 - 10:00 am

  I started out leasing this car. I recently bought it because I still love it. I added a flowmaster exhaust, K&N air filter, changed the factory 16" rims to Coddington Shyster 17" rims and put BF Goodrich KDSW tires on it. I run a mix of 2 gal racing 100 fuel mixed with the rest 91 octane. These four improvements have really improved the already excellent performance. Now, I have little tire spinning (even with the tires a little wet), no hesitation or knocking (because of the fuel mix), and with the improved air flow the car is really explosive now. I find the car handles better than most of the reviews I read.

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  A lot better than a Cobalt - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Chris - June 29 - 10:26 am

  The engine is a bit thrashy while its being gunned. The gas mileage is superb for a 4 cylinder that makes this kind of power. Overall a great value compared to the Tiburon GT, Civic Si, and Mazda 3s.

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  Im in love - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By pegboy - June 27 - 11:33 pm

  My father told me to buy an S2000 and my brother said Miata, so I bought my Solstice. I have never enjoyed driving anything as much as I enjoy taking the top down and cruising in this. It is beautiful, sporty, roomy enough for what I wanted, and most deservingly a head-turner. As for the car critics not enough room, interior needs better styling, needs more power and handling, dont get me started. If it were up to the major critical magazines and publications we would all be driving BMWs and Mercedes anyway. For less than 22K out the door, with rebates and employee pricing, I am fully satisfied and laughing at the Z4s and Kompressors. I think Im gonna buy my wife the coupe. The top needs no improvement. I timed myself with no help other than my buddy pushing start on the stop watch. 10 seconds to lower the top, 8 to put it back up. Tell me your automatic put-the-car-in-park tops can do that.

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  TN Solstice - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By John Carrico - June 27 - 11:16 pm

  The Solstice is an outstanding investment that is REALLY fun to drive. The Solstice is a lot more than I expected and a far better car than the Miata, S200 or even the Z3. Everwhere we go we are stopped by people telling us how beautiful the car is, and its even more fun to drive!

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  best buy - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By fact finder - June 27 - 3:53 pm

  Vibe is Toyota Matrix twin but COST LESS,has XM radio,floor mats,stability control,and onstar at no charge [these cost extra on Toyota]also has 5 year 100,000 mile warranty, gas mileage is 2 to 4 mpg better than promised 25city/31 highway, motor and automatic transmission are extremely smooth,easy to load and unload with rear seats down, comfortable smooth ride

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  trans am ws6 review - 2001 Pontiac Firebird
  By t/a man - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Though minor problems have been experienced, such as mass airflow sensor,this car is a joy to own, and even more fun to drive. Reliability has never been an issue,nor has ride quality, as some might think. The ws6 ram air package is also worth its weight in gold. In summary, I would most definately recommend this car to anyone in the market, and I plan to still have this car for many, many years to come.

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  The "car" of the future - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By djemterry - June 27 - 2:00 am

  Not really a car, suv or wagon, its a great combination of all three. This is what "cars" should be like in the future--durable, good fuel economy, roomy, comfortable, stylish, practical, and flexible. You can feel and see Toyota quality, but also enjoy Pontiacs sporty styling (much better than frumpy-looking Matrix) especially with the gray body cladding instead of the more expensive and easy to scratch/chip body-color sides.