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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  Gotta Love It - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By Play With Fire - April 2 - 10:00 am

  This is a fun vehicle to drive. 200 horses is plenty to get around town...and occasionally out run some other cars. The steering is great and makes corners a blast. T Tops are a must for this car.

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  New Owner - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By GR - April 1 - 6:13 pm

  I recently bought this car and it was exceptionally well kept cosmetically and poorly kept mechanically. I spent some time and money bringing it back from the dead, but it was well worth it. I now have a very sexy car that is both fun and easy to drive. The car handles very well, but the 160 HP 3.4 liter engine leaves the car notably underpowered, thought the 5-speed helps to make up for that a bit. The interior is well laid out and comfortable, though getting in and out can be a little awkward with the low profile. Exterior design flows nicely and really looks fast. All said; I really like it overall, but recommend the Formula if you want some power to go with the looks.

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  The 95 Purple HAZE - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By RedRocker - April 1 - 1:36 am

  Bought my Purple T.A. for my 40th b-day it is my sixth Trans Am and by far the fastest 375 H.P.It has a few extras, headers, B&M short shift for the six speed, and a custom dash plate that illuminates shades of blue or gray, also (HAD) a K&N cold air filter system which took out my Distributor $1200 bucks on a trip to california when in New Mexico the filter fell out allowing the rain storm I was in to suck water up into the air system causing A TOTAL OF $2300.00 DAMAGE I DO NOT RECOMEND THE K&N COLD AIR FILTER SYSTEM FOR THESE CARS. If you are thinking about one spare no expense. MINES a 95 with only 65,000 miles as my friends say when they get in were is the ejection button and the harness.

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  I do not like the G6 - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By BG - March 31 - 4:40 pm

  I traded in my 2003 Grand Am GT w/ ram air in for this car and Im very upset that I chose the G6. It does not have enough power, hesitates when the gas pedal is pushed, there are blind spots everywhere on the car and the car has a horrible turning radius. I got the G6 V6 for a reasonable lease price but I am definitely not happy with this car.

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  slipping tranny - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By tinhorn - March 31 - 3:53 pm

  the wife loves the van for its roominess lots of room for the grandkids, groceries, fishing poles and camping stuff. it handles good in snow and its only a front wheel drive

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  Near perfect vehicle - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Kevin Federico - March 31 - 3:00 am

  This is a near perfect vehicle in my opinion..Good on gas, seats 4 comfortably, carries a fair amount of cargo, can get out of its own way, looks modern and reasonably priced. I drive double the average each year and so far I have found this car to be very fun to drive. Get the 7 speaker stereo system and moon roof if you can find it...well worth the price.

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  Great Car - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Kevin The Krazy 1 - March 30 - 6:16 am

  For all of you who have wrote bad reviews about the car, you must not know how to drive. Ive drove my 07 G6 115,000mi in two years. The only two problems I had were dirty fuel injectors and the cadilac convertor was replaced. Finally, after 115,000 the struts are starting to go bad but thats because of all the pot holes. The car runs great, looks great, handles great and im thinking about upgrading to an 09. If you have break problems with only 10,000mi maybe your slamming on the brakes too much and overheating the rotors...

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  Lots of fun, but not worth it! - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By SilverBird0000 - March 29 - 10:00 am

  I got this car as a gift when I turned 16.I am now 19 and wish I would have never saw it!It is an awesome car to drive,ive had alot of memories and fun in it.But Ive have to have it in the shop every other month for the last year.Ive had to replace the turn signals mulitple times,the catalitic converter twice,new battery,fuel injectors,plugs and wires twice,also had to have the O2 sensors replaced.The car has 72K miles on it and has had problems since 30K.Power window motors each replaced twice.The rotors also where shot at 40K miles.The speakers are also all blown.The car was fun for the first year now I hate it!

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  What A Car! - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Goaty - March 29 - 10:00 am

  What a great car. I traded in my 02 TA WS6 for this beauty and I am in no way disapointed. It blows the TA away in every aspect. The GTO has superior performance, handling and comfort. OK, it may not have the looks of a TA but I prefer the understated look. The engine note is wonderful. I have the Torrid Red six speed manual.

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  rear side window - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By shaky124 - March 29 - 10:00 am

  small rear side window creates a blind spot, which is not there in toyota matrix, because of larger window.