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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  Great 2nd Car - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By JVB - October 5 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I bought the Vibe as a second car. We are both 6ft+ and it has great head room and fair leg room. It also good gas milage. The back seat has room for a car seat and two grandparents. We are very happy with it.

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  Wonderful car except - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Marco - October 1 - 2:26 am

  Its been a year since buying the GP sedan. After the first 10,000 mi with zero problems, it is clear that if GM could build all of their cars this well...

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  Great Car!! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mr Beatnick - September 28 - 10:00 am

  This is a very good car. This just makes me feel good about American cars once again,and on top of that I still have some cash in my pocket.

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  06 GTO - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By rick - September 25 - 9:43 pm

  i purchased my GTO in june of 06 i was pleased in the comfort of the interior and performace but not blown away. cant get much better for the price range unless you are willing to spend an extra 10 grand on a corvette or mustang shelby GT500

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  Good Value - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By dmy - September 22 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Grand Prix. I bought my 97 because it was a good value and the 04 GTP comp remains a good value. I looked at the G35 and Maxima but when negotiating a deal GM remained the most competitive with a ton of rebates. The car is still fun to drive and practical when traveling. Still find the tires to be slippery in rain like the 97 but a set of Coopers will fix that in time. Had a difficult time selling the 97...hope the 04 grows on me as well.

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  Great GTP Sedan - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mallified - September 21 - 10:00 am

  I have enjoyed my GTP since I bought it. The performance is awesome. Upgrade to the Borla exhaust system and a Thrush cold air induction system to get a significant increase in accelleration. I love driving my GTP. Plenty of room front and back. Very comfortable on long hauls too.

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  I loved her til the end - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Athena - September 20 - 8:56 am

  I recently turned in my 02 Grand Prix GT Sedan. It was my 3rd Grand Prix in a row since I lease every 3 years. It was a wonderful car - great pickup, good in the snow, roomy inside, big trunk, good sound system & overall fun to drive! I had to have a few items replaced near the end of my lease (water pump, door hinge, entire new sunroof) - but nothing was earth shattering & all was covered under the warranty. I would have purchased it when my lease was over but the price GM wanted me to pay was $3,000 over blue book value!!! Wake up GM!!!

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  the good and the bad - 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
  By twagner - September 20 - 2:00 am

  powerful engine, good trans, nice techno features in my upper end model, too many rattles and sqeaks, rear suspension terrible and too much road noise in rear, several little things have gone bad

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  99 GTP 2door - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Royfact - September 19 - 4:30 am

  For what is otherwise a basic GM offering, the GTP has turned out to be a pretty decent car. The styling will never be classic but it looks reasonable. The interior design is better than average for GM offerings. I especially like the Heads-up display and the steering wheel controls. The seats are comfortable and easily adjusted. The car is good off the line but great in the midrange with its supercharger. The engine isnt sweet-sounding like some, but its rock-solid reliable. Gas mileage is about 22.5 mpg in 40/60 city/highway driving.

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  338,000 Miles, all original, still going strong! - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By wuollet - September 18 - 7:00 am

  We bought our 2006 G6 GT in 2007 with 16k miles on it. It currently has 338k miles, and still runs great! I changed spark plugs at 180k miles, and they werent even bad, but just thought it was enough miles on them. One complaint is the suspension, for the last 200k miles, it makes lots of rattles in the suspension. Im sure its an easy fix, but it still works good. We did replace power steering around 250k miles. Other than that, we have had amazing reliability with this car. Just do regular maintenance, wash the car once in a while, and youll have no problems. This is a MN car, and theres lots of salt on our roads in the winter, and the body is just about perfect still. Would buy again.