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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  Waste of money - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jmarc - September 30 - 2:00 am

  I had bought this car just shortly after it was released (as a new redesigned model) after reading all these reviews that Pontiac pulled it together and produced a quality vehicle. Boy was I wrong!! Had to replace the brakes twice in the first two years (28k miles after 2years). Power drivers seat broke after 5 months. Outside of that the car was great.....until the 3 year 36k warranty expired. Transmission started slipping, alternator had to be replaced, power steering started leaking. I spent over 3 grand in repairs within 3 months of the warranty expiring.

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  REGRETS AND DISAPPOINTMENT! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Scarletbkt - September 22 - 7:06 pm

  I just unloaded this car ... its been in the shop MULTIPLE times, 5 times for the same thing!!! Steering column. Also problems with leaky sunroof and vanity mirrors replaced 3 times! LOVE the way the car looks and always got compliments on it but reliability was just awful! Also lots of problems with brakes and rotars too. Car has new front and rear brakes and still shakes when braking. Very disappointed in this car and after reading these reviews its seems like all are common problems. Too bad cuz the great looks great. Got a 2007 Nissan Maxima and have my fingers crossed this one is better quality!

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  Less than I hoped for - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Tim - September 22 - 3:36 am

  I bought a used 97 SE with V6 and low miles (only 44K). Maybe I picked a lemon, but I ended up disappointed. There were a series of expensive failures - power window rollers, starter, alternator. The shocks had too little travel, and bumps were bone-jarring. Then engine ran frighteningly hot in summer, and no cause was ever found. Gas mileage was so-so (24 city, 26 hwy). In fairness, there were some good things. The V6 engine is very smooth, if a bit underpowered for its size. And the car had surprisingly excellent handling on icky, icy Dallas freeways in February. Ultimately, lack of reliability became too much of a factor, so 2 years and 40K miles later, I went back to my old brand.

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  Not a bad first car these days, but research first - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Keith - September 21 - 3:40 am

  First let me say that this car isnt bad. Its a very comfortable car, and mine came with bucket seats which are very cozy. The sound system is great, mine came from the dealership with Bose speakers that are very crisp and clear. However, the interior/entertainment is not where my issues are. I am constantly having to replace/repair something on this car. In the 3 years Ive had it, Ive replaced the front tie rod, the exhaust, the thermostat, the rotors twice, the brakes 3 times, among others. This car is starting to not be worth the trouble. Not to mention the very mediocre gas mileage compared to newer cars. I drive very conservatively (partially due to the fear of breaking something else) and the most MPG Ive ever gotten out of this car was 26 miles and that was 100% highway driving for 280 miles. Its a very comfortable car, but like my other Grand Prix that I had before this one, its a money pit after a while. Make sure to do your research.

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  Glad to see it gone! - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Inwisconsin - September 20 - 9:50 pm

  I have to say I am glad I got rid of my Torrent. The gas mileage was truly the clincher of me getting rid of the vehicle. The window sticker is not even close to what the true gas mileage is. Had the vehicle for one year, NEVER got over 17 on the HWY, and about 13 in the city! Had many minor problems but annoying after awhile to take in for this and that, and a day without the vehicle, thank god they have courtesy transportation. Right before it was traded in, I had put in 89 octane gas and my engine light came on, I was told by the dealership NOTHING BUT cheap gas as it was a small combustion engine? Very odd issues, but glad its gone!

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  I have NEVER been so disappointed! - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Valerie - September 20 - 10:00 am

  This was my very first brand new car. I started having problems within the first year and and it has been one thing after another. Thank God I bought the extended warranty. As of right now I have been waiting three weeks for the dealership that I have been using to get my car in to have the power steering pump replaced and to fix a hub problem on the right front. The Pontiac dealership is not the same one that I bought the car from,although I was assured that would not be a problem. Because of all the problems with this vehicle, I will probably never buy another GM product.

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  Sunfire great but flaws - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ed - September 9 - 10:43 am

  This is my first car. Runs great cant complain. I had an accident with it. Another person hit me. On the left hand panel. It was like a tank. Nothing broken but the exterior. Lately I was going down the highway and the speedometer went crazy. It looked like I was traveling at 110 mph. I hit the brakes and pulled onto the shoulder. I found out it wasnt the speed sensor but more like the panel cluster which is a huge problem in these cars. It has been causing lots of problems and is now a money pit. With no problems it is very fast and reliable but when it goes get rid of it immediatly.

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  Pontiac Got Outclassed...By itself - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Seth - September 4 - 10:33 am

  I got a lease and I just recently turned it in and got a new lease on a Pontiac G8. And man, everything the GP does right, the G8 does so much better and all the flaws from the GP vanish. But this is for the GP, though. The Grand Prix is a great car just to push the the limits. But when it comes down to business, it did terribly. I bumped my head in the back, causing the sunroof to get dislodged. I had a headache and a car repair bill. I was so mad. Also annoyances include archaic stereo system that looks like my old 1998 Grand Am. Its ugly inside and out. I was not satisfied at all.

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  Rest in Peace? - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By 2005/427 - August 31 - 10:00 am

  Hopefully it will be brought back as a leaner more refined machine. GM needs to look at the sales success of the Mustang and give the consumer what they want. They want fun value packaged performance cars with styling elements from the original 1967, 1968 and 1969 cars. Think of it, a Mustang shaped car with a more upright seating position with a 5.7 V-8 engine. These cars should be about balanced fun and performance. This is something Ford has figured out. Rest in peace? I hope not.

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  worst mistake ever! - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By esh83 - August 19 - 1:51 am

  Ive had problems with this car from the start. @15,000 miles steering shaft replaced 4 times and whole steering assembly replaced @15,000 airbag sensor in passenger seat replaced twice @29,000 miles engine dropped for rear main seal leak @60,000 miles right front tire pressure monitoring system stopped working -Traction control light and ABS kick on whenever i make a tight turn, dealer couldnt find a problem- had this problem since 35,000 miles -Transmission light on now at 63,000 miles for no reason. -Multiple lights out in dash..heated seat light out, heat control arrows out, shifter light out. it seems like i always have some kind of engine or service light on :(