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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  Simply the best - 2002 Pontiac Aztek
  By Ibhappy - December 28 - 10:00 am

  Did not like the looks at first in 2001. But now I love it. Its different! Great vechicle with a great sound system. Perfect for the family with a cottage and you need that extra space but dont want a van. Drives great! My friends at first said it was ugly, and then when they had there first drive, they liked it. I could not be happier with my purchase. I hope they dont stop making them because I think they are catching on. No problem at 60000.

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  Dont Buy - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Julie Dunagan - December 28 - 10:00 am

  I will never buy another pontiac. After 1 year everything started falling apart.

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  great little car - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By daredog - December 28 - 10:00 am

  Purchased this car two months ago, and have definately enjoyed it. It handles like a charm and gets 35mpg on the highway. Dont know how well the AWD functions, as inclement weather has not shown itself yet. The AWD is a bit sluggish off the line, but holds its own well at highway speeds. the automatic tranny has trouble finding the best gear when going up hills or when passing at high speeds. would definately prefer a manual in this car. but not a choice. car is often downshifting when cruise control is engaged, making for a loud ride at times

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  Watch out Matrix! - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By tonyjosie - December 28 - 10:00 am

  Pontiac told me it had a Toyota engine and that it wasbasicall the Matrix sister car, so I went to check out the Matrix and wanted one but Toyota did not want to negotiate. Went back to Pontiac, they gave me a heck of a price (better than Edmunds), so I bought one. I am in love with this car. My kids like it and my wife loves to drive it. Excellent gas mileage, smooth ride and it is cool looking. If it has a Toyota engine I am sure it will last and even though it may not have the Matrix resale value now, Toyota better not get comfortable because this car will dominate the Matrix, especially if Toyota keeps their prices up.

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  not happy - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By nothappy - December 27 - 8:16 am

  Loved the van when we first bought it, but several things have happened since then. The transmission has slipped either going from park to drive or taking off from a stoplight/stopsign. Almost all of the decals have fallen off on the rear hatch. The battery also quit on us. Now I feel we are stuck until we get caught up payment wise to merit selling or trading in on another vehicle.

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  Must be just me...problems..problems - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By rob - December 27 - 1:30 am

  Ok we will start with the 6,000 mile warped rotors that they dealership told me was typical after they tried to accuse me of being to hard on the brakes??? at 9,500 miles the rack and pinion went bad..gm knows there is a problem so they put a bulliten out to grease them.well after 500 miles the grease worked its way out and then they had to replace the whole rack.squeks I can not figure out where they are coming from and neither can the dealer.just two days ago my wife handed me her key fob and told me the battery needed to be replaced..so i opened it up and surprise,surprise the soldier joints have broke??who has actually broke a key fob,Now I guess I will just have to see what breaks next

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  Better than good, but not quite perfect - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By CEN19 - December 26 - 12:06 pm

  JD Power rated this vehicle as a good buy for reliability and I have to agree. Ive had only two minor issues that were quickly corrected under warranty. Very comfortable around town and on the highway. Acceleration with the supercharged engine is excellent, as is braking. This is a large vehicle, so handling is good but not great. Fuel economy is in the low 20s with mostly highway driving; nothing close to the 28 mpg listed on the window sticker. Interior materials are a mix of good to cheap, with some areas nicely padded and textured; others are cheap in feel and durability. Red illumination of instrumentation is very appealing. All controls are easy to operate and very intuitive.

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  Pontiac builds excitement - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By Oldfield - December 26 - 7:10 am

  Only owned the car for six weeks but it has been great so far. The relatively long wheelbase, for a car in this class, provides excellent ride. Owing to the fat 225/50-17 tires, taunt but compliant suspension and good steering response I, admittedly not a street racer, havent found the limits of this car, yet. From what Ive experienced, however, I expect the G6 to perform well in an emergency evasive maneuver. Im 62" and found the back seat headroom to be adequate and the legroom quite impressive. Originally attracted by the clean, smooth styling and rake of the roofline. Really like the taupe leather interior, heated seats and security of OnStar. 31 mpg so far on a couple trips.

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  Fun and Pretty, But Impractical - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Heather - December 24 - 9:26 am

  This is my first car with a loan. Despite the fact that I did about everything wrong when buying from a dealership, this car has turned out to be a decent deal. My only regret is that I bought it because it was pretty rather than researching it before I signed on the dotted line.

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  Fun to drive/ride - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By Xavier Sanders - December 24 - 2:00 am

  Ive had a 5.0 Mustang. Ive had a 4.6 & 4.7 Mustang. Ive had 91 camaro with a 350. They were fun cars. The PONTIAC TRANS AM. The best car Ive ever owned or driven. I used to work at a Porsche Dealership. I have driven the Porsche 911 twin turbo. Its a nice car. If they were both evenly matched in price...................... It wouldnt be a second though. I would pick the TRANS AM (with the WS6 Package of course!!!)