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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  98GP Still Going Strong - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By stragger - January 10 - 10:00 am

  My Grand Prix came to me as a company car, but I feel in love with it and bought it when it reached 36,000 miles, the company limit. I have always felt like this car fit me like a glove, and its performance, while not a sports car, has always been more than adequate. Aside from some quirky electronic anomolies, it has been totally problem free. My best surprise is that I still get 28 mpg on a the highway at a steady 70 mph. I cant see buying a new car yet, since this baby still meets all my needs.

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  Goat - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Putch - January 10 - 10:00 am

  Great fun to drive! Im taking a killing at the gas pump but hey, I knew that when I bought it. Get it up around 75mph and this Goat really begs for more. 100mph comes up very quick. Pontiacs got a winner! Just go down to your local dealer, bite the bullit, and buy one.

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  Love the Car - Hate the Quality - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Gib - December 31 - 10:33 am

  I love the look and the Driving feel of this car. And I say this with a heavy heart... AVOID this Car!!! It has a major design flaw with the Windows, which Leak into the seat belt. As of 2/16/06 the part to fix is On National Back order and I am 41st on the list to get the part after not being able to drive the car for 28 days and counting. Pontiacs Response, Too BAd. Which is a shame...

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  2006 GTOs - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By GTOs - December 30 - 9:13 pm

  The outside of the GTO is UGLY! It is to plain. If you see one going down the road no one turns their head and say ooo there is a GTO because the are not that recognizeable. They look to much like a Mazda 6, or and other sport sudan. Unlike the new Dodge Charger or Ford Mustang everyone goes ooo look at that. It is because they are very distinctive. There are no other cars that look like them. On a good note the interior and performance are perfect.

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  First Purchase of GMC Vehicle - 2003 Pontiac Montana
  By bridjon - December 27 - 9:36 pm

  This vehicle gives a very comfortable ride, unfortunately the interior display is awful, dials are difficult to read. We have had no mechanical problems in 18 months and she starts first time every time (whatever the weather). The paint finish has chipped in a couple of places (without any rough treatment on our part!)we never had this problem with our previous van (Mitshbishi). We are very happy overall and accept that every vehicle has a drawback of some sort, those on the Montana are easy to live with as they have nothing to with reliability and that for us is number one.

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  fun /nice looking - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ed tryin - December 27 - 2:00 am

  I had this car since 1998 had 13,000 miles now it has 90,000 miles . Problems water pump $700 oh yea. and electric window motor $230 I love the car its fun to drive red and black top.

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  Honest Review of the Grand Prix GXP - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By pontiac owner jim - December 25 - 5:56 pm

  Im a young professional and I need a car to take clients out. I test drove a gently used maxima, a tsx,and an IS 250. Liked them all. I test drove the GP GXP and was pleasantly surprised. The V8 power,options,and handling of this car far outperformed the others above. And it was ~ $8,000 less. The car is not perfect. Fuel economy is not good and there are some cheap materials on the interior. There is torque steer due to front wheel drive but its not intolerable. But the performance and options you get for the value far outweighs the negatives.

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  last of the bred - 2001 Pontiac Firebird
  By tarntino - December 22 - 10:00 am

  love the 5.7 v8 very fast and great milage average about 20mpg for a big car and large v8 thats super,I think it looks great most cars on road today all look the same,only problem is quality pontiac has a long way to go before they match the imports.

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  Aztek is a sleeper - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By LadyofShallot - December 22 - 10:00 am

  Looking at the Aztek driving down the road is somewhat hard on the eyes. The interior is "youth-oriented" so a little unconventional. But, it is comfortable, smooth riding, and incredibly functional.

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  good car but had little problems - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By got 1 of the lucky 1 - December 21 - 10:43 am

  I got this grand am With 130,000 miles on it.now it has 174,000miles. had it for 3yrs. i had to change the thermostat just once cause it was heatin up a lil. i change the oil every sungle time. i changed the sparkplugs on my own and the only tIhng i hated was the clicking noise from the hazard signal button. i changed that but still clicks a lil. sound system is great. I never had problems with the intake maifold gasget cause i changed the anntifreeze in the car. its been good to me but im gettin a new car now