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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  Trans Am fever - 2001 Pontiac Firebird
  By JACKf - September 30 - 2:00 am

  I have loved the firebird since the inception in the 1960s. I have a 99 firebird and 01 trans am. I love them both and cannot find a car with the same high performance, race car ready, drive. I cannot think of anything bad to say of the firebird.

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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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  i love this car - 2010 Pontiac Vibe
  By gregg n - September 29 - 10:56 pm

  i replaced a 2003 base vibe with the 2010 gt. wow! we love it. i do miss the rear opening window, the luggage rack, but it is so fun to drive. i anticipate that my biggest concern in the future will be the paint quality. i fear that pontiac knowing they were shutting down cut back on the amount of paint applied to the car thinking what will the consumer do about it. except for that, i really love the car.

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  My fav car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Mil - September 29 - 8:20 pm

  I purchased the vibe a few months ago. I totally loved the toyota matrix and then I realized the vibe is very similar and much more affordable.

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  04 GTO A Blast to Drive/Owner - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By cavu - September 28 - 4:56 pm

  Wife loves car. Nimble and responsive. Comfortable. Totally differnt experience than the BMW 3 and 5 series cars in our neighborhood. More of a stand-out bad-boy. The local kids know its different too... Corvette Powered! Some glitches w/ Gauges on deliever.

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  Dont believe factory stats - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By philman - September 28 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for just over a week now. I have bought a K&N filter and a Beltroics Vector Accelerometer from Jegs. The factory stats on the 6sp is 0-60 in 5.3 and the 1/4 mile in 13.8 @ 105. After alot of practice on the starts, my best time WITH a witness in the car is 0-60 in 4.70 flat and the 1/4 mile in 13.35 at 106. I knew from magazine articles that the car was faster than advertised by Pontiac. I had seen sub 5 second 0-60 runs and a 13.53 1/4 by muscle car mag. By the way, if you want to look it up or dont believe me, the Beltronics Vector FX2 has an out of the box accuracy of 1/100 of a millisecond. Super high quality GM that handles good

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  Is this really an American Car - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By Skeets - September 28 - 5:23 am

  I guess I picked the fully loaded version GT, which has everything everyone wants. In comparison to my Ford Explorer, it is small but roomy. Handles pretty well in wet and slick conditions as long as I dont try to put her on test by making sharp turns. Traction control is awsome, kept me straight on the road in past snowy days. It is not designed by Toyota but GM and Toyota has several projects done together under the name of Nummi. Just like Ford had been building Mercurry Villager and Nissan Quests on the same assembly line but general public does not know the inside facts.

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  Great car to own and drive! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Fredinator - September 27 - 10:13 am

  Driven the car on all sorts of trips. One 2000 mile stint and it was very comfortable and pleasure to drive. This car is fun, and even great accelerations with the 3.5L V6. I averaged 33 MPG on the long trip and am getting 22 in the city. This is the first car Ive had with Satelite Radio and I really like it. On Star is a great safety option that ever car in america should have. I must say the G6 has been a pleasnt surprise for me. I think GM/Pontiac has got a winner on their hands for sure. I picked the G6 over the Grand Prix. Mostly because of styling and more room for my back seat riders. This car is great all around!

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  Great for the Money - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GPMan - September 27 - 6:20 am

  I was amazed at the performance of the Grand Prix GTP. The Eaton 5 Supercharger added a lot of fun to the everyday driving I do. The four speed automatic was amazingly smooth and the interior is refined. Even though the engine is pushrod actuated, it is still more efficient, smoother, and more fun than the Toyota V6s. Toyotas overhead cam designs detract from low-end torque and "everyday" driving "gusts" that are needed to pass on the highway. The interior design is also simply and logically laid out. Materials and build quality are excellent.

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  My Granny Am - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Kayla M - September 27 - 2:13 am

  Since getting my Grand Am in 2004, it has been an overall great ride. Although it may not look sporty or "cool", its reliability is pretty good. Thus far the fuel pump, and shifter are the only real problems I have had. In winter, it is pretty amazing, especially since I live in the country and do lots of highway driving. The car is fairly fuel efficient as well.