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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  Had to have one - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Rwilson - September 26 - 4:50 pm

  Got the 08 after seeing it on the road.Did my research first. Back cup holder OK with me. The driver side holder needs improvement. Plastic looks fragile. Airbag light too obvious on dash. Auto trans. works for me, shifts great. Chrome grille would class it up. Would like a removable luggage rack for the back. Could have included door pockets but would sacrifice width. Perhaps a netting to hold odd and ends. Mirrors a little too small. Good sound system with 6 deck CD. My mistake was getting it for my wife. I dont like to beg. Put the SUV away until winter.

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  Reliable 97 Bonnie - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Keith - September 26 - 2:20 am

  This is the best car Ive ever owned! It drives and handles great, and the interior is roomy and comfortable. The high mileage 3.8 L. still delivers punch and starts flawlessly every time. All dashboard controls are conveniently located, especially the audio controls located on the steering wheel. Gas mileage is also decent.

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  2007 base v6. Great! - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Eric - September 26 - 12:53 am

  My base 3.5L v6 sedan, pretty well optioned. Owned Camaros before this. Loved the looks, safety, options for the price. MSRP $21,800, paid $16,500 before tax with haggling and incentives. I have had it for 1.5 years and ~25,000 miles, No issues. Not sure everyones issue with fuel, being a base I have a 3.05 final drive, maybe that helps but I see 22- 24 city, and 28-32 logged and calculated by hand. Not bad for a midsized car, that is roomy enough for my 65" guy. Yet still has some enough power to actually pass people with ease on the road. Is the interior top of the line? No, but its not bad. Its plastic and fake leather, like every other car under $30k. Cheap/fast/economic

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  The real goat ! - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By timbercd32 - September 25 - 8:53 pm

  I have had a many muscle cars in my years even some of the real bad boys. I sold my Vette to buy it and love it. This car is amazing! Floor it and watch the tach rev up and when it changes gears the rear end twitches to the left..Raw HP !! What other cars on the market can you buy stock..that will do that. In the old days the cars screamed the tires after you installed a shift kit..06 GTO does it stock! Its an awesome car and rides great on long trips. No road noise and great looks. You dont see them everywhere like you do so many other cars. Sadly I just sold it because of two reasons..I need a 4 door and better gas mileage.

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  Love this car... - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By joe_velderman - September 25 - 12:20 pm

  I bought this GP with 94000 miles on it July 02. Its been running strong ever since. Its really sporty, incredibly roomy, fast and stylish. The engine is way to big for the car - and has more than enough giddyup. The interior is plush and sporty.

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  muscule car - 1998 Pontiac Firebird
  By Salvatore - September 25 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car 2 months ago and I love it! the car performance is more than I excpeted its really fast, it handles really good in turns and what ilove the most about id is that it puts mustangs to a shame.even the top of the line mustang can not compete with this car. of cource is a GM car always puts ford in its place.

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  I Love My GT!s - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By mem - September 25 - 2:00 am

  I have bought two GT1s within 3 years and love them........I drive so many miles.....Can go down the interstate 90 MPH and hit the accel and plenty of power.........No problems to take to the dealers ever.....I especially like the fold down rear seats as I am in sales and service and the sound systems are great.....My new car has satelite system which now leads me to bringing all my cds into the house........Resale value is less than desirable however. But overall I love em till I get more bucks to upgrade and drive less miles...Looking forward to my first Corvette............

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  Terrible Van - we are going to Toyota - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By CD - September 23 - 7:03 am

  Very disappointing. We have bought only GM for 20 years. Automatic sliding doors open while driving and wont latch. Mystery to dealer and GM. They could care less this is a serious safety issue. We are stuck having to go in and have the doors fixed once every few months. GM customer service tells us it is fixed each time so what the heck do we want from them?? We are so unreasonable to want a car that works Fabric inside stains easily despite many coats from the dealer of Scotch-Guard. Cruise control accelerates by red-lining RPMs causing loss of control of the vehicle. JD Powers gives this van its worst ratings across the board. Hello Toyota - GM doesnt care if they lose a customer.

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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.