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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  Not bad, not bad at all. - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Uncle - September 19 - 11:46 pm

  I must have a good one. In 4 years I havent had any major issues. The one thing I didnt like was the standard equipment tires wore out very quickly. I was lucky to get 15,000 miles out of them. Other than that, its been a good vehicle.

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  I Think We Have a Winner - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By Gail - September 19 - 11:10 pm

  Had my heart set on a Rav 4 for over a year. Spent about that much time researching all similar vehicles for everything from MPG to TCO My husband recommended I look at this and Im glad I did. It is beautiful, stylish, has longer power train warranty, rides well has better peripheral vision area. The Crystal Lake is an awesome teal color. Rich looking and a little different than your standard blue or green. The best part was the price. Leather, Onstar, XM radio, side curtain airbags and still about $2500 less out the door than the RAV4. Would recommend this to anyone. Mileage is a little less than expected but my husband insists its because the engine is new

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  RaRas GrandAmSE1Sdn - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Mark R - September 19 - 7:10 am

  We have found the Grand AM SE1 Sedan to be a thrill to drive. We would definitely recommend the V-6, as we are partial to the torgue of the larger engine. The car is very reliable, has a the basic power options, and handles well for a mid-size sedan. Comes with all-season touring tires that are also speed rated, which adds to the handling of cornering. Its a great little performer. Its not the G6 though, its 25 ponies short, although I prefer the Grand Am design over that of the G6.

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  Pontiac G 2007 - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Bradley Melton - September 17 - 11:30 pm

  I got my 2007 Black GT G 6 on 9/11. My wife who has hated my previous convertibles loves this one. It is real quiet with the top up. I can now hear my 88 year old mother talk while I drive her around. Looks ? With the top down this car gets all kinds of looks. Power? I only have the 3.5 and this thing moves along real nice. I went to get around some traffic going home form work on 95 S and I looked down and I was breathing on 90. Whoops! At 3K I will switch over to the Mobil 1 Extended Performance oil. The trunk with the top up has a fare amount of room and there is more room in the back seats than I expected.The last Pontiac I had lasted 190K & did not burn oil.Fun Car-Me? I am 58 yrs old.

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  Wouldnt Do It Again (continued) - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Father of 5 - September 17 - 5:43 pm

  12. Rear taillight assembly/wiring replaced due to shorts 13. Rear wiper motor failed 14. Rear hatch dampers replaced 15. Rear hatch strap broke almost immediately 16. Rear automatic windows will not open 17. Radio display has not worked for years 18. Gas gauge reads only either full or empty – and incorrectly at that 19. Driver and passenger side power windows will roll down but not back up. GM wants $1,000 each for replacement motors (insane). I found them on the internet for $125 each as part of a window regulator kit. 20. AC fan hardly works. 21. Transmission has intermittently shifted hard for 5 years, but has not failed. 22. Gas tank cover door broken and will not close

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  starter sucks - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By tig - September 17 - 7:40 am

  They should have done better in this one!

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  Host of Problems - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Cher - September 16 - 7:20 pm

  We bought this car new from the dealer. Since then the headlights have gone out twice under warranty, then paid +$300 to get them fixed again, now the fog lights are out (issue is in a wiring harness that keeps corroding, and even if they replace the entire harness, the same issue will happen because the harness still is built the same way - with poor wires; GM states that it is not their issue, but if you research this, just about every one of them has this problem; sounds like it should be recalled and a completely new harness designed). The fuel pump will go out about every 50k-60k miles. Now the window will not roll down. Many calls to GMs product assist/complaint line go non-returned.

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  Just Dont Know - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Corey - September 15 - 2:16 pm

  I had to have my steering lubed up the first day I got it. Then I had to get the rotors turned. Now I have an antifreeze leak. I got rid of my old Pontiac because it was just having too many problems. Granted it had 150,000 miles on it. But this one is giving me headaches. One problem after another. Im also having problems with the visors coming out. I would do more homework next time before buying any car.

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  Family necessity - 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
  By mikeametz - September 14 - 10:00 am

  We have taken this vehicle everywhere. It is a great family car and car pools well for school.

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  Fun but reliable? - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cplogic - September 14 - 10:00 am

  Bought the car new. Ive had the car a little over two years and 19,000 miles. Ive had four problems: 1) at 9,000 miles - Check engine light - Dealership cleaned injectors. 2) Car wont start - Dealership replaced ignition switch parts (although car turned over fine). 3) 19,000 miles - Check engine light - cleaned injectors 4) Car wont start - replaced battery. So the problems were not serious, yet not starting once a year is a pain.