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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  Great Roadster for Fun....3 weeks old. - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Tom Shepard - September 10 - 4:03 pm

  This is a fantastic little car...Body style blows all others off the road. Performance ... great thru 4th gear .. (to 85). 5th gear to 105 might take a few miles ... LOL ... but I am not in it for the speed (I am 65) I have had people follow me to a stop to find out about this car ... many thumbs up on it on the highway ... I it the MG of the future..To grocery shop you need to leave the top up .. NO TRUNK space ... or put groceries in the other seat. Now I am still trying to figure how you get the battery out of this car someday..needs more speakers...I love this car.

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  Jims Siver 6 speed GTO - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Jim - September 10 - 9:23 am

  I love my GTO. Ive owned it since 1/06 w/o any problems, never been back to the dealer. I like the styling. This is 2006 not 1966. The 2006 GTO can compete with the German and Japanese imports with interior & exterior styling,quality and price. What the imports dont have is an LS2 400/400 engine. No comparison. I looked at Mustangs but interior was too plasticy and a little tight. Im 64 200 and sit very compfortably in my GTO. I like having a unique car. Fords sells over 200,000 Mustangs/yr. Less than 15,000 GTOs /yr. Some people have complained about the GTOs styling but its 2006, not 1966. Mustangs retro look is good. But dont take anything away from the GTOs modern look.

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  Lots of Miles - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Michelle - September 10 - 6:10 am

  I love this car. I love the way it handles, it feels like a luxurious smooth ride especially compared to my fiancees Grand Am. I love the way it looks, and the interior design. I have had a few problems though, the transmission needed a complete overhaul after 34K miles. Now I am having brake and traction system problems at 41K.

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  1997 Pontiac Grand Am SE by Alisha - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Alisha McAleese - September 9 - 1:46 pm

  I have driven many vehicles and i have determined my favorite was the 1997 Grand am that i bought this year. It handles great and it is really fun to drive even though it is an automatic. I have had many compliments on the car.

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  Get some "lift" in your life - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By castovicini - September 9 - 10:00 am

  The low end torque is a downside, but the car is fun to kick into "lift" mode at 6000 RPM. You can fold down the seats and carry the groceries home with the new lamp, or put all three kids in the back with the seats up. There are some cheesey plastic interior parts, but thats why its a $17,000 car.

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  Good inexpensive car - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By rockyb - September 9 - 10:00 am

  I only paid $13,000 for this car. The only problem was the alternator at 50,000 miles. otherwise problem free. Good on gas and plenty of power with only a 4 cylinder!? Nearly 7 years old and it looks and drives as good as new

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  95 t/a - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By 95ta - September 9 - 10:00 am

  This car is great I bought from A guy in Florida, who recently moved here (pa.). Body is in excellent shape to date. People ask me all the time is that a new car? No, I tell them its a 95 (8 years old) and they say "NO WAY". Overall I like the car but it does have its quirks, I owned 3 GM F-Bodies (85 camaro 2.8, 84 z28 - 5.0 h.o., 95 t/a 5.7L)and have the same complaints. Rattles and creaks everwhere, power windows are slow and always need adjusting, rides poorly on a bumpy road (shakes and rattles). No good in snow even with the posi, front air dam is to low, it bottoms out on almost anything.

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  2000 Montana - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Mongoose69 - September 9 - 10:00 am

  Other than going through a spell where we had a number of nagging problems around 35000 miles this has been a great van. More cargo space than any of the others. We plan to replace this van with another Montana in the next few years. My wife has just fallen in love with it. We have driven the Toyota and the Ford and the Chrysler/Dodge ones and she has concluded that none of them are as good as her Montana.

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  Sweet ride - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GopherRube - September 9 - 10:00 am

  Love the acceleration. Love the handling. Like the looks. I race it and beat on it and am waiting for something to go wrong or break but nothing breaks ever! Reliability must be at least as good as Jap/German if not better.

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  Montana is very solid! - 2003 Pontiac Montana
  By mitsos16 - September 9 - 10:00 am

  We purchased our Montana (Thunder Edition) with Montana vision and the sports package that came with the Thunder badging a month before the birth of our second son. I can say that it was a wise decision and although deep down I wanted the Odyssey I am very happy with our Montana. I have had no major problems with it at 18k miles and the little ones love the dvd system (as do mom and dad)! I think the controls are functional, but have the cheap feel that all GM vehicles have. The location of the dvd player is a bit inconvenient (by the floor on the front center console) and the controls for the DVD player are not laid out well.