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:

• 

  a grand prix - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By alano - January 31 - 10:00 am

  this is my second grand prix.this gtp isin most every way better than the 1997grand prix.a very good balance of ride @ handling.better front seating and driving postion.better trunk and amore solid feel.unfortately some of the test drives from some of the popular magazines under rate a very good automobile.

• 

  new vibe owner - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By lovemyvibe - January 29 - 3:30 am

  Ive had my Vibe now for a whole 3 weeks and I love it!! I have owned 3 other new cars since my Vibe and not one compare to the comfort and reliabilty of the Vibe. Best practical car out there.

• 

  Solid Car, Well Built, Excellent Quality - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By GoatFink - January 28 - 6:10 pm

  Fast, fun to drive, nice comfy interior and still outsmokes a Mustang GT with 1 or 4 occupants. 0-60 is at 4.6 seconds and you wont find that in a Mustang in 2005. Its unique, not many on the road and looks like a Euro sports car rather than an American Boy racer machine. It is not an embarassing car to drive that requires striping, etc to be arrogant or flamboyant and the engine roars just to let you know who is boss.

• 

  Exciting New Ride! - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By sassls - January 28 - 3:46 am

  After test driving the Highlander, the Equinox, and the Vue, we test drove the new 2.4L FWD 2009 Vibe and drove it home. We have only owned it a week (purchased 05/09/08) but have found it to be a practical but fun family ride. Gas mileage is as promised and should get better when the car is broken in. Great value for the money.

• 

  I love this car! - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By JTB - January 27 - 7:00 am

  I have about 9500 miles on my 2008 G8 GT. I drove BMWs, Mercedes, Infinitys, etc. and this was the car I just simply fell in love with. Talk about fun to drive. Even after 9500 miles I still look for excuses to drive it, sometimes making 3-4 trips to the grocery store (my wife thinks Im reformed)! I have installed several bolt on high performance upgrades (cold air kit, tune for premium gas, shorty headers with high flow cats keeping the rest of the exhaust system completely stock). The car hauls now. If I get the jump on a corvette its by-by baby! The seats are more comfortable than BMW or Mercedes, no kidding. its very quiet, but most of all, its fun, fun, fun! Reliable too.

• 

  Hello Beautiful - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Jenna - January 23 - 9:16 pm

  Every time I walk out my front door, I look at my 2007 Pontiac G5 and say "Hello Beautiful!" I love my car. The exterior is nice, the interior is easy to keep clean and I get great gas mileage for an automatic. I do a lot of highway driving (70 mph) and this car handles beautifully at high speeds. I have no problems getting up to speed to merge either.

• 

  Big Lous review - 1998 Pontiac Firebird
  By lou - January 22 - 12:20 pm

  Everything about this car is awesome. My gold WS6 T/A vert gets stared down by everyone in the city. The hood scoops and front end are the baddest of any car out there. The power and sound of this beast let you know that its a real muscle car. With 300hp at the rear wheels, this thing flies. It was disgustingly underrated by GM so that it wouldnt take sales from the vette, but in reality they have the same engine. 350hp would be more realistic. The chrome 17" wheels are the best looking stock rims ive ever seen. With almost 100,000 miles on it, nothing has gone wrong. Doing routine maintenance will hopefully keep this car running strong forever! Long live the Trans Am!

• 

  Great Car - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By awos - January 21 - 6:14 am

  This is our second Pontiac and what a car. Regular maintance and thats it. 122,000 miles and 4 new struts and shes always ready. We have a 2008 GP, GXP with same results. No problems

• 

  Awesome Car - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By bev - January 19 - 7:00 pm

  We purchased this car to save on gas, we had a Dodge SUV and it was a loan for gas. My Grand Prix is fun to drive, classy but yet sporty. My 7 year old son, thinks he is cool. I feel like a Princess driving this car. People stop and just look at my car. Its drop dead gorgeous. My husband even loves the car.

• 

  Love my Montana! - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By fsandyf4 - January 18 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle has exceeded my expectations. Great on trips, comfortable, great handling, versatile and dependable. Everything on it works well and have had no repair needs.