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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  1995 GrandAm - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By kst1995 - May 26 - 10:00 am

  longest Ive owned a car, 140,000 miles, no problems with engine, but electrical problems galore, automatic doors/window problems, radio, and brights problems, and noisy dash with lots of squeaks. Handles like a small car but heavey enough to make driving in snow and rain a breeze.

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  Great - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By DON - May 26 - 8:30 am

  The comfort and gas milage was the most suprising. I am 63" and get in and out with ease. We made a trip of over 2000 miles and could not have ask for more comfort. We previously has a grand prix and the g6 compares to it.

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  Watch out for the catalytic conv!!!! - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Stan the man - May 26 - 5:23 am

  I bought this brand new when 0% first came out. Good car overall. Luckily, I have escaped the tranny problems so far, well see. All you owners out there, BEWARE. The catalytic converter on these, the GTs, and the GTPs are bad. There IS a warranty to 80,000 miles on the SE, and they raised it to 120,000 for the others. I have an SE. Got it fixed at 79,600 miles, didnt even know about the warranty. sweet! Oh, by the way. This thing cost 21 grand new, and is now worth 5. Can you say "Honda" from now on!!!!!!

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  Comp G is great fun - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mike - May 26 - 12:20 am

  Just recently purchased an 05 GTP Comp G with every imaginable extra available, which on this car is a lot. I like the power of this car, although it could use an auto 5 speed so it gets up and goes a bit better at higher speeds. Very comfortable up front; in back I dont know or care. My only complaint is I already have several creaks and rattles on the interior pieces which are cheap plastic.

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  Fun to drive Great car - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By eyespycat - May 25 - 12:43 pm

  This is our first new car and we are very satisfied. I love the inside and outside of this vehicle. Its sporty yet great for small family. I think the interieor is awesome and I love the chrome around the speedometer. Great stereo system and the message center is helpful. A couple of downfalls. I thought it would be alittle better on gas and very tight when making a U- turn. I also agree truck opening could be alittle bigger but that would obviously change the outer look. I can fit my stroller and a few other items in. Other than that I would recommend this car and the price was exactly what we wanted. Very good deal.

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  Enigma - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By PONT98 - May 24 - 11:20 pm

  This car has only stranded me once and that was 6 mos after buying it for a shift interlock problem that cost 350 bucks. Aside from that I personally fixed the intake manifold leak the v6s are prone to that would have cost 550. The clear coat is coming off on the spoiler and one window frame. The seats are pretty rotten. Power is good and so is the tranny. Brakes need frequent replacement due to small size. The seat and paint might be my fault, but crappy plastic and intake manifold problems as well as the common front suspension creak are all normal issues with this car. By the way my car has 11200 miles on it and I have owned it for 5 years. I would not recommend this car. I am stuck w/it.

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  Great car - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By racing 8 - May 23 - 5:40 am

  This is my first new car and we love it, the appearance is great, the ride is the best that I have ever been in, has a great sound system, its quite inside the car and has a lot of room in the back seat

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  Motor gasket leaks---twice! - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By sunflowermom - May 22 - 9:00 am

  We had the head gasket replaced in summer of 2005 because it was leaking water. Dealership mechanic said that GM used inferior gaskets. Why? Well, it is leaking again (summer 2006). We have four sons and cannot afford to have it "fixed" again! I wish I had a way to return it to the dealership for them to deal with! Also, rear hatch squeaks, and the rubber weather stripping under both sliding doors came off!

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  Whatta Bust - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Taken - May 21 - 11:50 am

  I had the car for 24 months and it was in the shop 17 times for various reasons. When I could keep it out of the shop, it was powerful and very fun to drive. In the end, I actually told Pontiac that I would NEVER own another one of their products, after I have owned a total of eight of their cars.

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  G8GT 2 month review - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By WiG8GT - May 21 - 10:26 am

  I love driving the car. The suspension has the right combination of firmness for good handling but not so stiff that you get beat up. Plenty of room in the back seat, we can all sit up with out hitting our heads, one of the reasons we purchased this over the CTS. The mileage is about 18.5 mixed, we have 2800 miles on it.