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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  Fun, and what a deal - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Rob - May 10 - 10:06 pm

  I love this car. The top has never been a problem. The styling is unique to the convertible, and the techno- hard-top convertible is such an awesome aspect to this car. When the top is up, and the windows down, voila. a true pilarless hard-top coupe! It is quick, smooth. The interior 4-place bucket seating is so cool, and so rare these days. And, the car is big enough to seat four adults comfortably. My quibble is that there is no Ipod port and no built-in blue-tooth. I will solve those issues on my own though, and they are solvable. I bought mine used with 6K miles on it 6 months ago. At $20K, I thought it was a steal. I have never regretted getting it.

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  2003 Pontiac Vibe GT is FUN to drive - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By dreaelles - May 9 - 10:00 am

  I bought a Pontiac Vibe GT in December, 2002. It is a lot of fun to drive. It handles really well and is great on gas milage...I get about 30/gallon on the highway (if not more). It has an aggressive look that I like better than its sister car, the Toyota Matrix. It did have some problems though...dashboard rattles (one is easy to fix with an inch of electrical tape and about 60 seconds of time)and the glove box had a rattle which I think was just a loose cover over a screw. My cd player was making a weird noise when I would apply the breaks, but the dealer replaced it with a new one which seems to be just fine. Over all, a great car!!

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  Decision to buy a Vibe = :) people - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Snoopy13 - May 9 - 10:00 am

  Who would have thought that having to deal with buying a new car at the holidays would have been such good fortune? It was...we love our Vibe. I am shorter (51) and my husband is a bit taller (60) and the seats and other items adjust extremely well for both of our heights. Since we have bought our car more people that I have never met have asked to look at our car, if we liked it, whether it was a good value, etc. This car is truly going to become a trend as it continues. In my opinion this car has it all - plenty of space, comfortable, very stylish, great options, great price, great mileage, and so much more!

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  Love my RED ROCKET! - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By emeraldz536 - May 9 - 10:00 am

  I am very happy with my 97 Grand Am SE :-) It goes from New York to Ohio on a regular basis and runs absolutely great... Does great in all the snow we have in Northern NY too!!! Only major problem was the alternator at about 70,000 miles & the water pump leaked and had that replaced... Other than that it has been fantastic and I plan to run the wheels off it until it wont go no more... :-)

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  1997 Formula Firebird LT1 - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By jim683 - May 9 - 10:00 am

  The LT1 performs flawlessly, The car is fast and good looking, my wife says she looks GOOD in this car and she does. Gas miles on highway averages 24-27 and around 19 in city. Drop the top and go on nice days

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  koo koo - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By rikoo - May 9 - 10:00 am

  very enjoyable ride - responsive. happy with the purchase from day one. The only thing that has gone bad in the past three years (other than two fuses, two headlights and a dealership)was the driver-door power windows control, which costed my warranty $800 to repair.!!

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  BLACK GT2 - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Mike J. G. - May 9 - 10:00 am

  We chose the GP GT2 over the Mazda 6 and Accord. The exterior is sporty, distinguished, AND tasteful (not a word associated with Pontiac). The interior is stylish, although the cloth seats have an odd pattern (we chose leather). Even the GT2 has superb handling with very little body roll in the corners. The 3.8L is powerful, but not blazing. Front seats provide good support (especially side and lumbar) but are not too hard. Back seats sit low, and are uncomfortable for adults on long, multi- hour trips. In-town rides in the back are certainly acceptable. The folding rear seats and the wide-opening rear doors have come in handy.

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  Smaller Car, More Action - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By R_Waterhouse - May 8 - 10:50 pm

  I recently went down in size on my cars, having previously driven a full-sized vehicle. I was afraid that moving to a small sporty car would be a negative experience, but instead it has been incredibly fun. I live in a rainy, rainy state, so the idea of a convertible is foreign to many here, but the hardtop is perfect in that I get all the protection from the elements I need and the removable top I wanted. I love this car, first day I got more looks from the local college girls than I do on my motorcycle, which cost about twice as much.

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  My first car, - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By MB - May 8 - 1:06 pm

  Bought mine for 800 bucks from a cousin who let it sit for a year. his couisn bought it brand new and took great care of it. had to put about a thousand dollarsof work into it but for that 1000 put a brand new radiator, trans line, rear struts, tie rods,stabalisers, front wheel bearings, new motor mount and main oil switch, tires and belt tensioner. love this car, runs like a champ, never had a problem with the engine, always starts. great fuel for havin a 3.8L, and fast for a v6. will definatley buy the same car once this one blows up in a few years if that happens. absolutley love this car.

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  My Vibe saved my life - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Debbie - May 8 - 9:36 am

  My parents bought me a new 2005 Vibe On May 25,2005. I was in a terrible accident August 9, 2005 My car was hit in the drivers door by another car going 40-45mph the force of the impact pushed my car across the street and into a pole. I got out of my car and walked away from the accident with only a sprained neck and a bruised shoulder...my passenger was unhurt. My car was totaled by the insurance company with over $13,000 worth of damage. I bought the Vibe because I loved how it looks but the 5 star safety rating was the reason my parents wanted me to get this car and I am alive today because of it. I am buying another Vibe this week.