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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  This car can move! - 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
  By dmk - May 2 - 10:00 am

  The Bonneville gives outstanding acceleration and steering performance. I wanted a hybrid sports car / large car. The Bonneville fits the bill.

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  Owner, Auto Mechanic - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Joe111089 - May 2 - 10:00 am

  The 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix GT 4Dr is a real nice car. Spacious interior front and back. Comfortable ride great stereo and handles very well. Other automakers should follow suit and stop making cars so small. This is America we like to eat.

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  40th Anniversary Winner! - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Johnny Grapes - May 2 - 10:00 am

  An excellent vehicle on all fronts. Great styling, handlng, supercharger kicks in nice and smooth with a steady excelleration, much more so than that of a turbo. Dark Cherry paint and interior two tone nice touches. Best of all is the braking system, which is the BEST I have ever driven. No complaints with the MPG as I am averaging 26mpg highway, and 20city.

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  2008 grand prix gxp - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By DUANE - May 1 - 10:00 am

  Beast car I ever had, love how it handles and hugs the road. Great body design

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  The best "Mothers Day" present ever! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By mosquito2376 - April 30 - 3:03 am

  I traded in my 1994 GMC Safari, for this beautiful machine during Mothers Day weekend this May. I love its acceleration, handling and sound. The interior is comfortable, my kids can actually look out the side windows and not just see a "seat" in front of them as they do when they ride in my husbands 1998 Z28 Camaro. Buy a 6 speed, I test drove a used 2004 with an automatic and it just made me hungry for more. What a beautiful classy car that definately can compete with the BMWs and Mercedes on the road today. "Sleeper" is the best word to describe this car, Ive had many a young fellow pull up thinking they had the "guts" to beat me and I left them in the dust everytime.

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  Garync 2007 Solstice GXP - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By garync - April 29 - 8:20 pm

  I drove my GXP very conservatively for the first 500 miles, but after that I opened her up. I am amazed at the power and handling for a car in this price range. I have owned several Corvettes and a big-block SS Camaro. Obviously the GXP is a different type of can, but it is a blast to drive.

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  Buy One! - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Don Wells - April 28 - 10:40 pm

  I now have over 72,000 miles on my Vibe. I bought it used with 40k so I have no idea whether there were any initial problems, but I have had to fix NOTHING, and everything works fine. The Moon and Tunes package is great- the sound is surprisingly good w/ rds display. The car is just easy to drive. Easy to park, easy to enter and exit, comfortable seats (which still show no wear). I average 30 mpg driving very aggressively. It handles well and holds an amazing amount of stuff (considering its shorter than a Civic, its astounding) as well as hauling hundreds of pounds in the back without hurting handling. The engine is fairly refined although a little buzzy at high RPM, Acceleration is go

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  Lots of Problems - ready for a new car - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By tsfergus - April 26 - 4:36 am

  Was fun to drive in the summer, but living in Michigan - it is single- handedly the worst vehicle I have ever driven on snow and ice. It was so bad that it could no longer be used on the freeway during the winter. Also, for over a year now, there is a constant squeaking noise coming from the front tire. Three times to the dealership, new brakes and they still cant find out whats wrong. Have also had a electronic system failure warning pop up on the dash display twice. Not very comforting when you drive on the freeway everyday. Overall, too many problem for a new car.

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  pontiac is poor quality - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Steve Be - April 26 - 2:00 am

  My 97 grand am as cost me over 3000 dollars in repairs alone. If you are a smart buyer you should stay away from the quad four engien. I would like to say also, that in my experience pontiacs are more trouble than they are worth. I have had three of them and every one self destructs undernieth me. Little things that cost you $100 and big things that cost you $500. In my opinion a smarter buyer will go over seas or to ford for a quality car.

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  best little car - 2008 Pontiac G5
  By g5gt2008 - April 26 - 12:56 am

  i bought the G5 GT because i wanted a new car. i cant be happyer with the car i picked. this car is very powerfull for a 4cyl i have taken to the 1/4 mile and ran a 15.03 all stock with the 2.4 5 speed. i have 30k on it already and my dealer has not seen it ones. i get 40mpg on the highway and 33 in the city. the ride is very nice. the car stoped on a dime and the inside is nice and laid out right with not to many bottons. the seats are for good for long driveing. i just drove it on a 31 hour one was trip and it was great. would def but another one.