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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  7000 mile and still loving it - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By Rod - January 4 - 11:30 am

  It has been about 7 months and 7000 miles since I got my G8 GT. I learned one thing this weekend, the G8 is not all about going fast. Going home from work yesterday on freeway was doing 50 came around a blind corner and traffic was stopped. With the braking performance of my 96 Monte Carlo (I traded in on the G8) in my mind I was hoping that would be just a light crash. Three things happened. I hit the brakes, I saw someting fly on the pasengers side and I was stopped 5 car lengths behind the car ahead of me. The flying things were cargo straps that were on the floor in the back seat area. They bounced off front and ended up in middle of front passenger floor

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  Vibration that wont stop - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By dave - January 3 - 10:40 pm

  Overall, I like my GP although it has been in the shop 3 times in the 1 month since purchase. There is a vibration in the front that the dealer cannot repair. After balancing, new tires, full alignment and rebalancing, the vibration persists. So far this experience does not make me a happy customer. I may have to go back to Chrysler products to be satisfied. Any ideas to fix the vibration before we have to replace all the rims to try that? HELP! I like the car but dont need the vibration.

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  Aztek? - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Craig - January 3 - 7:43 pm

  Yes we bought an Aztek. We went with the rally package. It makes a big difference in appearance. It still has a huge back end but overall I think its a really great vehicle. They even thought of a shoulder belt that can drop down for someone riding in the middle of the back seat. It turns really well for a SUV. The only draw back I have seen so far is that there is not a lot of places to mount extras. Even though it is a SUV it has a great step in height for children.

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  Needs toys to get going - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Greg - January 3 - 8:53 am

  I bought my GTP when it was two years old and had only 7k on it. At first I really like the torque of the supercharger, but after ridding in other non-supercharged six cylinder coupes/sedans im no longer impressed that much. The car has a nice exterior look to it, but once you open the door and set inside the cheesy interior appointments is what gets your attention. Way too much plastic inside. I have to say that the drivers seat is very comfortable, but the passenger seat is a bear. Ive put 2k worth of go fast goodies in her and she now performs at a level that she should have stock with the almost 30k MSRP she had when new. Pontiac has lost there love afair with true real world performance

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  Reliable transportation - 2007 Pontiac Vibe
  By Jeremy - January 2 - 7:40 am

  I bought this car with 11,000 miles on it. I enjoy driving the car and like the good 35-40 mpg I am getting on the freeway. However, I do find the driver seat to be a bit uncomfortable on longer drives. I have had two service calls, one for a leaky front wind sheild and another for some weatherstrips that came loose on the passenger side window. No problems with anything mechanical. I would recommend this car for anyone seeking good mpg and a reliable car. Open the hood and you will see that pretty much everything has Toyota Motor corp on it. Get Toyota reliability for American prices!

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  4+ years and going strong - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Steve S - January 1 - 6:53 pm

  I bought this car the first model year as I liked its good gas mileage, a small exterior for easier parking in NYC but a lot of inside room. As I am 62" I was impressed that I could sit and have plenty of head room. It also gave more leg room that vehicles that are a lot bigger. Good car for the city and hwy driving is nice but could use a bit more pep. Mileage is great. I have had only one problem with the vehicle which came within the warranty period. One of the sensors in the gas tank malfunctioned which prevented any gas from being pumped into the tank. Took 4 days for the dealer to get the part and fix it and then they lost the keys. Would definitely buy another one.

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  Get in your Pontiac and ride! - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Stan - January 1 - 5:43 pm

  We looked at and tried a lot of cars, but didnt care for them. My wife suggested that we go to a Pontiac dealer and see what they had. I had never seen a G5, didnt know they existed. The G5 is a real sleeper. It makes you want to throw rocks at the other cars, especially those overrated Asian cars that people are so proud of. Phooey! When I saw the American G5, I knew it was right. I was so certain about this car that I bought it outright without driving it first. My wife and I love it. Its everything we want in a car. We are so glad that we found it. This sport coupe has class. The boring Asian cars have no more charm than kitchen appliances.

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  My car - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By ken - January 1 - 2:50 pm

  I picked the 2.4L base automatic over several other models.I have 7000 miles on it.I have had several issues with it the center caps kept coming off,the steering column had a noise in it when it hit a bump. The dealership found the electronic box on the bottom of steering wheel is bad and now the dashboard pieces that were taken off will not snap together. The plastic clips seem to be very brittle they break off easy. The XM radio is great as long as you dont go through mountains or valleys or even under shade trees signal will go out.The 2.4 has lot of power would not recommend 1.8. Ive been averaging 26 mpg city 35 mpg. highway. The wheels make car stand out.

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  Totally awesome ride - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Radio Flyer - January 1 - 10:26 am

  This car is very solid and corners well, reminds me of my former TA. Have driven 1500 miles and averaged 28.4 mpg mostly suburban miles. One Interstate trip of 180 miles, it displayed 32.1 mpg. I am used to a 3800 v6 engine in the Grand Prix but this 3500 is very satisfactory. The small buttons on the steering wheel were hard to get used to.

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  Good Vibrations - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Pontiac Fan - January 1 - 10:00 am

  My wife was looking for a car to go back and forth to work in that was good on gas, reliable on the road, and good handling in bad weather. She test drove an AWD Vibe, but didnt act excited about at the dealership, but when we left the lot she said "I want one". We bought one a week later, traded in a 99 Grand Prix GTP of all things for a Vibe. This car is FUN!