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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  Nice Car, but..Buy The EXtended Warranty - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By SelmaSmith - December 29 - 7:33 pm

  Very comfortable car, 19MPG city, 30MPG highway. I loved my G6 for comfort and style. But, at 8,000 miles the bumpy ride got much worse, rotors needed resurfaced, steering problems. (Many blog comments on these problems.) But, if you must buy this car - before you buy, drive this car on bumpy roads. Whatever you do, you must buy the extended warranty from the dealer. Ask about steering problems, riding problems, rotor problems. Car rides bumpy, close to the ground like a sports car. Takes turns great..like a sports car. You decide.

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  An honest assessment - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By tim - December 29 - 5:40 am

  This car is addictive to drive. I have an Impala and the GTO and it is so much fun to drive the GTO that its hard to put it away when the weathers bad. I was addicted to it from the first test drive. I almost sold it due to the mpg but decided that anything this much fun SHOULD be expensive to drive. After the Pedders suspension, its been like driving a very expensive sports car.

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  The Perfect Sports Car - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By ANDY1171665 - December 29 - 12:30 am

  We all know you can buy a Honda Civic and put $10,000 into it to make it a nice car. Why not just buy one of these Firebirds and have the better looking car, and the performance. Do not be fooled by editors bias towards import cars. This lovely car does twice as much as they can, has more features and looks better. Dont be the butt of everyones "deck out your cheap Honda" jokes, and be the envy, get the Firebird!

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  Perfect car for me - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Scott - December 28 - 11:46 pm

  The G8 GT has everything I was looking for in a car - high end looks, great performance, good price, and a domestic make. Fuel mileage is good relative to the performance, but if the first thing you check out on a car are the EPA ratings - this car is not for you. I get great feedback from others on the car and enjoy driving it. My other new car choices were foreign makes but the domestic G8 delivers on all counts.

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  2009 Vibe - 2009 Pontiac Vibe
  By john - December 28 - 7:06 pm

  as much fun as my 2006 civic but more practical. I have a 2.4 with 5 spd auto which wasnt a choice on the drop down menu on this website. Just got back from a 5000 km road trip and got about 39 mpg (Canadian) I rated the reliability high but really dont have the mileage to prove that, although the warranty is by Canadian standards very generous.

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  GXP - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By SG - December 28 - 5:40 am

  I traded in my 04 Grand Prix GTP to upgrade to a 08 GXP and I must say that what a difference it makes having a V8 engine. It rumbles and has much more power than the GTP. It handles better with the front tires being wider than the rear. Im a Grand Prix fan and always will be.

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  DONT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By nell - December 26 - 10:00 am

  this car is junk.it has leaked on the passenger side since i bought it.i have taken to dealer 5 times.still not fixed.they are driving me crazy!!!! the floor board is full of water everyday.the car smells like something has died in it.try eating in it! i have called GM for help they told me to roll the window down before closing the door.pay this much for a car and do this until another appt.@ body shop!!!

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  What the.......with pontiac - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By gagtr00 - December 26 - 10:00 am

  This car was great for the first 3 years. I bought mine brand new with 159 miles on it. At 33000 miles it started to have problems. It all started with the intake gaskets, then the #6 fuel injector, then the radiator flow being blocked and the thermostat sticking at 37000. Right after the warranty??? I have spent $1000 in the last month on repairs to include the drivers door window, but that was repaired for free. Thank god for GM Goodwrench Service Plus Dealers and it was a Chevy dealer at that. I agree with WhyMe. Great car, then it starts to fall apart even if you baby it like I did. Time for me to go back to Ford........

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  Simply a great car - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Jazzz - December 26 - 10:00 am

  I didnt think American manufacturers would ever figure out that this is the kind of car consumers want. Looks great, fun to drive, good interior design, and doesnt cost $40k. Much better ride than the Maxima (which costs more) and way ahead of the Audi A4 in every way I can think of. Oh yeah - get the Competition Group option. Best $1300 youll ever spend.

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  Going back to foreign - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Disgusted - December 26 - 2:20 am

  This car is by far the biggest loser Ive ever purchased. Problems started at 28K miles and continue today: Cloudy headlight lenses, rear window motor, rear window motor switch, 2 alternators, steering rack, oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, heads up display, stereo display (twice), water pump, front hub bearing, windshield seal coming out, rear window exterior trim coming off. You might think Im just a person that doesnt take care of a car, but Im a maintenance and detail fanatic! Thought Id be a good American but shame on me, Im going back to foreign. Actually, no...shame on Detroit and the overpaid CEOs that allow crap like this to be sold to Americans! My Toyotas never did this!