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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  Under-Rated - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Keith - January 13 - 12:16 am

  My 2003 Pontiac Aztek is a great vehicle -- one of the best SUVs on the market. The simpletons in the automotive press could not get past the admittedly awkward-looking exterior. Get inside and experience the functional interior, great for hauling people, equipment, groceries, anything. Drive it to experience exceptional ride and handling. Quality is outstanding. I have had zero reliability or maintenance problems; only regular oil changes. And with the cash incentive I received, I think it is one of the best hidden values on the market.

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  If you liked the last gen... - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Cperki1 - January 11 - 10:00 am

  As a 5 time Grand Prix owner, this generation is the best Prix yet. If you like to drive, and I mean DRIVE, then you should give this car a test drive. GMs 24 Hour test drive is a wonderful program and I advise you to take advantage of it. My car is the GTP with the Comp G package. My 2002 GTP was a car that asked to be driven. My 04 DEMANDS to be driven.

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  70k miles, no issues - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By JMWDC - January 10 - 4:01 pm

  This car is outstanding. We also own a 4 years newer, $10,000 more expensive Subaru and the Vibe blows that car out of the water in nearly every area. Two things that Id like to see better on the Vibe would be: better snow/ice handling. If you dont have the ABS option and live in a snowy/icy climate its a little bit of a lightweight car. The second would be acceleration, as the Vibe seems a bit underpowered. When I put the gas to the floor for a quick highway onramp, for example, its a veryyyy slowwww acceleration. But otherwise its a fantastic car. The reliability is absurd, especially for what you might hear about Pontiac, Ive never had to do any non-routine repairs. I attribute that to the joint-venture with Toyota (all of the guts of this car are Toyota with the superior trimmings/finishing touches of American manufacturers - really the best of both worlds). They redid this car for the 2009 model year and the newer Vibe I found displeasing. The sightlines of my 2008 are outstanding but they shrunk the rear window and some others are harder to see out of in the newer ones. All in all I have no complaints, I could see this being a 150,000+ mile car at the rate its going.

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  I won it at the Oprah show - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By izapem2 - January 8 - 8:20 am

  I won this car at the Oprah season premiere. It is an amazing car. I have already put over 3,000 miles on it since I received it just before Thanksgiving. I have a family of five and we all fit very comfortably in it, we have even all gone on vacation already in it. It also is loaded with all kinds of safety features, which is important to me since I have children. The car handles very well in snow and icy road conditions. The back seats fold down to give you more trunk space which is very nice, I fit a very large bookcase in my trunk with no problem. So far I have absolutely no complaints about this vehicle. I love my pontiac G6 GT!!!!

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  Detail of My first car - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Crystal - January 7 - 7:50 am

  I have had my car for two years. It is my first car and I love it. I think that it has great pick up and most cars cant even keep up. I love the body style I think that it looks very sporty but yet is very comfortable. My next car is definitely going to be a Pontiac!

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  Enjoying the fuel mileage - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Pontiac Man - January 6 - 10:00 am

  I tried Matrix and Vibe. Vibe seems to be a better value to me. We have the moon and tunes package. Radio sounds good, could care less about the moon roof. Getting 10 more miles to the gallon than the SUV I traded. Enjoying the extra pocket money.

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  Great Car - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By lscamp - January 6 - 10:00 am

  Very Few Problems: Express feature on driver window stopped working--fixed under warranty.

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  Excellent Car - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By drive_pontiac - January 6 - 10:00 am

  This is definately a car worth investing in. I had my car for a year, and people still talk about it.

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  Daves Review - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By davidw169 - January 6 - 10:00 am

  This is the most fun vehicle Ive driven in years! It has incredible pick up. I can go from 0 to 60 in about 5 seconds. The handling is far superior to any other car I test drove. Just a wonderful experience.

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  Time for a change... - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By SFeldman Nutley NJ - January 6 - 6:16 am

  My 99 Buick Regal LSE was getting up in mileage and I was attracted by the GM rebate offers. 04 was the last year for the Regal, so I checked out the LaCrosse. I was not thrilled by the syling and looked at the Pontiac G6. While looking at the G6 is saw the Grand Prix. I loved the exterior styling and noticed that many options on the LaCrosse were standard on the Grand Prix.