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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  One HOT car! - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Amy - November 7 - 5:50 am

  My husband and i are military, so we have a lot of traveling! we needed something big enough for a growing family. my dad has a 06 and he LOVES it so we bought one and this car is the ANSWER! I get about 22/31 which is great for this size of car! we love it

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  Wonderful First Car - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Kat - November 6 - 11:56 am

  I love this vehicle! I drive it just about every other day, and it has held up through numerous trips from Nashville to Knoxville and back. The fuel economy around town isnt wonderful, but 27 mpg hwy is just fine with me. I love the sounds of the engine, and even at 105,000 miles, it still sounds strong.

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  Fun to drive but some issues - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By prettybuez28 - November 6 - 12:06 am

  I purchased this car in July of 07. Loved it when I laid eyes on it. I have had some issues as far as repairs go. An ignition control sensor went out 1 month after I bought it. That was about $500. About 2 months later had the wheel berring and traction control sensor go in the left front, that was about $300. And the last thing was kind of expected with 65,000 miles about 1 year later. Had a fuel pump go out. That cost about $500. All those things were just basic maintaince but still expensive. Other then those things my car has been a great car and expensive on gas with the higher prices.

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  Drawn to Pontiac - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By clbsrodd - November 5 - 12:26 pm

  Was always drawn to the style of the car so I had to have one. I am only the second owner of this 01 GTP SE and I love it. Just purchased the car less than a month ago with 85k miles. Was a very well maintained car so I was very lucky to find it. Great daily driver with plenty of power from the super charger with out using much gas. No complaints from me.

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  Darth Vaders Golf Cart - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By Nicholas Apruzzi - November 5 - 2:00 am

  If you like the style, it is a great deal. Where else can you get a mid-sized American SUV with AWD, heated leather seats, side air bags, 10 speaker stereo and a heads-up display off of an F-15 fighter - for $10,000 less than a Ford Explorer or Jeep Grand Cherokee? (And with better gas mileage, and lowest rollover risk)

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  Its better than people think - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By orion11 - November 5 - 2:00 am

  I went with my brother and the salesman was pushing the Aztek. He finally got me to drive it and I liked it. I brought it over to show my wife and she was fuming when I pulled up with it.She hated the look of it, but I told her to shut up and drive it. She did and fell in love with it.It has 31,000 miles on it and we havent had a problem with it. We also tried out the Sante Fe and found it to be smaller and didnt have as many features inside.We get 23 mpg with the all wheel drive one and that is just as good as its competitors, its a little bigger to me inside.I myself never thought we would own one but now im happy we do.

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  sunfire - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By sunfiregirl - November 4 - 10:00 am

  the car goes great, handles well. we love the car.

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  A really nice ride - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By JimmyJ - November 4 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car new. It is a great ride on the highway. It is also very comfortable, looks good and handles like a sports car. It never fails to get me to and from the job and has a nice sporty profile for pleasure use. It has logged over 84,000 miles requiring only regular scheduled maintenance. Good cargo space for a compact.

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  I Love My Pontiac Grand Am!!! - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Melba - November 4 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love my Pontiac Grand Am SE. I have had it for two years now. I have owned several cars and this one is by far my favorite. It has a great look inside and out. It is comfortable on the highway. I havent had any problems with it whatsoever.

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  built for the road - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By gary mcgaffic - November 3 - 12:23 am

  Great road handling ability, stabilitrak is fantastic but scary at first. Heads up display is great, day or night. The under side of the suspension system is built like a tank, extremely rugged. I get over 26 mpg on the highway which is great for a supercharged car of this size. As of 08/14/09 only 51,000 mile on it. Sill looks new...