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:

• 

  GTO - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Ronald Hall - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I drive 35 miles each way to and from work. The GTO is a real fun car to drive. Its a fast car that will easily beat the Mustang GT. My brother has a 2003 Mustang Cobra and we ran them 3 times. I won the first one but unfortunately he won the following two but none of the three races were run away wins and 2 of the three were decided by less than a car length. My brother likes my car as much as he likes his and concedes that my interior is much better with the exception of the stereo. We both agree that the GTO stereo sucks and that my cousins Monte Carlo has a better stock stereo. In close I guess its like this. The GTO is a refined sports coupe thats fun to drive with great power.

• 

  20004 VIBE - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By patricia scharf - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I am a single senior citizen who drives this back and forth from Michigan to Florida. I pack it sooooo full there is hardly room to breath. Get great gas mileage. Comfortable seating. No way would I ever consider hauling anything behind it but find that I can be up to 85 mph without even knowing it. Thank goodness for my cruise control. Not exactly thrilled with the pontiac dealerships for maintenance. Have had a small problem for a year and unless it will act up for them to see (which only acts up when I turn the key on) they wont fix it. Even though I was only about 3 miles away one time, they wouldnt send someone out to check on it. I guess the car is worth accepting it.

• 

  FUN - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Chub - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I am a bigggg man ...6 300lbs. I fit in this car and comfortably at that. After driving big trucks for many years and paying the high prices for gas, i decided it was time to buy something more economical. I saw the Vibe and really liked the styling and cargo room. I researched them and was impressed with what I found. I got a great deal and not the usual hassles with the dealership that you usually go through. In the 6 months I have had it I have dreiven all over california. Big cities, dersert, moutnains. this car holds its own.

• 

  Awesome Car!! - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Bevnnes - March 21 - 10:00 am

  Super gas mileage and good performance for a 4 cylinder.

• 

  Solid car thats fun - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By chipontiac - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car used with 33,000 miles on it. It now has 50,000 miles on it. I have had not one problem what-so- ever. I have yet to replace brakes (need to in about 3,000 miles), tires, or any other part. The car works great, sometimes it has some trouble turing over, but it has always started for me. I have babied the car, changing the oil every 3,000 miles and being easy on the brakes and accelerator most of the time. It is unrealistic for you to beat on a car and expect it to run well, if your hard on the brakes expect to change them alot, if you hot rod the car around expect to get bad gas milage. The car definitly has kick to it, and is equiped with a very good sound system.

• 

  Outstanding car w/ great performance - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Doug Haskin - March 21 - 10:00 am

  I have had my 2004 GTP CompG for about 3 months now, and I really enjoy it. It has great performance from the supercharged 3800 series V-6 engine. IMHO this is one of the best engines ever built... GM uses it on almost all of its midsized cars, so it has been around for years and has many aftermarket performance parts available. The interior is all new, and it thanksfully is missing the plastic interiors of previous Pontiacs. The CompG package is a must as well, coming with manumatic TAPshift and Head Up Display. I would recommend this car to anyone in the market for a sedan with good power and styling.

• 

  The First of Many Grand Prixes - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Alexe - March 21 - 10:00 am

  We bought this car after driving an SUV for four years. And I am so happy that we did! I love it! There is more room in the trunk of this car than my SUV! The seats are so comfortable! My husband is over 6 foot tall and has no trouble getting comfortable in either front seat. I just think it looks very sleek and stylish without the high price tag. I wish there were cup holders in the back, but other than that I have only good things to say about this car. And when it is time to trade it in, I will be getting another one!

• 

  After 2 years, still lovin it. - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By sailordad - March 19 - 3:56 pm

  Wanted a vehicle with good mileage, space for kids, utility, and fun to drive. Im a product designer, an intelligent, stlish product is important. I also care about good value, long term cost, and enviromental impact. The Vibe has been a great little car, fun to drive, easy and cheap to own. After 2 years of pretty hard driving (40k miles - I used to have a BMW 530i), It still feels tight. My kids call it the zippy car, compared to the Explorer we had.

• 

  My Favorite Car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By fred ammirata - March 18 - 3:53 pm

  I have only owned my G6 for a little over a month but I find myself looking for reasons just to drive it. I love the styling and its handling. I think my only complaint is the "blind spots" in the rear. I really love the sound system, its Monsoon 6 cd changer is great, and its "play list" recorder is something I would never think of in a car. I have the panoramic moon roof and when its open it like having a convertable. I think American cars have improved by leaps and bounds over the last 10 years. All in all, I LOVE my G6

• 

  Awesome Auto - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By jballer - March 17 - 6:23 pm

  I recently purchased the G6 GT Coupe and I must say I am extremely impressed. Other than an interior that could use a little "upgrade", the car is awesome. Performance wise you could not ask for more. I also own a Mazda 6 and a BMW 323 CI and I must say I am much more impressd with the G6. Kudos to Pontiac.