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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  Lemon Alert - 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
  By LauraESOM - May 15 - 10:00 am

  With only 68,000 miles on this loaded Pontiac. The Intake manifold gasket leaked coolant into the engine(a problem that many other people are also reporting)The special "dexcool" coolant gums up, causing damage to the gasket. Before we knew this was the problem, we noticed that our van was always needed coolant added. We took it into a shop and they said it must just have air in the system. This was wrong of coarse. On top of that, the timing chain slipped (something mechanics say, shouldnt happen on a vehicle with so low miles)and bent some of the valves. It does not run, yet, we still owe.

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  never by another - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By Ray - May 7 - 8:06 am

  I got the truck 12/02 new it is an 03 and it has 65,150 mi on it now. I did not have problems until I took it for an inspection, all of a sudden, wheel hub, steering rack, strut mount, cant get key out, converter replaced, the lasted thing is this past Saturday my 3 yr old and I were out it the temp outside got to about 87dg and my truck would not start, had to have it towed to jim ball, they were closed and did not open until Monday, I called them about 10 a.m. and they asked me what was it in for, I stated because it did not start and they said it started them and they could not find a problem I told them it was not getting fuel and they couldnt find the problem at first it was the fuel pump.$700

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  Never again! - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By justlikeme - April 30 - 3:33 am

  It looks good on the outside but the repairs bills have started. Ive so far had the pleasure of 2 wheel bearings, an electrical ignition, shocks, struts, speakers (base thudding.. urgh!). Now the lovely ABS light is on?!?! I just had the brakes done! It does its fun trick of not starting seems to be every 3-4 months, so yep not impressed. Getting it all ok before I get another hefty bill. Im on to an import. Cute car to drive, great storage and comfy for long rides. Reliability on this on for me just is not there.

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  Watch out for breakdowns - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Lex - April 26 - 11:36 am

  The Aztek small community makes it difficult to learn and share with other drivers. My odometer came out reading "error"... if a small light on the dash breaks, you must send in the entire unit loosing your car for 3 + days to change a tiny lightbulb... the battery change requires a 2 hour job by a professional mechanic whereas in previous cars i could easily do so myself... the mirror fell off in 100 degree heat... the resale value is down to 6000 at carmax after just 3 years.. i would love to hear from other buyers so i can prepare myself for other aspects which i might put some prevention into to avoid repeating your finds, i would be happy to share my experience.

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  In the shop - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By toddlori - April 6 - 10:00 am

  This car has had all sorts of problems from the moment we bought it. If it wasnt leaking oil, it was going through 2 (yes 2) alternators in a little over a year. Plus the stupid check engine light comes on all the time for no apparent reason (except to get us to fork over $80 to get it turned off). Basically its been a money pit. But hey, it looks nice.

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  Gas hog - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By RJ from California - April 6 - 9:40 am

  This car looks great from the outside but is a bit cramped inside. I wish it would have come in a 4 cyl. so the gas consumption would be less.

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  Sunfire made in Mexico no kidding,crap c - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Lee Mack - March 28 - 10:00 am

  I have had nothing but problems with my Sunfire. First the radiator, then the transmission, then the starter, electronics in the dash, trunk will no longer open, then the radiator again, then the slave cylinder,and now it starts and idals funny. Iam not impressed at all with this car, it is a total lemon and Iam not the only person that has had problems with their car as well, alot of other people have had problems as well.

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  20,000 dollar throw away car - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By woody - March 26 - 3:46 pm

  Two months in to ownership had to replace computer module. Only 22 mpg should be better, front started rattling in less than one year. Went back to a Dodge full size truck. It worth the gas money do not buy this car!

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  bad dealers info - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By mikolo - March 23 - 12:20 am

  City driving; average 19l/100km, not even close to what dealer and Gm claims:13l/100km. Cargo space is ridiculosly small, also legroom at 2nd and 3th row. Rattling noise on cracks on the road.

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  Could have been better - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By cmsherm - March 16 - 2:33 pm

  Style of the body makes the vehicle look welcoming due to the fact that this looks more like a sports car than the traditional family car. The interior looks much more inviting than most of GMs bench seat in the front of their sedans. However, looks can be deceiving. The seats are very uncomfotable and traveling long distances make riding a horse seem more appealing. The vehicle has good acceleration once you get out of first gear and the exhaust has a nice rumble when you hit the gas. It is fun to drive on winding roads due to the wider wheel base. You can find curves that suggest 30 mph, all the while you can be doing 60 mph mashing on the gas and never leave your lane.