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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  lovin it - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By blittle - February 23 - 2:00 am

  i love my vibe. sometimes the gas mileage is better sometimes its not. i just figure the cold weather makes the gas mileage lower. i wish i had a vibe for every day of the week!!

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  New Owner - 2005 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Diva - February 22 - 10:56 pm

  I just purchased this car today, I was a bit hesitant as I never owned a Pontiac or can ever recall driving one before. The sleek body style, and gas mileage of 31 miles per gallon was really a seller for me, it doesnt ride as smoothly as i expected it to, but i will ride it more and see how things go, and after all i have a 4cyling and not a 6 so i am sure that has something to do with the pickup of it. Overall, I feel i made a great purchase and choice and hope this vehicle brings me yrs. of pleasure.

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  2002 Trans Am/Sunset Orange Metallic - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By Joes2002TA - February 21 - 10:00 am

  This Is Pontiacs most exciting vehicle of all time.It has so much performance that it is a big disapointment that it will be discontinued this year.The only area that this vehicle does not excell in would be the fuel economy department.I guess that if you can afford one of these dream cars, you really dony worry about how far it will travel on a tankfull of gas.

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  Solid performer; annoying problems - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By BHans - February 21 - 10:00 am

  Solid car, but a few problems include the terrible steering wheel shake at 75+ mph. Ive heard its from the tires and that they dont fit the rims correcty. Whatever it is, its annoying, and it doesnt go away. The tires also make noises that resemble that of a brake pad rubbing on the rotor. Overall, not too bad, just a few annoying problems with the tire/wheel setup (which no matter how many times Ive brought the car in, they say its just natural and will go away on its own.) If I had to do it all over again, Id probably think twice.

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  I love it - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Chris - February 21 - 9:20 am

  Awesome Car. Just purchased the G6 GT and cant stop driving it. I was not a fan of GM vehicles after having worked for them for three years, but was really impressed with the design and specs. Test drove the vehicle and loved it, had to purchase it. The vehicle is very roomy, easy to drive, sleek, sexy and the panoramic roof is awesome. My son loves the vehicle and asks to ride in it all the time. Refuses to even get into our other vehicle an Altima. The G6 also handles very well in slippery conditions, had to swerve in the rain because of an animal in the road on a very rainy day, the vehicle handled well and the traction control stopped skidding. Love it

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  Pontiac G6-GT - great car - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Tom Garvie - February 20 - 10:53 pm

  This is a great automobile, considering I only purchased it over a week ago. I previously owned 3 Pontiac Grand-Ams before I purchased this vehicle. The engineering, design, comfort and handling are many steps above the Grand Am, which this automobile replaced. I wouldnt think twice about purchasing this automobile again.

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  Hot car for old man hunting trouble - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By RICK - February 20 - 10:26 am

  I debated buying a BMW 550i. I am glad I found my G8 GT WHT, bad news. Really fun to drive and no problem passing anything on the road. You must add radar due to reaching min speed limit in seconds. I am a 58 yr old guy with a new toy. When you have a stressful day and want to unload steam on the road, fun. I had several 1968 through 71 high performance Plymouth products. This car is no match for the money. Loves curves and quarter mile. GM needs to remake in future as an Caprice. Loves gas but who cares

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  2 Years Now and still like new - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By iansme1979 - February 20 - 3:46 am

  This is my second GP. My first was an 01. I love these cars. I drive a lot and am pretty hard on my cars, My GPs have both handled it without a issue. Not one other car I have owned has proven to be as reliable. In comparison to my 01, Pontiac seems to have chosen the right course to take and made all the right improvements to keep my coming back. The handling, options, and price are great. I traded my 01 in after 3 yrs with 160000 trouble free miles and sitting at 70000 on this one after 2 yrs, I may have over 200000 when Im ready to trade and I imagine it will be even harder to trade this one in without a future predicted for the Grand Prixs.

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  Good vibes from my Vibe. - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By kathisma - February 19 - 10:20 am

  Ive only owned Hondas but this is certainly the BEST car Pontiac ever made. It has youthful looks, a well engineered Toyota engine, handles well, and is made with good quality materials. However, its not perfect. NUMMI assembly quality doesnt appear to be as good as for the Matrix - Pontiac take note! Our quality related issues include a broken off door handle (from regular use), some fit and finish inconsistencies, passenger door window mechanism problem, barely-there A/C and heating, and low quality, prematurely wearing tires. Dealer servicing is not the greatest and the receipts are confusing. But, overall, the car looks good, is comfortable and mechanically reliable. Id buy another.

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  2004 GTO is Great - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By mdegran - February 18 - 10:00 am

  My Black with Red interior 2004 GTO is everything I was led to believe it was. It runs great, has plenty of power, and at 4000 miles Im averaging 24 mpg. I took delivery the middle of January and the only thing it does not do real well is SNOW. It corners well, brakes well and takes off well. If I had the spare cash Id buy one for each of my boys. Ha Ha!