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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  Knew What I Was Getting - 2008 Pontiac Torrent
  By czuchster - November 26 - 10:00 am

  There are some squeaks here and there, especially with the steering wheel, but I read the reviews before I bought the car and I knew what to expect. The only disappointment has been with the gas mileage, which hasnt quite been up to the EPA estimates. Even my Hondaphile and Toyotaphile friends have been impressed with the comfort and looks of my Torrent. On the safety front, I was in an accident three months ago that sent two other drivers to the hospital but I didnt get a scratch, or even feel sore the next day. I cant rave enough. Ive looked at trading it in for something with better MPG, but I cant find anything Id give up for Torrent for.

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  Fun to Drive But. . . . - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Antelope Mike - November 23 - 1:20 am

  First 50K this car was a blast! Had a 1997 Mustang V6 before, but traded it in for a family car when my daughter was born. I wanted a more pratical car yet sporty as I had only owed sport coupes (all sticks)before. The GP-GT was the perfect car for me. I chose it over an Accord, Maxima and Camry. However, the last 44K (currently has 94K on it)has been another story. First the transmission (seems like a popular complaint) went out. Unfortunately, didnt have extended warranty. Then a power window, the ABS is malfunctioning causing the brakes to shudder when applied until the ABS turns itself off. I have also gone through 3 "seven year" batteries. Too bad, because the GP-GT is so fun to drive!

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  Great car, Bad transmission - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Fire Red - November 23 - 12:40 am

  The transmission is the only thing that is bad on this particular vehicle. Everything else gets exceptionally high marks. The transmission failed approximately 6 months ago. I took it into my local dealership and they quoted me $2,500.00 I contacted Pontiac and they told me to send them the information. As of this writing they have yet to respond to my enquiries. Since this happened to me I started Googling this issue and have since found many strings speaking very poorly of these transmissions.

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  Money hungry Montana - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By F. Mauritz - November 22 - 2:00 am

  My Montana has been a big disappointment. The electronics that drive the transmission shift mechanism were a constant problem during the first year. The electronic "brain" made some very hard shifts on a couple of occasions before a new circuit board was put in. The transmission shelled out just after the warranty ran out and I suspect the hard shifts contributed to the breakdown. It has spent a lot of time in the shop for minor fixes that stem from poor factory workmanship. This is my last Montana and probably by last Pontiac.

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  Not a bad little car - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By sims - November 20 - 10:00 am

  This is a really nice car. The design for price is a plus. Its inexpensive and yet doesnt look like a box. With a little four cylinder engine it can really move too.

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  ga gt - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cwood - November 20 - 10:00 am

  my car is awsome.love the handling,the performance,and the looks.it asks what i want from the car and has a lot of room for a car that is considered a midsize car.so far not one problem and am always smileing to my car when im about to drive it .its styling is quite distinctave and my only problem is that there are too many grand ams on the road ,but i must remind myself that only a few are GTs!!!....if i had a say in future grand ams is that they should have locking gas caps,and a power antenna.oh one more thing lighted visor mirrors!!!!!thank you pontiac.

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  Off Warranty? Youre in trouble! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By JMay - November 17 - 2:46 am

  *Id like to note that I am a cautious driver & drove it softly* Came with a 3yr/36,000mi warranty off the lot, bought it with only 10,000 miles on it and at first no problems at all. Great car until I hit 39,000 (conveniently just off warranty) at which point my transmission, airbags, and CD player stopped working, bad timing belt & AC belt. EVERYTHING squeaks inside and out from braking to shocks, even the interior. Cig-lighter/outlets never worked in the first place & were not fixable because of a fuse or something. Oh, and not to mention the transmission isnt even checkable because the dip stick is UNDER THE CAR!!! BAD engine design (though pretty).

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  Like Mine - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Cak - November 16 - 9:40 am

  I bought my G6 used last summer and have had no problems. Sure I had to just put new rotors and brake pads in but no big deal, my husband is a fire fighter and going to calls it was going to happen.

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  I love my G6 but - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Danielle - November 15 - 6:06 am

  I have had my G6 for about a 1 1/2 now and it has a little over 25 thousand miles. I am having brake issues. The car feels like I am riding with my brakes on. Its like the car is fighting against the brakes. If I let off the gas the car will come to a complete stop on its own. There has been a couple times that the front end of the car will start shaking really bad when I am going over 60 miles an hour and that is really scary. The dealer ship has shaved my rotors, replaced the brake booster and now they are going to replace the master cylinder. I really hope this solves my problems because I really do like this car. It rides nice, I like the look and the gas mileage is great.

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  My first Pontiac - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Dre - November 13 - 3:16 pm

  My first Pontiac and I love it. The power this thing has along with the ride comfort is just amazing. Me constantly driving to the coast, a good 300 miles, I get great gas mileage. The city on the other hand the mileage just drops to about half of what I get on the highway. All in all its a great ride.