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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  Love this car! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Liz K - July 17 - 6:26 pm

  I love this car. It has a very smooth ride, and very quick pick up! Sometimes I dont even realize that Im speeding because of the smoothness. The dashboard is very easy to read/see and I love the drivers info center. I also like the way the console with the DIC and radio are tilted towards the driver for easy access. Having the radio controls on the steering wheel also are great. It took me a little bit of time to get used to the placement of the cruise control. Having it low on the steering wheel was difficult to use at first, but I got the hang of it within a week or two. The trunk is huge and I love the split rear seats. Much better than my last GP that had only had a pass through.

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  an american car that rocks - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By tjs317 - July 17 - 5:36 pm

  okay, I wanted to buy american & get the reliability of a toyota. Nuff said, same assembly line as toyota matrix. a 6 speed tied to the yamaha engine doesnt hurt, either!!!

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  Month 4 with a G8 GT - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By Rod - July 17 - 11:33 am

  Starting month 4 with the G8. I am getting comfortable with all of the switches. This car has proven that all of the press hype is not hype, it is fact. It is the best value that any car manufacturer has on the market for the price. If you want a real car, with real performance, room and quality this is the car. You can spend twice the money and get something like and buy a 5 series BMW, or you can buy the G8 GT get the same performance and have lots of money left over to bay the person at the gas pump. I love American Iron so I will pay at the gas pump instead of at the dealer. I vote to make Australia the 51st state.

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  Good Car, But dont buy one used - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By Kevin - July 16 - 7:46 am

  Smooth ride...very adaptable...nice sound system...great tailgate vechicle...good in snow...decent MPG. The problem is the parts, under the first warranty the AC condenser,head and tail lightbulbs, broken plastic trim (overhead interior) had to be replaced. On the advice of a service tech. I extended the warranty what good advice...right after the first warranty expired the water pump, the starter, the 6-way power seat and the AC condenser (again), replaced. This is why people get mad and buy foreign because GM knew of these flaws and refused to fix them gratis...if you dont extend the warranty youre doomed. We still have it, and no problems I guess all the bugs are worked out.

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  attention getter - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By attention getter - July 16 - 6:46 am

  i bought my G6 in Feb of this year. i love the looks and features of my car i have a GT gets people attention with my panoramic sunroof. Have had a few problems wit it at 33,000 my coolant reservoir fell out of place and melted and now at 46K my steering pops,my headlight has moisture in it and the driver side back door window switch fell out of place but other than that i love my car fun to drive

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  How I luvd my 40th Annv. Special Ed GTP - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Ronnie B - July 15 - 9:03 pm

  I remember having to call 12 car dealerships to find my car, my wife had first seen it on the Internet and told me I had to see this new special tribute to gms Pontiac grand prix for 40 years of performance, we both fell in luv with it we had to have it. We had a 1999 gtp, and our lease was about up. So I went hunting after 2weeks of calling all over so. Cal I found a dealership that had one with all the options. I have had literally hundreds of compliments about it. The special edition package for the extra money is so worth it other than the loss of the (psm) performance shift mechanism, and the digital thermostat air/heat I luvd the can, it performed excellent just like my 1999

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  2006 Grand Prix w/ Navigation - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By VGP - July 15 - 2:23 pm

  First of all, I had this car for a year now and I absolutely LOVE it! However, I will only describe here the things you should watch out for if you plan on buying one: Gas consumption: 11.6L/100km overall -T/C button near cup holder: I keep getting coffee all over it Stock tires (Eagle LS) will wear out like you wont believe. I think they are summer-only performance tires. Expect to change them sooner than you hope Common problem with steering column getting dried up. It starts to click when you turn -Glove box is so small and inaccessible you can barely keep an envelope in there (it was way bigger in my old Sunfire)

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  PRND3L - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By veaudry - July 15 - 7:04 am

  This is my complaint. the shifter does not highlight when in any position,, there is no indicator in the dash to inform you what gear you are in.. Does anyone else have this missing on their G6s

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  Great Car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By hockeygirl4 - July 15 - 3:56 am

  I upgraded to the G6 from a Cavalier, and I absolutely love it! I have the moonroof, 6 disk changer, adjustable pedals, and driver information panel on the stereo panel. Only one problem in the second year Ive had the car, and that is the brake/brake lights. When taking the car out of park and applying the brake, the shifter would lock. Dealership replaced a brake component. Then, the brake lights were engaged when I was driving, and they would disengage when I applied the brake. Dealership replaced the other component that is linked to the brakes. No problems since!

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  Reliable but buggy electronics, and plenty of things to break - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By bobsmith70 - July 13 - 6:25 pm

  The 3.8 has a great transmission and engine, decent mpg, great performance, incredibly smooth, fun to drive but comfortable on the highway. Always started for me. I owned it from 90k to 140k. The problem is the electronics around it. Power steering rack leaks, gas gauge bounces around, traction control stops randomly, power windows love to break. Brake cylinders seize, the led on the radio like to dance sometimes. And nothing is $250 or less, everything is at least close to $400 or more to fix. It still works if you can live with the flaws as it is extremely dependable. Home mechanics go for it, but after 120k avoid it like the plague if you cant fix it yourself.