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:

• 

  FUN CAR - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By gwstack - July 7 - 10:00 am

  THIS CAR IS ONE OF THE FINEST CARS I HAVE EVER OWNED. THE SEATS ARE EXTREMELY COMFORTABLE AND THE RIDE IS SUPERB.IT REQUIRED A MINIMUM OF SERVICE WORK AND THE DEALERSHIP IS TRUSTWORTHY AND VERY HELPFUL. WOULD NOT HESITATE TO PURCHASE ANOTHER PONTIAC IN THE FUTURE.

• 

  Daves Take - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Raimondi - July 7 - 10:00 am

  I first was this model as a GT1 in the summer of 2003 and test drove it while my 96 was in for srvice. I loved it from the get go. total redesign, yet distinctively pontiac. Pretty peppy for a normally aspirated 3.8 V6. Then we bought our own... a GT2 with HUD, infotech and a cassette along with the cd. Its even better than the GT1. Handles well on dry or wet roads. This march we had snow after the revieved the car and had no issues with traction or control. Its a great car!

• 

  GXP Sleeper - 2008 Pontiac Torrent
  By ACE - July 6 - 7:46 pm

  Every Torrent owner I have talked to really likes their vehicle. This GXP is really fast and handles like a sports car. It is so neutral in the corners. When you expect the front end to push, it just digs in & goes round. I am at over 22 mpg now. It has great utility to boot. If you are looking for a vehicle like this, you really owe it to yourself to give it a try. I know of Honda owners who dont get but a 1mpg more in their smaller CR-V and no fun factor at all. Even Scions only get about 23.5 & are slower than molasses.

• 

  Great Car!!! - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By JDogg27 - July 4 - 2:00 am

  Love the pickup the 2.2 manaual has.Very great design and good sound.Just a very sharp looking car.

• 

  G8 is CAR - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By G8 888 - July 3 - 1:43 am

  This car is amazing! I just picked up my new Ignition Orange G8 GT! The only thing I dont like is the panel gap between the hood and the grill, but to me, it kinda adds toughness to it! This car can smoke any "competition" any day of the week!

• 

  Good To Go, Go, Go - 2004 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Jim - July 1 - 10:30 pm

  I love my GXP. It has that deep V-8 sound and has the get up and go to match. Plenty of room for 5 fullsized adults and lots of trunk space. Great for the long hauls to Vegas baby.

• 

  Great Car - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By PM - June 29 - 2:00 am

  Great car, the only problem that I had with it was the sending unit for the check antifreeze light

• 

  Great Domestic Car - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Mike Reed - June 29 - 2:00 am

  Ive been driving a Grand Am GT sedan for six months now and I am very impressed. Its a great car, perfect for everyday needs with some fun on the side. The 3400 SFI is a great engine and very reliable. The pricing of Grand Ams seems to be creeping upwards, but then, it is worth it in my opinion rather than to be driving an Accord with 100 million other people.

• 

  THE BEST 2003 - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By 03GTCruzzer - June 29 - 2:00 am

  I love it! Hands down.

• 

  most fun to drive in years - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By m brock - June 28 - 3:13 pm

  I waited almost a full year, and the wait was well worth it. A great car to drive. Not real practical, but great looks, design, a real roadster. There are some quality issues, poor design of trunkspace, window bottons, some skeekiness with the top down, and wind noise from the windows driving on the highway, but i dont even care. I take my blue solstice for a sat am drive every week, to open her up and enjoy driving and shifting gears. I am now even starting to rev past 4000 rpms, to push the car , and it purrs like a car that cost over $40,000. my only complaint is that the dealer raised the msrp, even though i had a contract priced agreed to last year. Everyone will enjoy this car!!!