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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  Awesome Modern GTO - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By shafman1 - December 21 - 10:00 am

  I Love this car! It is so fun to drive! The seats are more comfortable than my Tahoe seats. Nothing like raw horsepower with the suspension to match. The interior is beautiful! Im over 6 foot and with my seat all the way back, there is still plenty of leg room in the back. 350 horsepower. 0-60 in 5.3 secs. (Less with just a couple of modifications)

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  My Vibe - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By alby1b - December 21 - 10:00 am

  The most fun to drive and most fuel efficent AWD vehicle I have ever driven.And it gets better gas mileage than the EPA rates, unlike those Hybrids that get closer to half what the EPA said.

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  Good Car To buy - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By hillsborogirl - December 21 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Grand Am for over 2 years. Ive purchased other Non-GM vehicles and I did not find them as reliable as my Grand Am. My uncle had his Grand Am for 12 years before he sold it to my cousin. My mother has had her Grand Am for about 8 years and its still going strong. I intend to keep mine for a long period of time.

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  GREAT CAR - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By MARPAR - December 21 - 10:00 am

  HAVE NEVER HAD BACK TO DEALER FOR ANYTHING. DO MY OWN MAINT. (OIL, TIRE ROTATION, ETC). CAR RUNS PERFECT & DRIVES LIKE NEW. RIDE IS A LITTLE STIFF AFTER YOUVE BEEN IN IT FOR AWHILE BUT ITS A SPORT SEDAN, NOT A HIGHWAY CRUISER.

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  Great cute car - 2005 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Jessica - December 20 - 9:26 pm

  I just bought this car 2 months ago and love the car. Very comfortable, and easy to drive for my self.

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  very nice - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By andrew y - December 20 - 3:10 pm

  This car by far the nicest design concept for a Pontiac sedan. the exterior is aerodynamic where it needs to be and has a good ground stance. the engine is responsive and powerful for a 3500 cc engine and the wheels have good traction. the only thing this vehicle needs (well actually gm needs) is to get rid of the amount of plastic the interior has. but overall the interior is roomy and comfortable.

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  BAD - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By custom man - December 19 - 9:30 pm

  Ive had the car for almost 2 years, it is a 5 speed and i luv the car to death, ive had problems all the time but nothing to major all the time. ive replaced the tranny and clutch once and it ran amazingly since. I street race the car, i have a custom exhaust on it, custom intake, and a lot of interior work do to it. they come with the Z24 racing engine (stock 150 HP) since all my mods i have figured that the car has about 185 hp now and amazing take off and torque. i have a lot of corners around here and the car cornered well before hand but now i have replace all the control arms, sway bar mounts, tie rod boots, and end links and the car is amazing at cornering now. All in all i luv the car.

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  Long Live the Bonneville! - 2004 Pontiac Bonneville
  By sleddriver - December 18 - 6:06 am

  I have owned this vehicle for less than 2 months (42,000 miles at purchase) and have already put 5,000 miles on it. (I have a 95 LeSabre that has 173,000 miles on it, and it is still running well.) I purchased it for less than half its original invoice, and it was virtually brand new. Im no engineer, but the 3800 Series II engine is the best GM auto engine around. This sled drives like a go kart! Road feel and steering reponsiveness is incredible compared to the Buick. (Reminds me of the old Tiger Paw commercials.) Pontiac is winning me over every time I drive the Bonneville. Should the G- 8 live up to expectations, I will be ordering one as the 12 models arrive in about 4 years.

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  Dont waste your money - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Heather - December 18 - 2:53 am

  Things were always going wrong and needed to be replaced with expensive special parts. The window motor died & supposedly each window has a different specific motor... $750. The stereo LCD went in and out randomly as well as the ABS sensor light. This car also takes special tires... went to wal-mart & got the cheapest of that kind... $500+ for 3 tires. My air/heat duct came undone and i could only faintly feel air if it was set to level 5 (high). I was rear-ended the other day in Christmas traffic; it totaled it (because its plastic), while the bmw that hit me was able to drive away afterward. Kelly Blue book says Ill only get 1k after all that money I put into it.

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  love this car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By morell1980 - December 17 - 10:43 pm

  I love this car! I feel like the car is part of me when I drive. From steering response to seat positioning, every thing is perfect. Hit the gas and zoooooom. Best car I have ever owned.