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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  I hate it!!! - 2009 Pontiac Solstice
  By IOB - August 21 - 8:10 am

  I regret every buying this car! Sure, it is fun with the top down and driving on weather permitting outings, but otherwise it stinks. My car has been in the shop three different times and had a camshaft sensor problem that was repaired. The motor seems sluggish IMO and it is fairly quick, but seems harsh for a turbo. Power is not a smooth delivery. Clutch is quirky with a notchy shift linkage. The damn thing is horribly uncomfortable and interior is cheap at best. No room for anything.The top execution could be much better. The car is not what I expected. Fuel economy on the highway is good and it looks good, but otherwise I hate it!!!! I would trade this pain in a heartbeat if I could.

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  My last GM? - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By GMnomore - August 17 - 2:03 am

  After buying a 2008 G6 GT (with the 3.5 L V6) I would not recommend this car. This is my 5th GM, 4th Pontiac. Seems the designers wanted to build a nice car, but fell short. By 18k miles the car: -Front suspension clunks -Steering clunks -Vibrates at highway speed -Idles rough -Heater smells of coolant (core leak?) -Transmission sometimes fails to shift (rare) -Tire pressure monitor cannot be set manually -Heat shields resonate -Brake pedal binds slightly -Steering column makes rubbing sound I made several trips to 2 dealerships. So far, most problems have been considered "normal" by GM dealerships and remain unresolved. Sadly, this is very likely my last GM.

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  2000 GTP - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Jim327 - August 13 - 10:00 am

  Car started out great, suspension soon rode like a 85 towncar, couldnt take a turn at any speed, very "floaty". Dealer said nothing they could do. Went ahead and installed all new suspesion, not a cheap thing. This helped. At 30000 miles, both outer tie-rod end went out. At 38,000 miles, both wheel hubs had to be replaced, due to worn out bearings. Trunk leaked, HUD went out for a while, driver window is intermitent. And now the plastic bolts holding the bumper on are starting to break, causing the car to rattle when going over any bumps. This car has 42000 miles on it. Will be the last American car that I buy for a long time. Unless it is pre 75.

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  2004 pontiac montana - 2004 Pontiac Montana
  By William McEachern - August 10 - 8:00 pm

  Things that were replaced as to date. diodes for heater 5th speed. Rubber patch under windshield to stop noise. balancing of all tires alignment 4 wheel a thermostat failed complete mirror for left side door installed new patches to stop buzz noise in windshield replaced bug deflector warped replaced wiper arm and set wiper timing. complete painting of both rocker panels for surface rust found no primer under paint. removed windshield for air noise still not corrected yet.

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  Unsafe and gm knows this! - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By bandaide - July 29 - 11:37 pm

  Gm has posted a service bulletin on the stabilitrack control steering issue yet choose to overlook it knowing that people have died from this. I bought my car a year ago because I love pontiacs. I regret every day I turn the key as I wonder if it will be my last from driving this car. I cannot take it on long trips as the steering starts going (stabilitrack) which is a well know problem. I have tried to get a dealer to fix this but they say its all on me as gm has not seen fit to deem this known issue as a recall though it is widespread and deadly. Perhaps it is because you no longer make them and figure we will eventially we will all go away. You are right-go away to a ford!!

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  Nothing but problems!!! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By bucaboi - July 20 - 12:10 am

  My biggest mistake in life so far has been purchasing this vehicle. NO JOKE. So far Ive had nothing but problem after problem with this horrible car. The engine is great. I love the power, the steering, the design of the body. But when you get past all that and everything just seems to fall apart starting the 2nd day after you bought it, you get a little upset. Let me just tell you a couple of the problems ive had.........sunroof doesnt work (took it in 4 times and still nothing), sunroof and side pillars leak when it rains (causing carpet and seats to grow mold),......ABS,traction control, and airbags stopped working. car shakes when braking, rotors and brake pads replaced.

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  50-50 - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By Siochain - July 15 - 10:00 am

  I love the interior of my vehicle. So many good things to say. Comfortable for shorter people. Like sitting up higher. Can do an up north trip and still feel comfortable. Mileage into Detroit during the week is not good but true highway trips it seems much better. Not had good luck w/performance. Cricket sounds, tough brakes, hard to start, stalling, rotors have had me in and out of repair. They tell me there is nothing wrong w/it and send me on my way. Will be very upset if I have to pay for costly repair even though I have tried to get them to take care of it.

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  Could be better - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By GTOBoy - July 8 - 6:03 pm

  Definitely could be better. The GTO name did not bring out the best in this car, it is more of a tag glued on. Performance is not the best, the exterior has that "Grand Am" feel. On the plus side, the fuel economy is pretty good, though it could be better for the lack of performance.

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  Very Dissappointed in this car! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Crazy_lady955 - July 4 - 12:33 pm

  This car is a piece of junk! The steering rack has broken twice, the passenger window slams down when you do the auto down, now the check engine light is on and I get this message check gas cap. One time my gas cap was off completely. I wish I had never got this thing. And god knows how many more problems we are going to have Im nervous I dont have the money to replace all the crap that is going wrong with this. This car must be made in China, and the driver side seat heater is broken for some reason. Im disappointed.

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  Needs More Power - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Brian - July 2 - 9:33 pm

  I wish I didnt buy this car. The Cobalt SS is about the same price and a much better performer. The G5 is a good look decent all around car, but just dont offer the kind of performance it should at the selling price.