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:

• 

  Aztec Experiences - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Sam Miller - April 13 - 10:00 am

  This car has performed excellently on the road and in town. Its fun to drive and people always stop us and ask how we like it? Very, very reliable.

• 

  extraterrestrial - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By sixteen - April 13 - 10:00 am

  Never have enjoyed an SUV so much. Predict this "Edsel" will become wildly popular--lots of style and value.

• 

  SATISFIED CUSTOMER - 2004 Pontiac Montana
  By MAX HOLLAMON - April 13 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle was purchased for hauling a motorized wheel chair in the back. So far we have been well pleased. If I had it to do over I would get the auto leveling kit factory installed in case I needed to carry 8 passengers and the wheel chair or pull a trailor.

• 

  Lots of car for the money - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By GotVibe - April 13 - 10:00 am

  Just got the last 2004 off the local lot and am very impressed based on the first 1000 miles. Great looks, good handling, lots of room, nice options packages, and great gas mileage (avg 33 ist. A true bargain with incentives on the remaining 2004s if you can still find them.

• 

  Excellent Quality - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Dave- - April 13 - 10:00 am

  This is a well-built fun to drive car with good acceleration. Only car Ive owned with little/no problems.

• 

  Great car all around - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Rich of Ballwin - April 13 - 10:00 am

  This is a great car! Fun to drive because it handles so great. Very comfortable and very good gas mileage. About 20 around town and 29-33 on the road. Many compliments on looks, etc. We do all our travelling in it with the longest trip being about 6000 miles. No problem with 4 adults on long trip. Very reliable so far. We have 25000 miles on it. The 3.8 is a fabulous engine. Plenty of zip and great mileage. I usually trade every 3-4 years but my wife would kill me if I sold this one.

• 

  SWEET RIDE - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By B Niemi - April 13 - 10:00 am

  This is the first pontiac i bought. I love the car, glad i bought it. Dont understand some of the reviews complaining about loud road noise. I think the road noise is very quiet. More than enough headroom and the back seat is huge. performance and handling excellent.

• 

  Refined, yet beastly! - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Jonathan F - April 12 - 10:00 pm

  I had test drove many different sporty cars before approaching the GTO. I tried out a STI, WRX, BMW 330i, Evo, a G35, 350z Then, after the advice of my father, I choose to test drive a GTO. That was all that was needed to seal the deal. While the G35 was probably the nicest out of the bunch, it still lacked any ummmppphhhhh. I got into the GTO and whoa, talk about making your neck sore. I wish more people would just test drive it. Realize it is NOT an American car and that it was built out of Holden in Australia who has a following of quality that is like the BMW and Hondas, just in a different country.

• 

  my grand am - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By squeakers - April 10 - 10:53 pm

  my mother bought this car one year after it came out, in 1997, it is now 2007, when i got my license she gave me this car, and it still runs like new..even though it has almost 300,000 miles on it...in a few months i am going to be trading it in for a new one, because the quality is outstanding....

• 

  1999 Grand Am 4 dr Sedan - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By softy042000 - April 10 - 2:00 am

  I had a car reck and a 1996 Grand Am saved my life. Iwould also trust my life with a 1999 Grand Am 4 dr Sedan.