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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  Great vehicle - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Me - July 8 - 2:00 pm

  I love this car. I purchased it after trading in my Sunfire GT primarily because I wanted more head and leg room which the car definitely offers for a compact car. The fuel economy is comparable to my Sunfire. Ive had no problems with the car at all though Im pretty fussy about making sure that all major maintenance is done on time. I love the sound system and the general layout of the interior. Great car. Ill definitley purchase a Pontiac G6 GT down the road.

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  ROLLING UP DASH PAD - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By wsteadman - July 6 - 12:45 pm

  I have a 2002 grand am se sedan 4cyl AT, AC, CDAMFM RADIO, MANNUAL SEATS. I have a problem tha Pontiac has refused to take resposiblity for. The dash pad has started to roll up, has broken the plastic defrost deflectors now the window will not defog properly (safety hazzard). The passenger side air bag is in the dash under the loose dash pad. The airbag is designed to punch thru the pad but with pad being loose it will not function properly and the loose dash pad will impact the passenger instead of the airbag..(safety/deadly hazzard) would like to know how to fix this problem. 9 of 10 gran ams I have looked at have the same problem. The subquality glue is letting go.

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  Great car - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By bigwicker - July 6 - 10:00 am

  My second Aztek. Handles beautifully. Comfortably but a fairly firm ride considering its build. 26 mpg hwy @ 80mph w. AC. Great room. Cant understand why Edmunds lists it as mid- size. No matter how fully loaded, I always seem to be able to see out the reah hatch. Great handling. I always know exactly where the front bumper is. A joy to park and maneauver in tight spots. Quick enough. Dependable so far (80k miles) Criticism: Spoiler on rear hatch encumbers rear view vision. Rear hatch doesnt want to release in cold weather. Lousy trade- in value...completely unjustified. Great car.

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  My ws6 - 2001 Pontiac Firebird
  By Andrew Ace - July 6 - 10:00 am

  A very fun to drive car always reliable the style of the car is awesome.

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  My 10 second ws6 - 2001 Pontiac Firebird
  By Spraying WS6 - July 6 - 10:00 am

  This car already kicks some serious butt bone stock. Once you add some headers,cams,new rear end, and different gears, also along 15lbs of NOS this baby will fly. Still looks stock though changed the rims with chrome Z06 rims and have the corvette run on flat tires. Red body painted on 10inch racing stripes and some other custome paint work this baby wins alot of shows. Oh yea and the chicks dig it. Bit me ford boy

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  Love my Trans Am WS6 - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By Kellie Morris - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I love my car, Im very upset that Gm doesnt make Trans Ams anymore, I would love to purchase in a few years a brand new Trans Am , I wouldnt want to trade this car for any other car unless it could be a brand new Trans Am, or possibly if they would make Camaro SS again also, but I would rather have my Trans Am! Gm made the biggest mistake when they stoped making the Trans Ams and Camaros, there is not another car out there that i would even think about haveing!

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  NotSoUglyDuckling - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By Maru - July 6 - 10:00 am

  This car is fun to drive and cool to look at. The only drawback is the engine. It should definitely be a 3.6 vs. 3.4!! It handles well and looks like a cross between a hatchback and an SUV, which is why I like it. I have all of the options, including leather interior, and I enjoy the comfort.

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  Nice - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Wkind50874 - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I purchased this vehicle 12/2002 and it has 75,000 miles on it and had zero problems.

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  Great Vehicle, missed features... - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Anne/Agood4684 - July 6 - 10:00 am

  I bought a Vibe 03 base model, then traded it in for a 03 Grand Am GT, but I missed my Vibe and within 1 year of my original purchase of the Vibe 03, I traded in my Grand Am GT for a Vibe AWD 04....AND LOVE IT!!

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  2006 Solstice Automatic - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Dave Jasberg - July 6 - 7:46 am

  This Car was designed for people who love the look of 1950 and early 1960 coupes brought over from Europe. The look says "Lets go out and find a road with curves and hills and see what I can do" as this is not a Corvette and does not claim to be one, but the price should tell you that immediately. The front has the little whisper of the first Corvettes made with the round curves and grille area. I know that almost al are built as manual transmissions, but I live near the city and shifts become laborous in that atmosphere. For a new design and the first year of build GM deserves all the salutes from the buying public. The first Corvettes were beautiful, but road like trucks and rattled.