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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  Safe & comfortable but very sporty look! - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By Cindy - January 20 - 2:50 am

  Bought this for our 17 year old daughter, great safety and reliability ratings plus she loves the look along with its comfort in the front and back. Received the highest reliability ratings from consumer reports and Five Stars from the govt crash test ratings.

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  2006 Pontiac Grand Prix - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By chevymaster_08 - January 20 - 12:13 am

  Recently I have taken ownership of a 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix. It is, overall, a very excellent car. It drives smooth and has a very powerfully V6 engine, even though it is only 200hp. Like most Pontiacs, the market is saturated with them, but that doesnt change the fact that it is a cool car to look at. The interior might be my favorite though due to the jet-like details.

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  GTP - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Shaun - January 19 - 4:03 am

  I love this car. It is fun to drive and has plenty of power to get up and go. I have had many coment son how nice it looks when I pull up to a gas station. I have had a 96 GTP and now an 04 and they dont compare. This car has the best response when driving on the highway. I can pass very easy and in city driving it is great with cornering. Great car! Definetly fuel for the soul!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  Blue Green Crystal LOVED by ALL!! - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Celeste - January 18 - 11:46 am

  We love this car, great on trips, lots of leg room for 63" man driving. Back seat has room for 6 son if seated behind front seat pulled forward one notch. BLUE GREEN CRYSTAL IS FABULOUS COLOR!!! EVERY ONE SAYS SOMETHING ABOUT LOVING THE COLOR!!!! It looks blue in some light, green in others and purple under parking lot lights at night!!! It even looks blue and green at the same time, on different planes of the cars surface!! Handles great, no matter the weather, or driving conditions, love the onstar feature, husband used it when he got lost, (WOW) Monsoon sound system to die for, XM clear as a bell

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  FUN CAR - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By MUSIK - January 17 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE HAD THE CAR 30 DAYS AND I LOVE IT. IT RIDES WELL, HAS GOOD ALL AROUND VISIBILITY. SOME OF THE FEATURES, LIKE THE COVERS INSIDE HATCH WHERE THE LIGHTS ARE COULD BE BETTER QUALITY AND THE STORAGE DRAWER IN FRONT IS TACKY. THE 115 VOLT PLUG IS A GOOD IDEA. IT WILL BE GREAT FOR HAULING LIGHT THINGS LIKE BICYCLES. THE FOLD DOWN SEATS ARE GREAT TOO. SUN ROOF TILTS OR OPENS! I THINK I PAID TOO MUCH THOUGH! WHO CARES YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE

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  Awesome Pick!! - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Stephanie - January 17 - 1:26 am

  I bought this car about 2 weeks ago, I find that I made a great choice, and Im loving every minute of driving in it!. The pick up is a little slower than i thought but once it gets going, it holds you to the seat. Great for driving on the highway, not too bad fuel economy in the city. Very comfortable,and roomy. Quiet & smooth driving on the highway, and with over $7500.00 taken off the original price to make it $26,600 for the full SE package, i think i got a great price on it.

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  200,000 without major repair - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By Ray - January 16 - 3:02 pm

  Acceleration is not great, but not bad. Road holding is great. Just turned 200,000 miles without major repairs, mostly brakes and 2 recalls.

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  GTO bad to the bone - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By matthew - January 16 - 2:13 am

  This car is really fun and looks like a sleeper most people do not know what it is or what is under the hood (raw power baby)

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  Best of all worlds - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Carcully - January 14 - 10:13 am

  We recently sold our 2003 Honda Odyssey, and replaced it with a 2004 Vibe. Im thrilled with our choice. We have two young children, but really didnt want to drove a large van around any longer, partly because of rising gas prices, and also because the van became a holding ground for extra items we really didnt need to be using. The Vibe is perfect for us. It still has the ability to haul things if needed, has a decent-sized back seat for a small car, but has much improved gas mileage, ease of handling and parking, and is equally as comfortable. It is also a sharp looking car, and it sits you up nicely for a good view of the road. If something ever happened to mine, Id buy another!

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  Driving Excitement - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Judith Chesnick - January 12 - 5:03 pm

  I enjoy having and driving it very much. It handles excellent and the ride is very smooth. I havent had any complaints from people who have rode in it with me. I actually underestimated it when I looked at it but when I drove it, man it drove like a soaring eagle. The color of this car is nice, it is greystone metallic. It is a subtle color for the power that this car possesses. But I am not complaining.