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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  Fun in the sun - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By wlmbrm - April 27 - 5:43 am

  Ive only had my Sol for about two weeks now, but what a fun two weeks it has been! This car turns head and elicits comments EVERYWHERE I go. From a pure driving standpoint all I can say is WOW, she hugs the road unbelievably well, accelerates like a bat out of you know where, and handles like a dream. Monsoon sound system totally rocks and enables you to blow a bunch of the teenagers away (or at least keeps you from having to hear their stereo blasting!)

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  The Best Car for the money - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Kevin - April 27 - 2:46 am

  I love this vehicle. This having been the fourth vehicle Ive ever owned, Ive always purchased vehicles of this size. This ones the best. I love how it drives on the highway, and yet is still fun to drive in town as well. Not to mention that I look good driving it. I was skeptical at first about the fusion orange color, but now I love it.

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  vibe - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By mac - April 27 - 12:13 am

  This is a fun to drive vehicle. It has a lot of power for only 4 cylinders and has excellent fuel economy

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  GTO is AWESOME! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By fitty - April 26 - 5:03 pm

  I was in the market for a new Mustang but could never find a black on black and all of the dealerships I went to were very unfriendly. I then decided to pursue a corvette and ran into the same problem so I got online and searched many different sports cars from $30k-$50 and found that my GTO was the best buy for the performance. $34k is not a bad price for a 400 horse power car.

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  2003 Pontiac Montana - 2003 Pontiac Montana
  By kpersinger - April 26 - 11:40 am

  I have had my montana for almost 3 years and now have 70,000 miles on it. I have not had any trouble with my van.It handles and runs great. I just wish it had a built in DVD center. I have rear air and rear audio controls which has been a lifesaver for me and the kids on long trips. The kids love the van. I like it too just wish it had better gas mileage. From the sounds of some reviews I am lucky. Also it would be nice if there were more cupholders

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  Watch out for breakdowns - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Lex - April 26 - 11:36 am

  The Aztek small community makes it difficult to learn and share with other drivers. My odometer came out reading "error"... if a small light on the dash breaks, you must send in the entire unit loosing your car for 3 + days to change a tiny lightbulb... the battery change requires a 2 hour job by a professional mechanic whereas in previous cars i could easily do so myself... the mirror fell off in 100 degree heat... the resale value is down to 6000 at carmax after just 3 years.. i would love to hear from other buyers so i can prepare myself for other aspects which i might put some prevention into to avoid repeating your finds, i would be happy to share my experience.

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  Totally Excellent !!! - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Doug - April 26 - 8:26 am

  I love the styling , the ride and the handling of this vehicle. All of the controls are visible and easy to reach . The seating is firm and comfortable . This vehicle feels solid on the road , easy to drive .

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  decent - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By sean - April 26 - 3:03 am

  Bought the car about 4 yrs ago with only 20k... Ran fine for about 10k and a timing chain tensior went out. Had it replaced. But other than that this has been a wonderful car. Only think i notice is if you turn the heater on your smell coolant for a min then goes away. No leaks however.

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  Brandons Review - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By bfaulkner - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Just purchased this awesome vehicle. Within the first week I already got 2 tickets. Before this I had never had a ticket in my life. The car is fast with great performance. Pontiac out done theirselves when they remodeled this car. Well done Pontiac.

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  great for the family and more - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By Brysons Dad - April 25 - 8:43 am

  The van has been great. Drives nice in all weather. All have plenty of room, even bringing extra kids. Easy to park and load. Not a hint of trouble yet...