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 LOVE MY CAR - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By AWORK - January 26 - 2:00 am

  The car handles excellent. We have the car on the road several times and have enjoyed our ride. There was enough room for all of our Christmas gifts along with all of our luggage and people. We would not trade our decision to buy this car for the world.

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  Who approved the 09 design? - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By Burns1210 - January 23 - 7:43 pm

  Ive had the Vibe for a month and Im liking it so far. As mentioned in other reviews, it seriously needs a telescoping steering wheel. The despicably low center arm rest can be replaced with a Corolla arm rest for much better comfort. The roof rack- less roof rack makes no sense. The cross bars used to be standard. Have to unscrew the antenna to use it anyway. The upgrade stereo is nice, so are the alloys. I like the head rest positioning, never had a car that I could actually rest my head on the head rest while driving. Plenty of rear seat room, and cargo carpet and bungee tie-downs are a must-have. Getting 32-34 mpg using 10% ethanol.

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  I love my Rally - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By 2005RalleyedAztek - January 23 - 1:36 am

  I love my 2005 Pontiac Aztek rally edition. I was going to sell it so that I could get something more fuel efficient, but there isnt a SUV that great gas mileage this good and is this smoking hot. I LOVE MY RALLY!!

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  Best Family Sedan On the Market - 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Joe Dixon - January 21 - 10:00 am

  We bought our Bonneville just last month, we previously had owned a 94 Bonneville. The car itself has a good design its quite attractive, for someone who has a family and wants something big enough to easily ride in comfort and have plenty of power doing so, then this is the car. The engine sound is amazing. As soon as you open up the engine the supercharger roars, its really gives you a rush. When test driving the vehicle, a Ford Mustang GT pulled up becide and we had a bit of a drag race, we easily pulled ahead of him, beleive it or not the pedal was not to the "metal".

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  GTO a GO! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By FatheadCrash - January 19 - 5:10 am

  My experience with my 05 GTO is one word... AMAZING!!! it is the most fun car I could of ever hoped to own. I am the envy and focal point of the road wherever I go. A stock 400 hp and trq... oh yea... a 6.0 pushrod... 30 lbs lighter than a mustang GTs 4.6... it isnt even a side by side comparison. its faster than the new challenger SRT8, charger, and keeps up with a shelby gt 500 for half the price.the exterior styling is captivating, the interior sporty, comfortable, and bold. the original muscle car was a gto... and the legend lives on!

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  2004 GTO - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By brereton - January 18 - 6:06 am

  A well built car with outstanding performance. Competitive with much more expensive cars.

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  last of the great ones - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Ringo1 - January 17 - 11:50 pm

  I love the 2009 G8 GT that I recently purchased. Hot White with Onyx/Red cloth interior. One of the few early GTs built with leather delete and Onyx/Red interior. Im asked questions all the time about the car. People cant believe that Pontiac was making such a great car, way under the radar. Try to find a four door sedan with a big V8, 6 speed auto trans. and RWD for under 35k. For those who complain about the overall fuel economy, remember that no one twisted your arm to buy a performance car. Cant have the ponies without having to feed them too. The G8 GTs and GXPs are the final chapter in a long line of fine cars. If Pontiac had to go, at least they went out with a bang!!

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  A Nice Car - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By FA - January 17 - 10:10 pm

  I bought my Grand Prix GTP with about 34K miles on it. Its been a fun & very sporty car to drive. The GTP feature resulted in me paying a surcharge in my car insurance though. I guess they thought Id drive like a race car driver. The car has great pick-up & allows you to move through traffic well. To my surprise the fuel economy has been great as I do lots of hwy driving. Im at 82K, so little things are starting need repair. Most of the repairs to date include front- wheel ballbearings, breaks, replacement of a tail light cover ($$$) & fog light ($$$), a valve in the transmission ($900), & a water leak under the dash. The water issue made me crazy, but overall I really enjoyed the car

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  great car - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Ron - January 17 - 9:46 am

  tight car, made well, great to drive. the radio is the worst thing about the car, the radio doesnt come in very well, but I guess no one purchased this car for the radio.

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  love it!!! - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By jrichard70 - January 16 - 10:00 am

  The first time I sat in it, those bucket seats gave me a hug. best car I have owned. the power with the size and feel of a real car. do have a small oil leak,