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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  03 Vibe - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By sskkc - November 11 - 10:00 am

  With all four of us in the car, storage is minimal. If we bring along the stroller, theres almost no room for anything else, - a HUGE minus if you have a child under 18 months.

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  What a car! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Rich - November 8 - 4:16 pm

  The Pontiac Soltice is the most fun I have had, driving a car. I didnt know how to drive stick shift when I got it, but it was so easy to learn, took me a couple of days. I like the fact that the red line for the rpms is high (7,000). I previously owned a Pontiac Grand Am GT which was a 3.1 V6 engine and it doesnt hold a candle to the Soltice performance wise. The bigger wheels and tight suspension makes you feel like your in a race car, and for the price you cant beat it.

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  Reasonable Deal - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By Wing - November 8 - 8:06 am

  I have a regular wheel base. The interior is furnished with good quality material. The seats are comfortable. Handling is very car like with adequate power. I have never loaded up the van with 7 adults and cargo. I cannot tell whether the van has enough power when its fully loaded. There needs to have some improvement on the seat arrangement. In my opinion, there is too much leg room for the third row seat while the second row has barely enough legroom. If GM can rearrange the seats a little bit, it will make the van more passenger friendly. Fuel consumption for city drive is 14.6L/100km. Highway driving is about 10L/100km. my combined fuel consumption is 11.6L/100km.

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  Van for sale - 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
  By mona - November 5 - 10:00 am

  My family and I enjoyed this van for four years. When purchased it had 15,000 miles on it. We traveled several places. Our children are now young adults and we no longer need to have van that is an extended version. We had a bike rack installed that holds up to three bikes. I would like to know what the value of our vehicle is so we can determine whether or not we would like to buy something smaller. We even had a cd player installed.

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  its a cool little car - 2005 Pontiac Grand AM
  By PbH - November 5 - 10:00 am

  Although its under powered and its dash is a little goofy it handles great, its comfortable and good on gas making it fun to drive i just wish the V6 had a option for 5 or 6 speed manual

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  Lets be real - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By ecolied - November 3 - 3:40 pm

  I do like my Vibe. Not a lot of power and some road noise. I do get get very good mileage and the car is pleasant to drive. I average 34 mpg on the highway with an automatic.

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  GrandPrix Luva - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By luvpontiac - October 28 - 8:10 pm

  I love the Grand Prix design as well as the reliability. This is my second Grand Prix and the only reason I sold my other one was because I wanted something newer! Has a lot of get up, fun to drive, smooth handling, and reliability is excellent. I have not had one problem with my new GP yet! Not to mention Pontiac has the BEST stereos in their vehicles.

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  pontiac gran prix.. it turns heads. - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By mary lou barnwell - October 28 - 8:56 am

  i love the responsiveness of this beauty. it will get you out of bad situations...and safely home. its a thrill to step on the gas and feel the response. people head turn to look at the fusion orange metallic.people come up to admire the color.we totally love this car.it has been pure pleasure for us.i love the heated leather seats.the monsoon stereo.the pure quickness of it.

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  I expected more as a repeat Pontiac cust - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cojoe735 - October 28 - 2:00 am

  Overall, I have had a few nusiance problems with the car that I should not have had a problem with being a new car. I have had trouble with a side view mirror breaking during an automatic car wash, lost power steering due to a failed hose connection, drivers side window retaining clips failed, cigarette/accesory plug in keeps popping fuses, moisture in the taillights causing the turn signals to fail, abs never worked correctly, brake replacement @ 10,000 miles. Overall, Its a great looking car with alot of power for its class. The great looking style and power almost makes it bearable to put up with the mechanical short-commings of this vehicle.

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  Lots of problems - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Dumplins - October 23 - 10:00 am

  Had car for 30 miles and it had to be serviced 7 times. Computer failed twice, wouldnt start, heater went out, oil leak, wouldnt start again, and something else. (I cant remember because I have had to take it in so many times)