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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  Vibe Owner - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Norm - January 29 - 6:03 am

  Very flexible design. Nice handling, reasonable ride for a small car. The engine is unusually noisy under acceleration. It could use a little more power, but the MPG is quite good. I found the seats a little too low, especially in the front. Some window tinting would be welcome. Side winds will move it around a bit more than I am used to. Overall, a fun car to drive.

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  Nice Car - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By notLA - January 28 - 10:00 am

  The car is great! Acceleration and handling are good. Gas mileage is not as advertised.

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  awsome car - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By argentinegirl - January 23 - 10:00 am

  this is a great car for that first timer drives great rides great the only thng it does kinda suck down the gas but not to bad

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  The best bargain ever ... - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By julioga - January 23 - 2:23 am

  This car is one of the best looking caras on the street right now. Its that eye candy and WOW car that arises every 2 or 3 years, like the PT Cruiser, or the New Bettle or the Mini Cooper. This car is anything but flat. In South Beach at several valet parkings they park this car in front with the ferraris and lamborghinis. This is a bold move and not from ford, this time from GM/ Pontiac. Looks 3 or 4 times its actual price, girls love it and its fun to drive, under powered but the fuel economy is awesome. Lets see if the GXP turbo version later 2006 will handle the performance issues. This car is a solid 9.

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  Old Faithful - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Carl - January 22 - 8:10 pm

  Other than the initial recall of the gas pedal assembly when the car was new, I have had no issues with this car in the 6+ years/66k miles Ive had it. Other than routine maintenance, I havent put a dime into what would be considered a "repair". Its by no means a "sports car", but it is very good at what its intended to be--a comfortable, quiet, good handling, RELIABLE sedan. And fuel mileage is decent too-- 30 mpg @ 70 mph on long trips/20 mpg stop & go. If it continues to be as good as its been, I will drive it until the wheels fall off, which should be quite a few years off.

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  good car - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Dave E - January 21 - 1:30 am

  I bought this car, and I am the 4th owner, but the car has been in the family since it was new. even with 120,000 miles on it, I get 22 mpg around town. The only complaint I have is that the interior door panels are falling apart, my rear speakers quit working, and like someone else reported, the doors are starting to bind against the body panels when opening. I easily solved that problem by putting WD 40 on the hinges. Now they open and close proper. I have had, nor has any previous owner had any issued with this car, engine, transmission, nothing. I know that car has been well maintained and has been treated gentle. Other than the interior quality, I like the car.

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  If you drive it too much, it gets less fun - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Rhonda - January 20 - 2:00 pm

  I loved this car at first. I still love the way it looks. However, I spilled fruit juice in the car and the gear shifter had TO BE REPLACED. The front of the car rattles. My steering shaft went out. My rotors are cheap and will soon need to replace them with made in the USA steel Ive been told by guys at work because they are constantly wearing down even though I dont drive it irresponsibly. I drive 120 miles a day, and I wish I bought a foreign made car, because the rattling in the front of the car is really starting to scare me. This car will be worthless when I finally pay it off. It looks great, buy maybe good looks arent everything. The feel of the drive really deteriorated.

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  Attention Pontiac!!! - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By April - January 19 - 10:16 pm

  I love my Bonneville but this car has issues. Vibration in front end, popping noise in the steering, leaking doors, heated passenger seat stopped working and the trunk is leaking. I have had two new passenger side tie rod ends put on this car in 60,000 miles. Pontiac you need to step up to the plate and take care of these issues.

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  Beware Car Fires - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By bpalmer27 - January 19 - 2:00 am

  I loved this car, all the way up until it caught fire and burned. After only 70,000 my GTP burned up without any warning. Apparently there is an investigation into these cars and a number of fires in the engine compartment. National Highway Traffic Satey Administration is attempting to get GM to admit to it and issue a recall.

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  Dependable Car - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By augidog - January 19 - 2:00 am

  Weve had the car for over 8 years now and had very little trouble with it. The alternator finally did give out after 6 years but other that the normal things like brakes, belts and hoses, no real problems except for the cap piece for the spark plugs. Quad 4s are unusual and I have changed that phenolic cap for the spark plugs twice.