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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  NOT An Improvement - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By augidog - January 19 - 2:00 am

  After having good luck with a previous Grand Am we bought another. The car is economical and reasonably dependable. Had more troubles with this one than the previous one. Breaks went bad quickly and had to replace everything even though we caught the wear before the pads were gone. Come on GM get it together. Radio went bad twice. Problems with sensors on the ABS and the engine at times would start to accelerate and just keep on accelerating. Turn it off and then on and everythings fine.

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  Reliability needs to be #1 for USA!! - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Hauss - January 17 - 3:40 am

  Well weve had this car for 17 months and the darn thing has visited the dealership 22 times. Weve had the window seals replaced, ring and pinion seal replaced, axle seals replaced, steering wheel controls replaced, top worked on countless times, and now the transmission is making noise. This is ONE fun car to drive, get many comments on it. People are always asking what is this? Do you like it? I have a hard time telling them. This is the last American made car I will purchase. We had 3 Infinitis prior to this, never had a problem. Now this, due to me wife just had to have it. I wish they would take it back and put it where the sun doesnt shine. Its just not worth the hassle.

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  I live in Alaska and Im ruff on stuff!!! - 2004 Pontiac Montana
  By jaykeller - January 16 - 12:55 am

  I bought my montana with barely any miles on it it was in pristine condition! After having it for five years I hunt, fish, camp, and haul quit a bit with it! I have a one place trailer that my Harley(motorcycle) Skidoo(snowmachine)and polaris(4wheeler) all fit on nicely (one at a time that is) and i dont even know they are there i make 1600 plus mile long trips in the thing in Ak witch isnt known for its nice flat hyws if you know what i mean.Then I slap the seats back in it and its my olladys soccer mom wagon! I have had to replace a few things on it but mostly because of operator err like I said I am very hard on things and yet this mini van seems to keep right up with me! I Love Mine!

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  Best Eight Years Ever and Still Running Strong - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jake0886 - January 15 - 2:15 am

  Ive owned my 1998 Grand Am SE 3.1L since 2003 and am still driving it today, for an amazing 8 years! I have all installed options as well. Best of all, Ive had zero issues with it. Considering this was my first car during high school, thats quite a feat. Originally it had 48K miles and was a salvage title that cost me $2800 + $700 in parts to rebuild. It survived my pizza delivery days in high school, college days and 8 years later...Im still driving it as it just wont die like many friends and family predict it would. Currently still running with zero issues at 178K. Best $3500 investment ever! I absolutely love this car and would gladly a new Pontiac if they still existed!

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  updated SV6 review - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By mogravedigger - January 14 - 4:19 am

  first posted review in 2009 of our 2006 Miontanna SV6. dont know of we got a good one or what, so many negative reviews. Our 2006 now had 110,000 miles on it. with no problems at all. yes it does have stains on the seats, yes they are hard to get out totally, but hey grandkids are messy and what fabric does not stain.Scotch guard helps but hey I can live with it. but come on people this is nitpicking. Our van has vever let us down and other then routine maintence oil changed at 4,000 miles (oil is cheap people change it often) brakes replaced rotors were fine 2 transmission fluid changes and 4 sets of tires this vehicle has not been in shop since awd sensor replaced under warranty. .

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  2006 Pontiac Grand Prix GT - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By ferd8791 - January 9 - 9:43 pm

  Bought this car in May of 2010 with 26,646 miles on it. A major improvement over the 1999 GP I used to drive. Supercharged 3800 Series III V6 strong in all situations, timed 6.4 seconds 0-60, has V8-like punch at highway speeds. Light steering at low speeds, firms up nicely at higher speeds. Fuel economy impressive considering available power. Suspension Euro-style firm, but good bump absorption and no harshness. Interior markedly better than my 99 GP, soft touch materials and extremely comfortable front buckets. Highway ride serene, minimal tire noise and wind rush, engine growls when revved, almost silent at cruise. Fold down rear and front passenger seats convenient.

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  Vibe experience - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Roger J - January 9 - 10:00 am

  I like the styling of the vibe. The seats are a little short but the height of the seats helps greatly for comfort. Fun to drive. Great fuel economy. No problems yet.

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  Good van, w/ problems - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By mdmom - January 9 - 10:00 am

  It has run really well - handles great. BUT, the lcd in radio and fuel gauge do not work. Plastic radio buttons wore off - looks really bad. Its been a pretty good van, wish these little problems hadnt arisen b/c it takes away the pleasant experience weve had w/ van.

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  Great for a Pontiac - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Ian - January 9 - 6:16 am

  Great engine. Cheap interior (and mines fully loaded), but you know that going in with Pontiac. Electric steerings a bit non-responsive and then over-corrects (this is only an issue on sharp turns; no issues on highways, etc). If youre a confident driver you wont notice the problem, and the GT corners really well (and is generally fun to drive) for a car its size. At night when the roads wet or icy and youre taking a sharp turn the steering makes you feel a bit out of control. Thats far from a deal breaker (and my commute is 17 miles on winding country roads in the northeast). Overall love the car and definitely recommend. Bought GM Certified in August - no problems.

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  Mischievous car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Stina - January 5 - 7:33 pm

  This car is so fun to drive, my husband who has a car worth $10,000 more wants to drive it! It is great in fuel economy, plus has good pick-up for a 4 cyl. car. I would only say that the paint is not really up to par since the edges around my doors are chipping. Just get some paint to cover these and you will still love this car!