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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  2002 Grand Prix - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By vickie - December 24 - 9:40 am

  Wonderful car to drive. Wider is better. Needed something that holds 2 sets of golf clubs - they fit in the trunk very comfortably with space to spare. Also wanted something sporty that handles well - not ready for a Grandma car. But I have a problem with the reliability of the car. Transmission went out after 2 years resulting in major repair (under warranty). And drivers side window quit working consistently after nearly 3 years (barely under warranty).

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  Love my car - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Samantha - December 24 - 4:23 am

  My GP is my "first" car. I learned to drive in SUVs and trucks, and I usually hate cars b/c they feel so small, but my GP is very roomy, one of the few cars that my dad, who is 6"5, can fit in pretty comfortably. My car handles absolutely great, very sensitive to whatever the driver does. I live in a very hilly and curvy area and the car does the roads great. Although 5 people fit in my car just fine, it isnt really a "family" car.

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  My first REAL car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By HxaX - December 23 - 11:00 pm

  If youre looking for a great performance, fully loaded car for around $10,000, this is your car. Im only 20 years old and purchased this car a few weeks ago and so far it has driven great! I love all the features.. the huge sunroof is great to show off. The performance of the car STOCK is very smooth and very fast. And the stereo system is one to keep stock. Most guys my age are looking for cars like this, its too bad there paying around 20k - 30k for them. I paid $10k for this fully loaded beauty! The one downside is the gas mileage. I get around 17 - 19 mpg city and 18 - 22 highway.. Which isnt too bad considering Im on 20 inch tires. But its worth it for this ride!

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  Riding in as a kid, driving it as a teen - 2005 Pontiac Grand AM
  By poley1 - December 22 - 1:23 pm

  Im not sure how many people are going to look at a review on a 7 year old car but here is mine. My dad bought A V-6 version of this car in 05 almost new, however it was used as a rental car. The only problems we ever had with it were the windows came off track (not a big deal you can fix it yourself), the rear passenger window it dead no movement at all (happened this year), and when i was 10 i had a mini TV and my Xbox hooked up to the 12v outlet and blew a fuse and messed up the outlet. no matter what we do the fuses keep popping. But overall now that its mine it is absolutely perfect for me to go back and forth to high school and work

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  08 Solstice GXP - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Mike - December 22 - 5:56 am

  Overall a very well performing car that handles darn near as good as a C6 Corvette, maybe better in some respects. Fun, and the exterior styling cannot be beat. Mechanically a very sound design. Interior needs work as far as convenience, but if you rate it from a driving perspective only, the interior is functional. As soon as you start adding niceties like where to put your spare change, sunglasses, or cell phone... the interiors shortcomings come to light quickly as does the non existent trunk space. The exterior design and performance of this vehicle is what sells.

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  Almost bought a toyota!!! - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By GREAT SUV!!! - December 22 - 1:30 am

  We just bought our Torrent this week so weve only had it for 5 days, but already loving it and every day finding more things to love about it. And to think, we ALMOST bought a Toyota...until we wandered into the pontiac dealership and saw this vehicle, took a test drive, and the rest as they say is history! Great looking SUV, great riding SUV, creature comforts everywhere! Absolutely love the "extra" room under the console, especially handy for placing your purse so you dont have to have it next to your feet like in other vehicles. Love the window buttons -- totally different than any other vehicle out there. Looking forward to many more miles -- right now we have 67! Thanks GM!!!

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  After two years of shopping... - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By alwaysontheroad - December 21 - 9:00 pm

  Until Torrent came along I was not satisfied with any small suv. They were either sluggish 4-cylinders, too small, had poor gas mileage, or were too plain on the inside (Equinox/CRV). This one had everything I was looking for and more. I commute more than 80 miles per day and I love every minute of the drive. I test drove the base model and steering felt awkward. I purchased the top of the line model and steering is much tighter.

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  A sastified customer - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By KZR - December 20 - 7:00 am

  Bought new in 2000. Still driving to work daily after 67K miles. Excellent engine -- plenty of get up and go for a 4-cylinder, excellent gas mileage. Very pleased with this car overall. Fed crash ratings overall are good.

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  love it - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By baseball - December 19 - 10:00 am

  I really love the car. It has really good pickup..(editors are nuts). It gets good gas mileage and is a comfortable ride.

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  Pontiac Mini/van (Canada) - 2004 Pontiac Montana
  By modencan - December 19 - 10:00 am

  This is my second pontiac Montana. The last one I had was a 2000. This doesnt seem to get the mileage of the 2000. The 2003, also seem to have been shorted on storage space in the vehicle. The 2000 had cargo nets, pockets in back of the front seats as well as bigger slots in the dash to put items and paper.