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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  Nice for an American Car - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Nowda - January 2 - 10:00 am

  I admit it is nice for an American car, and it handles very well. The exterior has a very exciting look and the interior definately gives you the sports car feeling. The chrome wheels add that accent in which other than tint your windows, all you have to do when purchasing this car is turn on the ignition and drive...the car will do the rest.

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  A pleasure to drive..... - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By helsey - December 31 - 10:00 am

  I got this vehicle with the intention of driving across Canada and using the van to sleep in to save on accommodation costs. I love this van. I have driven 24,000 km in 5 months and have found this van very reliable and very economical. If doing highway driving and on cruise control have managed to get 1000 km to a full tank. I found it very spacious and have a double mattress in her. I have enjoyed driving her and found the captains chairs very comfortable even when driving 800 km in a day. I wouldnt hesitate in recommending these vans.

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  Excellent - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Gavin Lin - December 30 - 10:10 pm

  Excellent fun to drive sporty car.

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  Panoramic Woes - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By elt2jv - December 30 - 8:26 am

  After years of fueling the SUV monster, the wife and I decided to get her a regular sedan. We liked the look of the G6 and we both were taken by the Panoramic Roof feature. Well... the thing rattles. The entire rack assembly inside the headliner never got installed properly and we have been dealing with an annoying poping noise from right above the drivers head. As of this writing the car is at the dealership for the SIXTH time since April 05 to get this corrected. All I can say is thank god we purchased the extended warranty as the rental cars would have bankrupt us. Hopefully the dealer and GM can figure this out as we are ready to lemon law this beast.

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  Montana Good and Bad - 2001 Pontiac Montana
  By Lynne - December 26 - 4:43 am

  I drive our 2001 Montana and I enjoy it for the most part for smooth ride and roomy interior. Has been reliable and smooth running up until replacing intake manifold gasket at 60,000 miles due to dry rot. A $790+ repair cost that I contacted Pontiac about and was reimbursed 50% of the cost. Recently, my glove box door fell off due to plastic "hinge" breaking. The fold-down rear seat plastic hinge looks like it will be next to go. When gasket was being replaced at local dealer, mechanic broke air box and it will have to be replaced. Also, having problem with an engine sensor that indicates a problem with 1 of 3 possibilities. Sorry that OnStar will no longer work after 12/07.

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  SunFire - 2000 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Lorraine Fernandez - December 25 - 2:00 am

  My experience so far has been a good one. Its a fun car to drive especially if it has a sun roof.

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  2008 Pontiac G6 4cyl - Sun and Sound Pkg - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By BAPerformance - December 23 - 8:20 am

  We bought this car to replace my girlfriends ailing 2004 Pontiac Grand Am V6 SE. She took a drive in a demo vehicle and loved it immediately. My dad bought an 06 new and has loved it so I thought it would be a good vehicle to try. We compared it online with all the other comparable cars in its class and enjoyed this one the most. She wanted a sunroof and 4cylinder for fuel economy so this fit the bill. The telescopic steering wheel, cockpit feel, good looks, and smooth handling sold it for her.

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  Pretty Nice Car - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By adamb - December 21 - 6:03 am

  This is overall a great car. I get tons of looks while driving this car up and down the streets of my city. I think that these seats are really comfortable, almost on the level of my mas lexus. This car corners like a dream. Taking 25mph corners at 60 is fun and a breeze. (yeah im only 20 so this is something i do on occasion:)) The engine is great. Beat a newer mustang off the line last week, im sure he was happy about that. I think that the build quality could be better. lots of rattles. Also, have had it in the shop all last week for a problem with it not running right sometimes in the morning. Im not sure what this is, but they said the computer was out of date in it.

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  Cool ride with a few flaws - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By kre57 - December 21 - 2:00 am

  I really like the look of the vehicle and the performance under the hood. The car handles well and for the most part has been mechanically sound. The Problems I have experienced include loose wiring that would cause the power seat to stick, and the transmission went out on us. Both of these problems were quickly fixed and covered under warranty. The power Drivers seat uncomfortable and on rough textured roads the road noise is very loud. All in all I would recommend the car to those looking for a moderately priced sedan with enough HP to satisfy the lead foot in all of us.

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  3 yrs and I hate the car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By notso - December 20 - 12:23 am

  I have had this car for 3 yrs now and have had the rotors front and back replaced twice each, and my brakes replaced 10 times.A leak in the sunroof, motor blower replaced, turn signal bulb burnt out, and the drivers mirror cover broke. I have had Chevys and Fords in the past and never had problems like this.