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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  A Great Midsize American Car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By 1st Time GM New Car - October 26 - 3:40 am

  Great car for style, handling, and safety; great value for price (GM Smart Buy) and fuel econ.

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  Roxanne, my grand prix - 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By new guy - October 26 - 2:13 am

  I picked up my grand prix at a dealership that came to my town. shes white, with a loverly tint and 18" chrome rims. Her first big test was when I got a dui because my dumb ass was flying down a dirt road. I sideswiped a sign, lost control, and flew through a barbed wire fence into a deep field of mud. It sounded like it was supercharged for a minute till i found out i had to replace the water pump. After doing so it runs smooth and is still sexy and sleek.

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  Love it - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Pam - October 25 - 8:23 am

  This is the nicest vehicle Ive ever owned. Its beautiful inside and out.

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  Disappointing - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Skylark - October 25 - 2:00 am

  Car is cute, but disappointing. The tires are the worst!! They had to be replaced already and are going bad again. The tread is wearing on the outside. Does not go in the snow. TOO MANY BLINDSPOTS!! Drivers seat is not comfortable. Defective battery!!

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  Nimble - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By GSantee - October 25 - 2:00 am

  We love our Neptune Vibe with Tunes/Moon and Power Packages. Had been driving Toyota Celica with 120K miles when decided it was time to change. After seeing the Vibe, there was no further discussion! Pontiac did better job than Toyota with exterior design - sharp looking car! Tons of comfortable room inside. Easy to turn around in tight spots. I like orange backlit dashboard. It can fade during the day, but not bothersome, even here in the desert. Have tinted windows due to heat, makes it look even better. Buy the rubber backed carpet for cargo area to prevent sliding. This is a heck of a fun car for the money!

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  Best Car Ive Ever Driven/Owned - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By RWD-V8 - October 24 - 10:06 pm

  After quite a bit of research, I purchased a slate blue, G8 GXP with a manual transmission. Its truly a Corvette for a family of five. It has more space, the same or better performance and is more fun to drive then an M5. Im not interested in tons of electronics that will only fail and cause problems. This car is such fun to drive, I will never sell it. The fuel economy is great for the power/performance level. I get 20-22 mpg in mixed driving with the manual trans!

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  Not so Good - 1995 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Oscar - October 24 - 10:00 am

  The crapiest engine that ones ever seen! ... 120,000 Kms, and its knocking left and right! ... I just did a tune-up at GM about 3-4 months ago ... (which cost me $800 Cnd), and its still knocking ... getting rid of it as soon as possible, and getting a HONDA! ... already have one a 1991 Civic, not one sqeek out of it!

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  Grand Am not bad - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Rich Langster - October 24 - 10:00 am

  Fairly decent vehicle for the price. Looks good and turns heads. Good amount of power but not very solid in highway driving. Rearview window has poor visibility and no room in back with the coupe. Body is very flimsy and while interior does look good, it is rather cheap with interior parts always coming loose. Brakes started making noise at 12000 miles.

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  So far so good - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By G Miller - October 23 - 5:10 pm

  Ive had my Torrent for a week. I love it! Sure, its not a Lexus or Infiniti, but it is good value for the money. I happen to like the seats. Theyre firm, and they dont catch me under the knees like most car seats do. There is very little noise filtering in while on the highway. The back seat legroom is fantastic, as is entry/exit. And if you lower the back seat, you have tons of room. I think GM worked out some of the bugs from the Equinox and has a winner with the Torrent. There are a few things I dont care for, but just about every car has those things we dont like. Id recommend it to anyone!

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  Nice car, but could be a great car - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Jeramy - October 23 - 4:06 pm

  I have had this car for over a year and love driving it. Even with the problems I have had I would still buy the car again. The passenger door locks do not work occasionally, of course the dealership cannot duplicate. Additionally, there is a constant noise from the drivetrain. The dealership says it is functioning properly. I have owned an E36 M3 and this car almost competes, even considering the problems the dealership cannot fix. For the money, no better car in this market. I considered a low mileage E46 M3 and decided on the GTO due to the price differential.