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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  Bad Quality - 2001 Pontiac Montana
  By Lorie - May 22 - 10:00 am

  Where do I start? We have had a constant shaking/vibration between 38mph-44mph. The dealership and district manager say there is no problem; a clunk in the transmission from reverse to drive; many repairs on the hatch door; constant rattling in the plastic on the driver side sliding door; now theres a problem when putting your foot on the break; front end pops when taking off; The older the van gets, the more noise it makes. Need I say more!!!!!

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  Great car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Ken Horton - May 22 - 9:30 am

  manual transmission lets you drive for mileage: I consistently average above 36mpg. Large amount of interior space that is very flexible to configure with the 60/40 fold down seats. Rock solid reliability (its a Toyota). No repairs other than routine maintenance at 50K miles.

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  Honda to G6 and no regret - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By R. Jones - May 22 - 5:43 am

  Was killing time and went to see the G6. Drove it about 15 miles and bought it. Had been driving a 4 cyl., 5 speed, 2004 Honda Accord, which is a fine car. But, the only edge the Accord has on the G6 is in the gas milage dept. Got an excellent "out the door" price on the G6 ($18,500, tax included). Like its appearance, handling and pep and the extras thrown into a pretty basic package. Got a sun roof, a super sound system, a 6 disc CD player.

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  Vents - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Amy - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Owned my car for one month, the vents do not properly work in the center of the dash, there was a problem with my door not closing and the car not starting properly, Im told that my vents cannot be fixed due to the way the car was designed, so basically the car was designed for 3 out of 4 vents to get air-flow! Way to go Pontaic, ha.

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  NO TOOM ON PRICE - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By BID WALT MACHINE - May 20 - 5:43 am

  Car was great. Bought a 2007 with 6000 miles less from the Porsche dealership for $1500 less ; Honda would not deal on price even when they knew I was going to the Porsche dealership to buy.

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  So Far So Good - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Dave - May 19 - 5:20 am

  We bought this used to replace our 2003 Grand Am that I wrote off...the Grand Am had been great by the way. Weve only had the car a week but so far everything seems to be fine. Had to replace a blown daytime running light fuse, maybe cause the previous owner had HID lights put in..uped it to 15 amps. People have commented on the hard plastic cheap feel...the plastic is actually soft if you push on it and nice to the touch, looks much like a BMW 3 series I think. Fit and finish seem fine, love the style and the drive. Steering feels good too despite what others have said. Cant afford import and happy with North American made, too bad Pontiac is no more :-(

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  AZTEK REVIEW - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By GROUSEHUNTER - May 18 - 10:00 am

  THE AZTEK I OWN HAS BEEN & CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE FINEST AND HANDIEST VEHICLES I HAVE OWNED IN MY 40+ YEARS OF DRIVING. IT HAS NEVER FAILED ME IN ALL TYPES OF WEATHER EXTREMES. THE GADGETS AND DRIVER INFO CENTER ARE EXCELLANT

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  good car - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By kellie9890 - May 18 - 10:00 am

  no probs with this car at all

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  Sun and Fun Package - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Joe76 - May 18 - 10:00 am

  I bought my car in Feb. of 2004, the only problems I have had are the turn signals stopped working, the right rear speaker rattles, drivers side mirror shakes at high speeds, and the hood also shakes at high speeds. The only major problem that I have had, is the passenger side seat is starting to fray. They have fixed all the little problems except the seat. It’s a cheap car and I knew that when I bought it. But I didn’t expect the seats to be so cheaply made the material is so thin the cavy has better quality seats. But all in all you get what you pay for.

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  The New Bonneville - 2004 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Tymbrewood - May 18 - 10:00 am

  Ive owned a 77, 78, 93 and 94 Bonneville. By far, this 2004 GXP is a huge leap forward in performance, safety and design compared to whats already come along. Mine has all the options, and handles beautifully. Acceleration is phenomenal, and braking power is fantastic. The GXP stays glued to the road, and I feel very confident driving in a downpour (had my chance to check for leaks - no leaks!) The instrument panel and dash have a huge wow! factor at night, and the headlights really reach out for quite a distance. Ive already put over 800 miles on it in 6 days, mostly highway miles, and simply love the car.