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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  Decent car, but no import-killer - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By arbee - May 31 - 7:40 am

  We bought a GT2 after a positive experience renting one for a couple of weeks - that, and several thousand dollars in GM incentives on top of fleet pricing. After owning the car for a little over a year, we basically ended up with exactly that - a rental car. Performance is adequate but the car is loud - due to a howl coming from both axles. Interior fit quality is average to good. The Monsoon stereo is a massively underperforming unit, outdone by the base level stereo in our 2000 Focus ZX3. Seats are comfortable, but head room is somewhat limited. The AC unit performs marginally in 100+ degree Texas summers.

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  I love it! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Jim Ottinger - May 31 - 4:30 am

  I have been wanting this car ever since it was shown as a concept in 2002. I put a deposit down 1/17/05 and took delivery 10/17/05. 9 month wait. It is everything I had hoped for and more. Its hard to put it away for the night, I want to keep on driving. 500 miles in the first 3 days of ownership and I have hardly been out of town. This is the best looking and driving automobile I have ever owned. (Ive owned over 30 in my 46 years of driving)

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  Never Judge A Book By Its Cover - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By FRugar - May 31 - 1:03 am

  On the outside, the Pontiac Grand AM GT is a beautiful car. It looks like what it claims to be; a sporty mid size coupe thats fun to drive. The interior says the same. And granted, yes, it is. When it runs. I bought mine at 32000 miles when it was 2 years old. Since, Ive had nothing but problems such as: -Bad wheel bearing immediately after warranty expired : $800 -Brake caliper froze: $300 -Brake sensor burnt out, cluster needed to be replaced: $400 -Intake seals popped, leaking AF everywhere: $1200 -Fuel line leakage: $200 -Brake caliper frozen again: $300 And now the fuel pump is blown. And somewhere over the past 4-5 months the fuel economy of the car has dropped to around 23-24hwy.

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  2008 Soltice Automatic - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Danny - May 30 - 2:43 am

  Love the car and the way it handles. The red is a great color and the car gets a lot of heads turning. I have had so much fun driving this car with top up or down. All around fun to have. Have had no trouble out of this car.

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  Some good some bad - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By WS6 - May 30 - 2:00 am

  WS6 Trans-Am The Bad Interior cheap. Dash cracked. Passenger window rolls down slow. Drivers side door cracking (molding). Service engine light (bad air-pump). Poor excuse for traction control. Clutch slips when "performing" with too much weight (people in car). Stock tires crap! Speakers went POOOF! Rotors warped (110-0 doe!). "Backfire" noise when cold (lack of back pressure). Hate the skip-shift. The Good Hard hitting, throat tearing raw torque. My 6sp hurst shifted trans-am hits hard when I put it to the floor (new tires). Performs well around corners for the size of the car, suspension is stiff. Handles nice at high speeds 100+.

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  good machine! - 2002 Pontiac Sunfire
  By freelancer00145 - May 30 - 2:00 am

  i got my 02 sunfire in summer of this year and so far, i havent been disappointed. the fuel economy is fine, but i doesnt rate well to imports, but its enough. the engine power stacks up well for a 4cylinder engine...it accelerates quickly. interior space comes in bundles- i have plenty of headroom (but im only 510", so that has something to do with it). the audio system isnt the optional Monsoon system, but it is exceptional for a standard, factory system. the car is good overall, but i have yet to see how it does when it hits the 50k mi mark.

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  Everything youd want in an American car - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By JHD - May 30 - 2:00 am

  I decided to buy the loaded GTP as soon as I test drove the vehicle. Since this was my first new car, I did quite a bit of market research. Sure the Nissan looked great. Sure the Honda looked great. But Im from Detroit and foreign cars just dont cut it in this town. This car has everything I could possibly want. Lots power, great looks, and terrific handling in rain and snow. On top of everything else, I feel proud to support America by buying American products. God Bless the USA. Id also like to thank Edmunds.com for all the great information they supplied to make my car shopping easy. This site is great! Keep up the good work.

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  Good overall, just needs less plastic - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Adam Blayton - May 30 - 2:00 am

  Great car, had 99 Grand Am which was totaled, wanted new pontiac. Love the looks, plenty of power with 3.8l 200hp. After owning a VW, the difference in interior quality is very apparent. Pontiac interior is nice, but needs to lose the plastic feel, nothing wront with plastic, but in moderation!

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  Very Decent Car! - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Romine - May 29 - 8:20 pm

  I bought this car about a year ago and it had about 157,000 miles on it. The lady I bought it from used to drive down gravel a lot and I had to replace a hub and an outer tire rod... security light came on and cause my car to not start for 10 min each time as well as my idol staying at 1200 rpm but fix both problems by pulling out the ignition and cleaning the sensors. Excellent sound system and got 37 mpg believe or not the last road trip I made. Its had its ups and down and have put about $700 into it but only bought it for $1500. Take care of it and it will treat you right... if you dont, it will let you know. Mine now has over 170,000 and still runs like a champ.

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  The best Goat ever!!!! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By amber - May 29 - 4:50 pm

  This car is the best Ive ever had (having had A LOT of cars)!! Its fun, fast, and couldnt ask for more. Getting a child into the back is not the greatest but hey, its not a family car!! The car makes the trouble worth it!! No issues yet. Interior is awesome!!