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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  Repair Head-ache waiting to happen - 1999 Pontiac Bonneville
  By David Flynn - June 29 - 2:00 am

  A vehicle that once was a perennial Consumer Digest "Best Buy" is no longer. Why? My 1999 Bonneville is a typical example. At 38K miles the power steering died. I brought it to the dealer and found that there is a TSB on the problem. I would need to pay $2300 to have the problem corrected. I skipped the repairs, a gym membership to build arm strength was cheaper. At 61K miles the the coolant system failed. Again brought it in and had $1800 and had repairs done. Two months the engine completely expired. This would have cost $8000 to fix. Total repairs needed were still $10,300 on a car whose value would be $9500 if in perfect condition.

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  3 engines! 2.4 L - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By terror 6 - June 26 - 8:46 am

  My sunfire, while fun to drive, has had nothing but problems. It had a wiring issue that 12 "technicians" at RON TONKIN LIARS AUTO sales could not find. Pontiac said there wasnt any known issues or recalls. I bought this car with 60,000 miles. It had already had a motor replaced with another used one that the LIARS at R.T.K. didnt tell me about. Since I bought it I have had to replace the 2.4 engine at 80,000 and now I have a rod knocking at 100,000. The vehicle gets routine oil changes, has never been over-revved and has never overheated. But yet I am looking at yet another engine swap. I baby this 4 cylinder and it still went pear shaped. Where is the Pontiac of old?

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  Front suspension noise - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By bob i - June 24 - 5:43 pm

  Have had the car 2 years. It has 27,000 mostly highway miles. When the weather gets cold, the suspension sounds like its coming apart. Had the car to the dealership 6 times for front suspension. Have changed intermediate shaft 2x, steering column 2x, struts once, and strut bearing caps once. Cant say they are not trying to fix it, but I am beginining to belive that Pontiac has a design defect in its front suspension. Have heard too many other horror stories about the same problem. I can now understand why GM is in trouble!

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  Ok outside, very, very bad inside. - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Cato Hagen - June 11 - 12:43 am

  Horrendous inside. Window regulators breaks every year! $500 to repair each. Interior side of the doors get loose. The quality of assembly and the material is very, very bad. Also, had to change air-condition once and starter twice.

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  Not plastic man - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By dave - May 25 - 9:20 pm

  recvd car as a rental. It it a very fun to drive car, seats are ok. Driving for long distance is uncomfortable due to too much hard plastic around doors. this car is proof of why American car companies have difficulty competing. After Buying Toyota for my past 2 vehicles. I am not conviced by this to buy anything else. The build Quality is just not there. Car Feels to "cheap".

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  2000 Grand Prix GT sedan - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By wild bill - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car new. It has had a lot of trim problems, gage problems, radio problems, blower fan control problems, and a cooling leak which was very difficult to get fixed on warranty. The cooling leak turned out to be the upper intake manifold and took two years to get Pontiac to fix. The car drives will and has never broken down on the road, but has lots of road noise in the passenger compartment and cheap interior trim.

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  Looking to Sell - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Unhappy Bonny Owner - May 17 - 2:00 am

  Well, its a year and a half old and Im looking to sell. The final straw was the transmission going at 38k. Pontiac had me pay $500 of the cost which to some people is nice, but I dont think the tranny should go at 1 1/2 years! The radio which shuts off when the car door opens, actually stays on 1/2 the time. Ive never been really comfortable with the design of the brake and gas pedal positions. I dont know if its because I sit in traffic alot and Im tall, but its a VERY uncomfortable design. Im pretty sure Ill never buy another GM again...

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  Good for the money...kind of - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Busy Mom - May 16 - 3:50 pm

  Good looks inside and out help make up for the lack of HP (185) in comparison to some other SUVs. The A/C lacks in hot weather. Dealer says they dont work as well when its hot out. Works great in cool/mild weather. Fun ride and very roomy. The sliding back seat is great.

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  Lemon from Pontiac - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By ibaqt - April 22 - 10:00 am

  Purchased car 9/1/01 with 12,000 mi. Now June (9 mo. later) and car only has 24,000 mi. Leaks water into speakers and dumps on leg when getting into/out of car. Car top is improperly designed and Pontiac Cust. Service said, tough luck. Replaced stero/cd twice so far, gasketing around all windows, adjusted trunk door and gas door so would close properly, now driver window is having electrical problems. Feel like am always in the shop. LOVE having a convertible and adore the car...when there are no problems and it is not raining.

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  Dissapointed in Pennsylvania - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Glenn Weisel - April 21 - 3:16 pm

  After buying All GM vehicles for my driving career of 36 years, I am very disappointed with my G6 GT . The styling and gas mileage are great but the build quality is awful. Currently with 59000 miles I have moisture inside the headlights , A broken drivers seat, deteriorating leather , broken hood release handle , and a bicycle caused 1100.00 damage to the left front fender which now rubs on the drivers door when opening. This is a very cheaply built car. Pontiac owes us G6 owners an additional credit toward a next car. I have never seen such horrible workmanship on a GM product.