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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  Love both of them - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Tony O - March 23 - 4:20 pm

  Wife bought first one in 05 new. Liked it enough bought a second one, used, in 09. The used one cost as much as the new one. Hers now has 50K, mine is 73K. Only repairs to either was a warranty replacement of power brake booster at 2K, and a set of tires at 30K, debris from road construction. Have topped 36.5 mpg on I-77, and normally get 29-30 mpg in town. Only complaints are the location of the radio antenna and that it is hard to read the instruments during the day. I use the cruise a lot, because it likes to run fast. Had it up to 94 once to keep up with traffic, and still had plenty of pedal left. I think it could easily top 110. Very stable at all speeds.

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  This is a fun car! - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Terry - March 23 - 10:43 am

  I was attracted by the design and the fact that it is GM. I guess I want GM to succeed. I looked at all the similar Japanese models & domestics, even looked at a LaCrosse. This is a replacement for my 00 Intrigue that I loved, so the LaCrosse seemed about just right. After 3 wks I have over 2200 mi. on the G6 and I have no major complaints about it so far. With GM employee discount, $1K for being an Olds owner, & points on my GM card, I paid about $20K for this G6 GT that had a sticker price of about $28K. I hope after 30K mi., Im not disappointed. Time will tell. The dealer experience was great; they went out of their way to find me the exact car I wanted, brought it from 200 mi. away.

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  First Trip Back American - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Robert - March 22 - 6:20 pm

  I turned in both a Chrysler Crossfire and Saab 9-3 convertible and bought this car. This car is easy to get in and out, drives well, though turning radius lacks. Comfortable and OK features. For the price, its a good vehicle.

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  Back to Pontiac - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By 85cieraholiday - March 21 - 11:16 am

  This is the car that got us back into a Pontiac after our Honda Civic was totaled. The Pontiac has the 3.5L V6 that is fast as all heck and the interior is comfortable with nice buckets and power everything standard. Ours has the remote starter that is great on cold New England mornings. We get many comments on our Pontiac, something that never happened with our 2000 Civic. This a family car for people who miss the fun of driving.

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  Finally, GM RWD - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By JohnnySacks - March 21 - 1:33 am

  Waited and waited for GM to realize their mistake of killing RWD and for the buyer incentives to come into play to get the price down. Aside from the typical oil and battery display complaints and my aversion to everything overcomplicated in the controls of ALL new cars, this car is a more than fitting replacement to my 1991 Caprice LTZ. Took it on a 1,000 mile road trip first weekend and we love it. Mileage is as advertised, performs and handles like a dream. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE dont kill it after 3 years like the GTO, I keep my cars for a long long time and need parts availability (pads, rotors, alternators, starters, etc.) and dealer parts and knowledge for the harder stuff.

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  Geared too low - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Lynn Schaeffer - March 20 - 2:40 am

  The biggest downfall of this car is it only gets around 25mpg. Due to the fact that it is geared for performance. I have owned Bonnevilles in the past that get around 28. Sad to see the Bonneville and Grand Prixs production end. Other than that great car

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  Thats mr. Goat to you - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Lahrma M - March 19 - 7:30 pm

  GREAT CAR!!! way too much fun for one share the love with the roomy bakseat you wont find in an 05stang. Nice clean refreshing design, no need for tack- ons with 400hp power at your disposal. In short-drive it, youll love it, end of story. If ya dont ya dont.

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  Looks nice, no Quality! - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By CRitter - March 19 - 7:53 am

  From the day I bought my 200 Grand AM, I have had to put thousands..yes thousands, into this car. The first problem was in the very first month, the power steering went ... it was covered under warranty .. .thank god, but the very day I picked it up the emergency brake was now not working. The car has just under 105,000 KMs on it and I have had to replace the brakes 3x, not only that the front AND rear struts/springs have had to be replaced 2x!! The next thing blew my mind! As I was driving all of a sudden the cassette panel started to smoke??!! Then it went away then there was this "clicky click" noise comming from the inside...That was another $300 to fix...and the coolant is constantly leaking!

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  2004 Pontiac Vibe - A Versatile Vehicle - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By CLS - March 19 - 2:00 am

  If youre looking for a luxury car, the Vibe is not for you. However, if youre looking for a vehicle that offers excellent performance with versatile interior design, above-average cargo capacity, great turning radius, plenty of get-out-of-the-way power from a small engine, as well as good gas mileage at a great price.... then the Vibe is for you. Great joint venture Pontiac / Toyota!

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  my vibe - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By IansJezebel - March 19 - 2:00 am

  i have the regular front whell drive model, my only complaint is the car is horrible in the snow..sled with a motor.