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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  True American Muscle!!! - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By RacinGurl - February 19 - 11:03 pm

  Awsome car!!! I owned 4 of these cars, 2 of which i still have. I will own nothing but a Trans Am my entire life. I have both the 30th and 35th anniversarys. the 30th is a Daytona 500 Official Pace car and both have givin me absolutely no problems. Have had to replace back brake lights and front turn signals (maybe 5.00 woth of replacements) The handling is awsome and the speed is amazing. I am a 19 year old female and cars are my life, and this one is the only one that has really cought my eyes. Its a real head turner and a guy getter. Pontiac did an awsome job making this monster. It looks and sounds so mean. A great car for a responsible driver. Way too much power for a new driver car...

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  Great Looking Plus Safety For Less $$$ - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By Brandon & Carol - February 19 - 4:13 am

  Good looking van with tons of features but $5-7K CAN less than Toyota or Honda. Ext. body more solid and safe than both imports. Had van since Jun/06 and it drives good on wet or slippery conditions with traction control. Fantastic for hauling large items with fold down rear seats. Local dealer was willing to give $4000 off listed price, which Toyota or Honda refused to give. Plus, interest rates for leasing or financing was lower than both imports, therefore, saved close to $2-3000. Was concern with reliability of GM vans over Toyota or Honda vans, but with regular scheduled maint., I can see this van lasting 5-7 years without any major problems. Dodge Vans have bad trans history.

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  Practicality - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Chris (Go Wings!) - February 17 - 10:00 am

  Excellent vehicle! Perfectly suits my needs. Recently started a family and commute 190 miles each day. Gas mileage has improved as the miles rack up and the functionality of this vehicle is great! Extremely comfortable, plenty of head and leg room, and lots of cargo space when needed. I purchased a 2 wheel drive with the 5 speed standard. It is fun to drive a stick again and I average about 35.5 mpg. Highly recommended. No problems to date with 24,000 miles. I would opt for slighty more power if it was available

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  Too many mechanical problems - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By PN Young - February 17 - 10:00 am

  Dropped transmition at 30K, electrical problems at 22K, eats breaks and tires, small oil leak at 25K, and just noticed that my windshield washer fluid resivoir is cracked and leaking. Passenger side window falling out of tracks @38K.

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  Governers and Rear seat 60/40 split. - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By BJ123 - February 17 - 10:00 am

  Ok, I understand the reason for he the governers on the car, They govern Redlining, Top speed, slip shifting on an automatic. No problem, But why does the governer turn off the engine at 106 mph? I normally dont travel at those speeds, but when I took it to the track, It wouldnt perform past 106 mph. Someone owes me money or an explanation, I lost to a 4cyl stick Grand Am, I beat him off the line and in the 1/4 mile but when we went on the oval track I lost. He was able to reach 120mph now how is that fair? Rear Seats, ok now why cant I gain access to my trunk from within the car? The old Grand Ams were able to.

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  2006 Pontiac GTO - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Millefune - February 17 - 9:33 am

  I purchased my GTO in August 2007. Coming from a supercharged 2000 Honda Accord EX V6, this cars performance really blows me away. Im still afraid to go full throttle with the traction control turned off. My only complaints are that the interior lighting would have been much better if it were red like the rest of of current day Pontiacs, instead of the green that it is, and that they put wider wheels and tires in the rear. Its just too easy to break traction by depressing the throttle a bit. But for the price of the car, you just cant get as much power and comfort. I love it when people stop and stare at her. I dont know what critics are talking about when they say GTOs dont look good.

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  So far so good! - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Dan - February 16 - 6:26 am

  Wanted to get into something a bit cheaper to run than my truck. This is it. Originally I was looking at G6 sedans, base 4 banger, only option I wanted was cruise. This is just so much more car for the money! Only have it not even 2.5 months and already have 6,500 miles on it. It is just racking up the miles without a hiccup. Runs good, gets decent mileage and is just an all-around good ride. So far no problems. Headroom could be better, the sunroof eats into it a bit. With the rebates, if you just need basic transportation, this fits the bill quite nicely!

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  Buy this Car - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By AHappyGirl - February 15 - 7:46 pm

  This car is exactly what I was looking for... partly sporty, part luxury and an overall great value for the money. I looks beautiful from most angle, and the ride is stiff and smooth. This car handles and feels like a Volvo S60.

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  Solstice ex - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Kokomo - February 15 - 3:56 pm

  I have driven the car since 06-06-06. I like the way it handles ice, cornering, passing, and the feel of the road. I was surprised at the power of the 4 banger, without the super-charger. For the price, it is a great buy. I like the way the top folds down and the cleanness of the design with the top down. I wish there was room for more misc. storage, but this is a small thing. I am planning on driving it to Florida in Dec. this will be a good test of the drivability and gas mileage.

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  Most practical car Ive owned - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By PolarBear - February 15 - 5:10 am

  I love this car because of its reliability and versatility. I frequently lay the seats down to haul loads. My lifetime mpg over 50,000 miles is 34.1 combined. Ive owned a number of Hondas, and they have all used less fuel and had more power. Whoever designed the cruise control was on drugs. Drop below 25 mph and it loses its memory and has to be reset. I dont like the daytime running lights. The oem Continental tires only lasted 15k miles without hard driving. The Michelin Hydroedge replacements really make the car handle better. If GM built all their cars with this kind of quality and practicality, they wouldnt be in financial trouble. Like an suv without the disadvantages.