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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  Does what I hoped for - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By SteveT - September 16 - 5:26 am

  After a terrible experience with a VW Jetta (it lived in the shop), I was looking for a solid, reliable vehicle with good fuel economy. So far the Vibe fits the bill. Ive had ZERO problems so far in a time period that the Jetta wouldve filled with one thing after another. I did a lot of research and was very impressed by the philosophy and reputation of the NUMMI plant where the Vibe is built. It certainly shows in the final product.

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  Love The Wide Body - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Rusty Wraith - September 13 - 2:00 am

  First owner and love everything about this car. It was in the shop 7 times in the first 3 months to work out some minor bugs but besides that this car rocks. I have upgraded the engine with some mods and now the stock GTPs have to check their rear view mirrors. Great Family Car and weekend cruiser.

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  Hoped for more than I received - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Rick Sundeen - September 12 - 2:00 pm

  I purchased my Pontiac Vibe with high hopes of a versatile automobile with high gas mileage. While the versatility aspect has been fine, I feel that the gas mileage isnt up to par with what they suggest. Given that it is a four cylinder with less than hoped for response, its getting around 24 instead of the hoped for closer to 30 mpg. Even being on top of air filter and tire pressure maintenance... Also, the biggest downfall is in winter driving. I live in the Northeast and this car should not be sold here. The OEM tires are rated A for traction and temperature, but they have no grip whatsoever. I have to believe that the weight of the car is not distributed over the tires properly.

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  lot of SUV for the money - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By cubldr - September 12 - 5:03 am

  I am tall and so are my kids and you gotta LOVE the rear legroom! Unbelievable. I was amazed at how much room this thing has. I share everyones frustration with ergonomics of front window controls, front seat adjuster, cupholders, but these are minor irritants. Had to have some warranty work done to correct some noisy valve operation in the engine but this is covered under the extended drivetrain warranty that comes with the vehicle. I sold GM vehicles in 2002-2003 with this same engine. I have MOST pleased with the 18-19 mpg my wife gets running the kids all over town everyday. Also much peppier in this configuration than Buick Rendezvous or GM minivans with this engine.

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  GREAT CAR (EVEN IN V6 FORM) - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Jerome - September 10 - 8:16 pm

  For the last 6 months I would see a slate gray G8 GT parked in the same spot on my way from work everyday. Each time my head would turn 90 degrees to look at it every time I passed by it. I went to a dealer who said that they did not have anymore G8s left. I went expecting to buy a 2010 Buick LaCrosse. When I got there they had (1) G8 Sedan left displayed on the showroom in Liquid Red. My wife and I took it for a test drive and immediately fell in love with the performance & handling of this car. Ive had it for a month now and have been driving with it in sportshift mode and learning how to drive using the the Tapshift. Fun factor increases 10 fold in these modes even in V6 form.

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  Good Daily Commuter - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Kurt - September 10 - 1:46 am

  I traded in the SUV and bought this car for a high mileage commute. I could not fit comfortably in the sub compact models available at the time and ended up purchasing a used G6. I have put 70,000 miles on my G6 since July of 07. I bought the vehicle with the driver package (XM, 6 way seat, fog lights, power pedals). I drive mainly open interstate and get about 29 MPG average which I think is pretty good based on the size and power of the vehicle. I have had the car in the shop for warranty fixes on the XM radio and the electric power steering (69 k almost missed factory warranty extension for this known problem). I currently have 96k miles on the vehicle and have had no other problems.

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  A lot of car for the money - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By dabug - September 9 - 5:06 pm

  I bought this car 5 years ago with 32k miles. It now has 90k. I did have to replace the fuel pump at about 50k which is very hard to get to and have changed the brakes once. Other than that no major issues. It has the feel and look of a sports car with the economy of a compact. I am now selling it because I want a truck, but I believe it has a lot of life left in it. Also, reading the other reviews I noticed the ones having the most problems are base models, ones like mine with the dual exhaust and other upgrades tend to be more reliable and a lot nicer cars, however they are harder to find.

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  Love/Hate Relationship - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By capnvonbaron - September 9 - 2:16 pm

  I fell in love with it the moment I saw it at the dealer. Finally, a car that didnt look like a dumb Toyota! For a long time it was great. Then a series of maddening little problems cropped up. Brakes are too small, easily overheat & warp. Turn signal clacker frantically clacks all by itself at random. Rear speakers rattle at 80K miles. CD player sometimes has a mind of its own. Theft deterrent system will occasionally shut off the ignition system for no reason (easy fix, but takes 20 minutes). Dexcool coolant system is stupid. Original battery blew a cell, shocks started squeaking at 65K. Overall, I love how it looks and drives, but the little problems keep it from being truly great.

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  Go for the GA - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By wuphat - September 7 - 2:00 am

  Ive had this car for just over 4 years now and have had only one thing go wrong other than routine things like brakes and such. The tumbler on my ignition went out but was covered under warranty. That was almost 3 years ago. Other than that this car has been nothing but reliable. I will certainly be buying another GA in the future.

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  1998 Pontiac Trans Am - 1998 Pontiac Firebird
  By Russell Ruggiero - September 7 - 2:00 am

  The Pontiac Trans Am offers super overall performance at a low point of entry. This is my third Trans Am and the best of the lot. The LS1 is a great engine, and maybe the best V-8 in the world, save for the LS6. A great value that is now dead. However, the new GTO will lead GM into mid-market greatness.