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:

• 

  Cool Little Car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By Harold Wainwright - November 8 - 10:33 pm

  The biggest temptation to buy was the price and the fuel mileage. All the other features were a bonus. My Vibe goes out of his way to do for me what I ask, and more.

• 

  160,000 and Counting! - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By herbitsky - November 8 - 3:52 am

  I bought my Vibe as a mgr special. It had 3k miles on it. The car is great (I did research on Edmunds.com before finalizing my decision) and so versatile! One time we had to drive over 1200 late at night to go "rescue" my mom and dad, and since I had just worked all day- my husband put a blow up mattress in the back and I slept the whole way! The only problems I have had with it is the interior lighting system inside is not totally working correctly. The drivers seat is not the most comfortable for going long distances (Ive gone some long distances in this car!), but overall...its been a great car for me!

• 

  One HOT car! - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Amy - November 7 - 5:50 am

  My husband and i are military, so we have a lot of traveling! we needed something big enough for a growing family. my dad has a 06 and he LOVES it so we bought one and this car is the ANSWER! I get about 22/31 which is great for this size of car! we love it

• 

  My First Pontiac - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By T SInclair - November 6 - 5:50 pm

  Love the looks of this car and the handling is great. Drove through a high power car wash and my sunroof leaked. Called dealership, they looked at it said nothing wrong, but was not designed to be driven through car wash. Called GM and got to take to another dealership only to be told the same thing. Called GM back furious, they sent me a free oil change. (Like that solved my problem) My sister has a 2007 Charger with sunroof and drives through same car wash with no problems. Too bad GM cant make a car as good as a Dodge. I wont be buying another, and wouldnt recommend to anyone. Too bad, they sure are nice looking.

• 

  Wonderful First Car - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Kat - November 6 - 11:56 am

  I love this vehicle! I drive it just about every other day, and it has held up through numerous trips from Nashville to Knoxville and back. The fuel economy around town isnt wonderful, but 27 mpg hwy is just fine with me. I love the sounds of the engine, and even at 105,000 miles, it still sounds strong.

• 

  Fun to drive but some issues - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By prettybuez28 - November 6 - 12:06 am

  I purchased this car in July of 07. Loved it when I laid eyes on it. I have had some issues as far as repairs go. An ignition control sensor went out 1 month after I bought it. That was about $500. About 2 months later had the wheel berring and traction control sensor go in the left front, that was about $300. And the last thing was kind of expected with 65,000 miles about 1 year later. Had a fuel pump go out. That cost about $500. All those things were just basic maintaince but still expensive. Other then those things my car has been a great car and expensive on gas with the higher prices.

• 

  Drawn to Pontiac - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By clbsrodd - November 5 - 12:26 pm

  Was always drawn to the style of the car so I had to have one. I am only the second owner of this 01 GTP SE and I love it. Just purchased the car less than a month ago with 85k miles. Was a very well maintained car so I was very lucky to find it. Great daily driver with plenty of power from the super charger with out using much gas. No complaints from me.

• 

  Darth Vaders Golf Cart - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By Nicholas Apruzzi - November 5 - 2:00 am

  If you like the style, it is a great deal. Where else can you get a mid-sized American SUV with AWD, heated leather seats, side air bags, 10 speaker stereo and a heads-up display off of an F-15 fighter - for $10,000 less than a Ford Explorer or Jeep Grand Cherokee? (And with better gas mileage, and lowest rollover risk)

• 

  Its better than people think - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By orion11 - November 5 - 2:00 am

  I went with my brother and the salesman was pushing the Aztek. He finally got me to drive it and I liked it. I brought it over to show my wife and she was fuming when I pulled up with it.She hated the look of it, but I told her to shut up and drive it. She did and fell in love with it.It has 31,000 miles on it and we havent had a problem with it. We also tried out the Sante Fe and found it to be smaller and didnt have as many features inside.We get 23 mpg with the all wheel drive one and that is just as good as its competitors, its a little bigger to me inside.I myself never thought we would own one but now im happy we do.

• 

  Great room, BAD WIPERS - 2004 Pontiac Montana
  By mashbs - November 5 - 2:00 am

  I have owned my Montana for 3 years now, and each winter I have to take it in to get the wipers fixed. The wipers tend to freeze and then stick down in the compartment, then wiper motor gets blown when you turn on the wipers.