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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  not bad at all - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By simon - August 15 - 2:10 am

  i bought the 2004 with incentives and im glad i did , very tightly built , smooth acceleration, love listening to that deep exhaust when just cruising at like 70 , you get to 70 so fast you dont even realize it. if you want a real quick american v8for 34000 you cant beat it . not many cars faster in this price range or less and the interior seats are flawless , you get macnine pedals , you get the whole race car feel and still room in the bac seat for 2 more people , yes unlike the mustang there is room there .

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  Avoid long trips - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Ernesto Rodriguez - August 14 - 3:33 pm

  I drove the car 300 miles, and that trip was not very pleasant as far as driver sit concern, after a couple hours, my butt was telling me get out of the sit, (there is not enough padding, cushion in the sit)and Im a normal weight guy 170 pnds, and the same comment i heared from other people who has driven that car, for the other hand the car is just fine.

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  *Sitting on the Fence* - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By MizIndependent - August 14 - 1:40 am

  The Car is very nice looking,and fun to drive, however we had problems right off with the A/C- dealership refused to fix it, so car was not truly "certified used" a bit upsetting, brakes have been fine so far, the car is smaller inside then it first looks, we have a hard time fitting the rear facing child seat, and latch system not recommeded for use in the middle of the back seat. Impressive trunk space- Overall, nice economy sedan- but dont think I will buy pontiac again.

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  yeah - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By JAy ZEe - August 13 - 5:23 pm

  Buy this and forever be king of the street! Great car, its a sleeper, noone knows its a gto untill you drop the clutch and speed ahead and they see it on the back. best coup i have ever ownd and i have ownd a corvette,a mustange, and a 840ci.

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  Great Car, the best Ive driven yet. - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By TjO - August 13 - 4:16 am

  I am totally amazed by the review and the specs given on this website being that they are showing the lowest numbers yet by any other website. Seems that "Dan" the editor must have had a rough day or just doesnt like Pontiacs. Anyways, Ive had my share of Fords, Dodges, and VWs etc. and to date this is the best car for the money Ive driven. No squeaks rattles or odd engine problems, just perfect.

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  Azteks are Complicated - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Laura - August 9 - 8:46 am

  I love the design because its so unique and there arent very many in my city. I use to drive a small compact car prior to buying the Aztek, so I wanted something larger but not to large. The Aztek was the perfect size and had the amount of room I was looking for. Its so easy to get in and out of it and can stuff so many things in it. Last year, I had to take my Aztek back to dealership because my gauges were not reading correctly. I would fuel up and the gauge indicated that I was on empty. My speedometer would indicate I was driving at 120 miles per hour when I was actually driving at 30mph. Luckily I had the gold insurance plan and got everything fixed for $50 (deductible).

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  1st new pontiac - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By john - August 7 - 5:33 pm

  Ive only had this car for 6 days, highway was nice with little background noise with auto radio. I get excited every time I drive and love the car its the newest car IÂ’ve ever owned, and more power then IÂ’m used to but IÂ’m trying to conserve. its roomy for everyone. The car does have get up and go, havenÂ’t gone on highway for long distance. I too like cockpit feel and how everything centers around me driving and easy access to info. I would like less plastic and stronger feel buttons I want this car to last and look good the whole time. I also hope they might bring back and improve gas or turn to cng car or hydrogen car for zero emission! and Id get that I got this cause owned two pontia

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  MY MOMMA CAR - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By BONNIE - August 4 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE ONLY HAD THE CAAR ONE MONTH AND I REALLY LOVE IT! I HAVE ALREADY DRIVEN 1000 MILES, A LOT OF MY JOB IS DRIVING AND I AM ENJOYING IT!

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  Couldnt ask for better so far - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By yomama4 - August 1 - 6:36 pm

  Owned this car for 10 years now, bought it brand new, and it still runs awesome, going to give it to my neice for her first car. Only real problems I noticed over the years were the brakes wear easy, the radio volume changes sometimes...weird, and the ac clutch rattles like crazy. overall good though.

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  Gone But Not Forgotten - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Big Grin Lover - July 30 - 10:00 am

  I bought this car with 39,400 miles on it and drove the car until the tranny gave out on it at 129,500 about 3yrs later, good car only problem before tranny gave out was a coil pack that went out at about 50,000 miles. Car still ran great after was involved in to accidents.