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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  2005 aztec - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By cowboys25 - July 30 - 10:00 am

  I just bought this new aztec on the 14th of sept..I have 4 kids and we have driven this on 2 trips and love the way it drives..I owned a 2002 explorer that i traded for this and the aztec is more comfortable,rides better and is alot more fun to drive..The only draw back is the placement of the rear spoiler..

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  Great Car! - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By BrittaniMcD - July 29 - 10:43 am

  I bought this car when my daughter was about 4 months for the extra space, a 2dr Civic just wasnt working out anymore! So far it has been a great car, it has about 176,000 miles on it but runs like its new! I would highly recommend this car, especially to new moms switching from a small car to a bigger one but still wanting something sporty!

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  Good Car! - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Rabbit - July 28 - 5:00 am

  I started way back with a Phoenix, Then a Sunbird. Now the 4 door Sunfire. The next one in the line doesnt have a name in Canada -just numbers. Good fuel economy, fast pick up, sleek body. In 4 years Ive replaced 2 tires, the front wheel bearings and I should replace the gas cap. If I can, when its time to replace this one Id like one just like it. Ive put 48,000 kms on it in 4 years and I am happy with its performance and reliability. I cant imagine driving anything other than a Pontiac. I guess Ive been lucky that my three cars have been stout workhorses. The Sunbird was subjected to a teenage boy and all that entails and still it held up.

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  Salemans Car++ - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By KRA218 - July 27 - 12:16 pm

  Studied them ALL for six months and decided on the GXP. Looks, Power, Handling, Comfort, Value and its American! Purchased used for 12,000+ under MSRP. Today you good do even better!! Highly recommend for us sports car lovers that need a 4-door business car to satisfy the Boss! Mileage 17/22 and I do not expect it to get better with already 22K miles on her!

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  Running the Grand AM - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Mark - July 27 - 11:30 am

  A very peppy car that has a lot of guts even after 100K miles. The V6 engine has a definite high performance sound to it that gets you up to speed entering the freeway no problem and affords great passing characteristics. The car also has a very sporty (stiff) suspension that quite a number of people find enjoyable.

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  No Brainer - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By halninek - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Just bought an 03 black with 17" spoked rims, looks sharp. Got it loaded with everything except DVD plus extended warranty for 5000 bucks less than a stripped V6 Toyota Highlander. It was even less than a Hyundai with the same leather and sunroof. Kids are ecstatic, wife loves the dual- zone climate control. I love the computer telling me which way Im going, how cold it is outside, how many miles to empty, when an oil change is due, if my tires are low,and if my fly is open. Coolest family vehicle ever.

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  99 gp - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By stevie - July 27 - 2:00 am

  fast, fun to drive,but economically bad.

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  Lots of Miles - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By Kirk - July 25 - 8:56 am

  My van has 281,000 miles on it. The major problem with them is related to antifreeze. Everything that has cost me money to fix was antifreeze related. I had to replace parts that wore out like struts, steering components and such. I use it as a cargo van daily loaded down with 1500 pounds of weight daily and carry a ladder on top. I get about 17 mpg. When I drive it empty I still get 24mpg. The body is still in good shape, I just had to replace the door hinge because I open the door way too many times. The v6 is still has a lot of torque with all those miles. At 250k it finally got a hole in the leather seats, not to bad for a work truck.

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  5spd - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By 3ni - July 25 - 12:10 am

  All factory with aftermarket 19 inch bbs rims, rides nice kinda slow as compared to a 1.8 vtech honda, I have 310000 KM and it still runs smooth with no major problems eccept for that dam window!!!

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  My G6 Lemon - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By jandkds - July 15 - 5:53 am

  I bought my G6 a little over a year ago and was very happy with it even though it had some odd noises. Now if you try to accelerate the engine cuts out and the light comes on. Almost killed when engine cut out while passing someone. Dangerous! Has been in the shop 5 times for the issue (and others) told it just isnt meant to accelerate? (what, no highway driving or passing?) I dont believe it. I am ready to voluntarily have it reposessed and ruin my credit. I now officially hate this death trap. Whats up GM, why no recalls on the faulty computer?