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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  The honeymoon is over. - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Kurt - June 15 - 5:50 am

  I travel on business a decent amount and have rented G6s quite a bit, so I bought one. It was a used 2006 with 17k miles on it in June 06. Love the interior room, decent acceleration from 3.5 (Non VVT version), great fuel economy (32-34 @75-80mph). Now for the bad stuff- the car has been in the shop 5 times over the last year. To date- rotors warped and turned 3 times. Finally being replaced under warrannty (problem with G6 non GT/GTP models). Rack and pinion went bad- replaced, interior dome light shorted, visor vanity door broke, water coming in pass side with heavy rain (drain tubes?). The more I drive it the more I hate the electronic steering.

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  Its not a Cadillac but it is better! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Rock - June 15 - 3:20 am

  The first time I ever sat in one it was cool to drive. 0 to 60, not a problem at all. The steering and traction out of this world. It is a whole lot different from my eighteen wheeler, but I love to drive it. Some may say it is a girl car, but it takes a real man to handle the power of this vehicle.

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  Not bad - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Sam - June 14 - 4:36 pm

  I have owned this car for over a year and it so far hasnt caused me too many problems except new brakes and a new alternator. Its fun to drive but I would still like to see a little more power.

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  NIce Car - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Tim - June 14 - 10:50 am

  I would definitely go with the 3.8 L engine. It is reliable except that the intake WILL go after 150,000 miles. Other than that, it is a reliable car. Mine has 192,000 miles and is only now beginning to struggle.

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  Great car for 7 years - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By prm1967 - June 14 - 10:00 am

  My 1997 SE V6 still runs strong and smooth. It has required extremely little attention besides synthetic oil changes every 6 months. Overall red paint still looks great. No gosh-awful chrome/aluminum/titanium interior trim that seems every nicer vehicle has to have these days!!

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  Wow - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By jkcook - June 14 - 10:00 am

  Was fully impressed from the first moment with this car and two thousand miles later I still havent gotten the smile off of my face. Before buying, I probably was able to put 20 miles on the car with the salesman in the right seat, so was unable to realy get a full feal for the car until after all the paperwork was signed and drove home. That first drive feeling was unbelievable. It is fun to drive at speed or slowing moving down the road and is still fun to catch the glimpses of other drivers who either catch the GTO badge on the side or the 5.7 on the rear. The inside is perfect and the fit andthe finish is flawless.

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  My 3rd GTO - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Robert & Connie Lee - June 14 - 10:00 am

  I have owned 15 new pontiacs, including 2 other GTOs. Although the exterior styling is somewhat bland this by far is the hightest quality Pontiac I have owned. It is also the fastest in Stock Form even faster than the 1970 GTO Judge Convertale that I owned. the Handling is Precise, The Interior will rate up there with any General Motors product that has been built to date.

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  Economical, Versatile, Reliable - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By bb006 - June 14 - 10:00 am

  Best car Ive ever had. Bar none.

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  Could be better - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By broncos4zak - June 14 - 6:23 am

  Overall I have been fairly impressed with the ride and drive of this car. The handling is good, the performance excellent, and the Monsoon sound system has some of the best FM reception I have witnessed. There are some build quality issues I have, but overall a decent car.

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  Little things got annoying over time... - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By andrear - June 13 - 5:03 pm

  I really liked this car at first, but over the last two years little things have started to annoy me. First of all the gas millage is awful, and always has been. I was led on to believe that this car was so great on gas and that was never the case. Also the blind spot on this car is boarder line dangerous. You cant see the dash lights in the sun because they are red and set back to far. Also the center compartment thing comes open over every bump. I ignored these things for a while, but now they are getting hard to live with. The car is not that fun to drive and handles awful in the snow.