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:

• 

  Mikes road-horse - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By michael - June 7 - 11:06 pm

  Ive owned two of these now. The manual 5 speed has the best fuel economy. The automatic tran needs to be refined for quicker shift response and less fuel pedle. (You have to floor-board it to get response)

• 

  My G5 - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Jessica - June 7 - 8:50 pm

  I bought my G5 a week ago and love it. I love everything about the car. The way it drives, the way it rides, absolutely everything. I could have not picked a better car for myself. And the price for a brand new car was amazing. Not to bad.

• 

  Love the features of this car - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Becki - June 7 - 8:00 am

  I fell in love with this car when I first saw it. It had so many great features on the interior (heated seats, dark fabric, easy wheel mounted controls, temp. display etc...). I drove the car off the lot, and 7 days later the check if engine light was on. After numerous "smaller repairs" I noticed a rattling sound and brought it in...the engine needed to be taken out to replace a loose cap inside of it ($3,500) luckily it was covered by warranty. I absolutely love this car, but it is so unreliable I am trading it in after 6 months. Now I am also out the $700 I paid for snow tires because of the extended rim size uncommon to other vehicles.

• 

  Best American car - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Liz - June 7 - 4:43 am

  I have had mine and have no problem with it. It is the best car I have ever driven. The side mirrors and rearview mirror are needed a little more than on most cars, but if you can drive you can handle it. I would not trade this car for anything. I have had no problem with it. I drive it without abusing it. My family is constantly calling it the "show car" because I am washing it every week. I would recommend this car if you want reliability and most of all fun. We are all tall in my family and all have enough room in it. Great sound system also. Fantastic 8 speaker stereo system. Pontiac really got it together with this car. I hope they keep making it. My next car will be a G6.

• 

  Never again - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By ronnie - June 7 - 12:30 am

  I absolutely loved this car. Even though it would bottom out from time to time. And the head lights seemed to get very dirty very fast. Then the warranty ran out. Then the draining of my pocketbook started. The drivers window mechanism has been replaced twice. The spark box module needed to be replaced. Now the timing chain has went and I need a new motor! My mechanic says that this particular size motor (2.2) in his particular (2002) year has had this problem with both the Windows and the timing chain ruining the rest of the motor. From reading the other reviews, I see that this is true. I hope that people read these before they buy a grand am. I sure wish that I did!

• 

  Love This Car - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Aaryn - June 6 - 7:33 pm

  Recently purchased this vehicle to replace my 2001 Grand Prix. What a difference in 3 years! Almost everything has changed, and for the better. This car has great acceleration, is quiet, has a nice ride, looks good and is economical. Love the drivers information center and the heads-up display.

• 

  grandprix gt - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By joseph neese - June 5 - 9:36 pm

  I recently bought a gp gt and i love the way it looks, but ive been having problems with everything from tires to gas, wheelbearings just everything. I only have 8000 miles on my car the best gas mileage ive gotten is 400 miles to the tank thats bad, i got better with my 90 model pathfinder. i work for a gm dealership and none of the techs can find out what the deal is.

• 

  I wont buy same model & mfg as gm - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Nizar - June 5 - 12:56 pm

  The dealer said the muffler would never rust. But the truth I had changed both muffler & tail pipe after 6 years. The car was accelerating without even put my foot on the gas puddle (this means unreliable).

• 

  Still loving it - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Uncle Alan - June 5 - 10:00 am

  Bought this used at 1 yr old w/ 15k miles. I am so happy with it... great performance. Those 240 ponies make you hug your seat on take-off. I have had no shop issues to date... the only thing that I have had to do is add coolant around 4-5months... i dont think i have a leak...guess it just evaporates more than i thought.

• 

  Get over it! - 2001 Pontiac Aztek
  By Tusktek - June 5 - 10:00 am

  I test drove a lot of vehicles. I was going to buy either an SUV or a Grand Prix GTP. Due to comfort reasons, chose GTP. Went into dealership for GTP came out with 2001 Aztek GT.