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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  OK CAR - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By turkeyleg - May 8 - 10:00 am

  Solid car for the money. The seat padding is not good. A year after purchase the padding is worn down where you get in and out. The paint on the rear bumper is flaking off. Engine revs too high before shifting. Ive gon through 2 sets of rotors and I am purchasing aftermarket cross-drilled rotors to hopefully fix this. The radio was messed up (wont play tapes, display shows garbeled info) Warrenty would not cover. Passenger speaker has bad rattle. If you purchase this car be aware you do not get the best fit and finish. I take long trips and a more solid seat and lumbar would be ideal. Watch out for the blind spots, the shape of the car makes these large.

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  HORRIBLE CAR!!!! - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Bart2 - May 8 - 10:00 am

  This car has cost me thousands of dollars in repairs, not to mention the repairs that had to be done while still under warranty. Repairs include: 4 brake jobs, intake gasket crack, front wheel hub bearing replace, fuel pump went out, power steering went out, etc. etc. I am trading it in and cutting my losses! Dont buy this car.

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  love it - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Rebecca Miller - May 8 - 12:13 am

  Love my new Solstice It is wonderful little a car with comfort & great gas mileage

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  My WS6 Rocks! - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By crzyracrgrl - May 6 - 12:00 pm

  I love my WS6, it is the best car I have ever owned. I have done some under the hood work and with not a lot of money or wrench time. Its now over 450 horsepower and kills just about everything off the line. The interior is a little cheap and needs some work but the engine totally makes up for it. I have never had a serious problem with the car, and she loves the cold weather and the heat and air work better in this then in my friends BMW. Bottom line the WS6 is an amazing machine and not to mention she looks like a beast in someones rear view mirror!

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  Fun car, hindered by GM - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By braindeadunit - May 6 - 5:42 am

  The 3.8L makes this a pretty fun car to drive, however, as a GM "cookie cutter" car, it suffers from subpar engineering and build quality. Panels like to fall off, something that couldve been prevented with a better plastic. The powertrain is generally reliable, but thats about it. You can eek pretty good mpg out of this car, but its a bit of a pain to do so. If great MPG is your priority, look elsewhere, but dont worry about this car burning holes in your pocket.

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  Fun to drive - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Carol VK - May 5 - 6:30 am

  I have owned this for 2 and a half years leased it and will purchase it out right at end of term. my 6 foot six husband has more head room in this than in our grand prix we had before. easier to take out a stroller of.

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  AMERICAN SUPER CAR - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By FXDOC - May 5 - 5:33 am

  I HAVE THE SSEi AND LOVE IT.

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  Refined Muscle Car Defined (2006 GTO) - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Tom Miller - May 4 - 4:53 pm

  Love my 06 GTO. Truly a refined modern muscle car with comfort. I now have 64K miles on my black/black Goat (have both factory options: 18"wheels and 6-Speed manual trans). First thing I did was replace the stock shifter with a HURST billet short throw unit (chrome flat handle/black knob). Other upgrades include a VOLANTE Cold-air intake, Magnaflow cat- back exhaust system, 180 degree TStat, E3 Sparkplugs, MSD plug wires, Royal Purple synthetic lubricants throughout and Diablosport tuning. The original 400HP/400TQ is estimated to be about 445HP/450Torque. Current best fuel efficiency is 28.51 MPG at 75mph sustained on a 1,360 highway trip. I average 19-20 city and 25-26 highway!

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  Going back to Ford - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By kenscott - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car about 5 months ago. It ran much better than I anticipated; for a 4-cylinder that is. Gas mileage averages about 23-25 mpg. I know I can be a lead foot, but my 6-cylinder Taurus did the same mpg. Recently, I had to replace the catalytic converter- CC(covered under warranty) The mechanic noticed a bad transmission leak. He thinks that some of the knocking that I attributed to the CC was actually the torque converter in the transmission. I await the bad news. Also there is a groan at times when turning the steering wheel severely at low speeds.

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  A Great Steal - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By clarkb2999 - May 3 - 7:03 am

  After rebates, paid just under $14K. For that amount, it is a great car. It is responsive and engergetic in everyday driving, quick when pushed. Individual Map lights are absent on the Base model, which most base Korean cars have. Base stereo is weak. Still a bit too much hard plastic on the dashboard, though the layout/ergonomics are FAR improved from the previous generation. A generally great car, and even without the insane deal, I would happily drive it over the boring 4 cylinder versions of the Camry, Accord, Altima, or Mazda 6.