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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  fabulous car - 1998 Pontiac Firebird
  By netkenv - April 30 - 2:00 am

  LS1 engine with ws6 package outstanding ride & handling, absolutely NO problems with car. not a rattle or a noise whether your doing 30mph or 70mph down the highway. Tap the gas pedal and your passing at 90mph feeling like your winning nascar! great car.

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  Love it. - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By Jon Bradley - April 29 - 10:53 am

  Ive had this car for almost a month now and I must say I absolutely love it. I bought it for $3500 with 164,000 miles. The previous owner (and only owner) loved this car very much! There isnt a scratch on it and the interior is better than most used vehicles I was looking at from the 2000s. I am 17 and this is my very first car, and I must say that this right now is my single most important material posession. The only thing I have had to fix on this vehicle was a bad brake light. The rest is basically like new.

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  Pontiac g6 - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By HENRY - April 29 - 9:00 am

  G6 driving experience is great, firm and confortable ride, engine has more than enough power, transmission shifts very smoothly, very quiet and great looking interior, instruments very well placed, car interior space is immense, exterior style is eye catching, i previously owned a 2001 grand am, the g6 is such an improvement over the grand am.

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  G6 is a hit - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By G6 - April 28 - 11:03 am

  I will admit to being partial to GM and in many cases that is grounds to discount my comments, however, I have driven many cars and the G6 is a superb vehicle by any measure. In comparison, my fathers 05 Camry is generic, plain and in some cases cheaper feeling. The G6 will impress anyone, if given a chance. The design inside and out is elegant and well proportioned.

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  Terrific Torrent - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Marjorie Hergott - April 28 - 6:26 am

  The torrent is great for Canadian winters. It has no difficulty with snowy or icy streets while at the same time providing a comfortable car- like ride.

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  Love my 06 and my previous 04 - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Charles Goin - April 28 - 4:10 am

  Loved my 04 enough to buy an 06 both Blue with Blue interior. Absolutely love the car. The interior is my favorite. Its like a cockpit very well executed as well. As for "ugly" I like the smooth euro look.. It was not discontinued due to poor sales.The platform is was built on (The Holden Commodore Sedan) was slated for replacement in 2006 before the first GTO hit the US. It was going to be built for 3 years to fill the gap between the Trans AM and Soltice.. Which it did excellently.

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  Nice Car - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By James Duncan - April 28 - 2:43 am

  This is one fine car it drives like a dream and also rides very nice also good gas mileage I really cant say anything bad about it.

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  Id buy it again - 2007 Pontiac Vibe
  By fredonia dave - April 28 - 2:10 am

  great gas mileage, good looks, loads of interior room, good in snow and wind. Fast acceleration for a cheap car. Pulls a small trailer with no effort. Im proud to be a 37 year old male driving my little old lady car. Almost 7000 miles and no major problems.

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  Not the real G - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By St. Lou - April 27 - 5:50 pm

  Wow where do I start? I purchased this on recommendation of a co worker and a test drive. After 2 months had to have the computer replaced. After 6 months two (2) window motors had to be replaced, and the stereo conked out and had to be replaced. At first I enjoyed the ride, thought it was sporty but found out that it was just annoying and rough, very harsh. I used my girlfriends Infiniti G for two weeks (we swapped much to her chagrin) and hers is a lot better ride, etc. \I also had borrowed a friends Ford fusion and that vehicle is a lot better comfort wise. Save your money and buy something else. I did sell it last fall and purchased a used BMW 328 for about same price.

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  2nd review after 40,000 miles - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Dez - April 27 - 7:16 am

  Dont get me wrong I love this car for some reason mostly cause of the looks! but Im a car guy so I cant ignore the fact that this car is mediocre. Its leaps and bounds better than the grand am, but If you consider other cars in this class it is not on there level in refinement. suspension noise is too pronounced and is a bit underdamped. the car is not agile at all and drives big, although the steering is good. The stock stereo is crap and if you get an aftermaket unit you lose the trip computer big flaw. this car makes too many noises which effects the perception of quality. That said the car is sold it just does its job and nothing more, its like a Gap model with a personality flaw.