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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  Explosive GTO !!! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By GTO 05 - December 11 - 8:36 pm

  Since I purchased the car I look forward to driving the GTO on a daily basis. The vehicle has awsome torque on the take off, and pass ability. I have the six speed manual, the gears shift smooth and compact. Handling is above average holds very tight on curves, yet comfortable on long trips. Stability could be a little better.

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  Security system light probs - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By sjclark - December 11 - 1:56 pm

  I have loved my car for the last 5 years i have had it, but then slowly I am starting to have probs. The security light flashes and I do the "10 minutes, keep your key in the ON position" and it goes back to normal. I did have to finally replace the pass lock cylinder which GM swears they are the only ones that can fix this. $500 later its fixed, but its been 3 years and I am starting to have those probs again! Very frustrating. Other than this issue, I love my car.

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  Highly Recommend - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By rcl76 - December 10 - 9:23 pm

  I have had this car for a good month. Is way too much fun to drive, and I am getting 24.0 miles per gallon city (5 speed manual). I usually get 3 or 4 questions/comments a day on the car, especially with the top down. I would do nothing but recommend the Solstice GXP.

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  Ill never buy another one - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By mavispaul - December 9 - 2:00 am

  The transmission went out at 132,000 miles, had a new one put in and it started leaking tranny fluid 20,000 miles later. It had a coolant leak, the fan motor blew up on me, and the LCD display didnt work. After putting over $1700 into fixing it, I finally traded it off. Piece of crap, Ill never buy a Grand Am again, new or used.

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  Not Crazy About The SE Model - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By jackdaniels7070 - December 7 - 6:00 am

  Only owned for 9 or 10 months and the problems are starting to mount. Its only at 200,000 Km. The first week of ownership, the transmission started to kick in between 1st & 2nd gear while accelerating, ($2500 repair) it still continues to be a problem but cannon afford to fix transmission, rather deal with discomfort till I buy something better. Head gasket is on the edge of blowing, just driving a short distance and I can smell the dexcool leaking ($1500 repair) on to the hot engine. Power feels weak in the city, very stiff pedal, must apply a lot of force to accelerate. Bushings in the front are flattened, going around turns makes the car feel like its on ice year round ($1000 repair)

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  Pontiac vibe - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By moonstone - December 6 - 9:40 pm

  This is a great driving car. Has power on interstate driving at 75 mph. Has plenty of head room, seats are ok ?

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  Solid - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Kurls1800 - December 6 - 12:50 pm

  My GP has given me 5 years of great service . I did have a front rotor warpage issue early on and just decided to replace them. Otherwise, just change the oil and other common maintenance. Sad to see Pontiac end its production of Grad Prixs. Love the Pontiac red dash lights.

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  Great performance and mileage - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By Montana Owner - December 6 - 12:03 pm

  Excellent acceleration beyond what the horsepower rating says. Maybe its due to the torque. Handling is great too. No problems with reliability or anything else. Mileage is super compared to the performance too. I got 26 mpg with 4 adult passengers with luggage on a long trip, and 27.5 mpg on a solo trip when I set cruise control at 60 mph.

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  great car - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jameshorton4 - December 6 - 9:38 am

  had this GA 04 for 10 yrs. got it with 19000 miles on it. So far, had to replace the master/slave cylinder-due to defective master-trailing arm,due to hydroplaning into ditch. and now its getting close to 200000 miles and its starting to crunch shifting to third. guess its time to change the syncros. been a great car. excellent handling and mileage for gas. dont know if its worth the expense or time to change them. but it has been an awesome car. I put it through a lot of stuff over the last ten years. would def get another one like it.

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  Simply an Awesome Car, made for driving - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By Aka - December 5 - 1:46 am

  I chose the V6 3.6 because it is absolutely strong and fast enough from me and I dont need extra 110 horses in the stables... The car is simply a fun car to drive, easily comparable with BMW driving qualities and performance. The gear is great, sporty if necessary. The engine has plenty of torque and it pulls great almost in any situation. It is huge on the inside, plenty of leg room for everyone. The luggage space is also huge and can carry two strollers easily. I highly recommend it for people who like a sporty, yet family friendly car. one warning, the base models dont provide extra gadgets or sophisticated hi-fi, it is quite basic, I like it that way, except for changing the speakers.