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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  love it - style, performance, economy - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By clevelandbonneville - October 14 - 10:00 am

  This car is great. I bought with 90K. It now has 102K. I love the style. Very stylish car. Its big!! Its comfy. It has a very quiet cabin. The gm 3.8 is an amazing engine. Actually got 30 mpg when doing a highway trip of 480 miles. with 16 gallons of gas. It has a big gas tank at 18 gallons. Dont need to fill up much. Normal MPG is about 25 with highway/city mix and not winter out. One problem it died on me on the freeway. Kinda scary. It was the Mass airflow sensor. It happened out of nowhere. No engine lights. I would replace this at 100k miles or sooner. Thats when it died on me. Besides for that no problems. You can probably have autozone replace for you.

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  New Pontiac 4 door 2009 - 2009 Pontiac G6
  By Ed Morgan - October 13 - 2:36 pm

  My wife and I enjoy driving this car. It is comfortable, has good power and good looks. We hve been totally satisfied. Compared to an import it was much less expensive. We think the AMERICAN CARS GET A BAD RAP FROM REVIEWERS.

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  A Maintenance Nightmare - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Speedracer1021 - October 12 - 2:20 am

  Bought this car after wrecking my 97 Civic. Have only had car for a few months and it has put me down 3 times. Already replaced broken motor mount that caused car to "growl" when accelerating, bad alternator that drained battery and left me stranded in the middle of nowhere, temp sensor and thermostat because car kept overheating, front shocks b/c car started squeaking and bouncing over even the smallest bumps, keyless remote, front brake rotors and brake pads. Right now I am having numerous electrical problems with the car. I really like the car, but I have to get rid of it because I cant afford the maintenance. Wouldnt recommend buying one unless you have the money to maintain it.

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  Excellent car! Id buy again - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Gerald Rogers - October 11 - 11:26 am

  The price was great, and the economy is typical of a 4 cylinder (hi 20s in town, mid 30s highway---regular gasoline). I dont see a compelling reason to go Japanese any more if vehicles like these continue being offered. Interior for me as the driver centers on ease of getting to the radio, ample opportunities of getting the iPOD connected to my radio, simple reach for the HVAC. Mine is the coup and blind spots abound, as others have probably noted. I would have no problem buying this car again.

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  A Great Car For The Young People - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Young Gun - October 11 - 4:53 am

  I brought this car this past February with it having just 70,000 miles on it, did wanted a G6 GT Sedan(Plans fell through) but found this car for a steal, I was worried at first because I was giving up room because it was a mid-size car(car before this one was a 1993 Bonneville SE), but it was still pretty roomy, seats 5, 4 comfortably, and even dough the car is 8 and the design is 13 years old(1997), I still prefer it over the 2004-2008 model, gets good gas mileage for a big 3.8 V6, great for the highway and town, nice interior, just an overall nice ride, the only maintenance I have done so far is new brakes, oil change, support lifts for trunk, and cleaner for catalytic converter.

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  fun car for the heavy leg driver - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By eronen - October 10 - 6:50 pm

  I enjoy the car at every aspect of it. It fast it responds well and it is reliable. I love the computer and its functions. I know I have a heavy leg on the gas but this car is very thirsty in town I get like 15 mpg and 24 mpg in a pure highway drive. I don’t think any car will give you what this car is giving for the price.

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  I love this car,BUT..... - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By lilphatgrl80 - October 9 - 10:53 am

  I have one payment to make on my car and 4 months ago i put a new transmission in it because it of course went out well i am having very bad problems with the transmission again,my keys also lock in the ignition and my RPM revs up by its self...it turns out that the car has electrical problems and the computer in it is having trouble communicating with things in it to make them work properly so i dont know what i have to do yet,it may just be a few electrical wires or the whole electrical system but it is cousing the transmissions to burn up

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  Reliable, predictable, economical, zzzzz - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Bradford - October 8 - 5:56 pm

  My Vibe makes me smile. Its the red one you see most often in ads but not the GT. No supercharger. I bought it with 31k and put 32k on it. Besides oil changes only had to replace front brakes. Tight steering. Boring to drive but unbeatably reliable. Its a Matrix, after all. MPG averages 28-29 if I do 70 or under on the freeway and relax in traffic. Lots of space inside when you flatten the back seat. The car rides high for its light weight and you are at the driver level of the average SUV. You must adjust your mirrors accurately to avoid the blind spots - dont look surprised Toyota/Pontiac - you know they are there. Very easy to park and turn. A truly great little car... but boring.

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  Well worth the ride! - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By docholliday1 - October 6 - 9:57 am

  Have had my GT for 9 years (was a year old when I got her) and havent regretted it. Fun to drive, plenty of power and great road handling. Major expense in all that time was the head gasket. Brakes need to be replaced more often than I was used to, and had to figure out the work-arounds for the fake codes that appeared a couple of times... but overall a fun and reliable car.

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  the goat - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By busyduck - October 4 - 3:10 am

  i just bought one of these cars coming out of a toyota supra turbo to this is a different change but i think i like this one a lot more more refined and still has the import build on the vehicle with american muscle with both combined it doesnt get any better than this