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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  GREAT CAR - 2004 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Deedon - July 14 - 10:00 am

  THIS CAR IS LOTS OF FUN AND HAS GREAT FEATURES. GAS MILEAGE NOT GREAT BUT IT IS A V-8. LOT OF PEOPLE COMMENT ON SEEING IT THAT IT LOOKS GOOD, BUT ARE SHOCKED THAT PONTIAC HAS A CAR IN THE PRICE RANGE OF THIS CAR. OTHERWISE HAPPY WE BOUGHT THE CAR

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  Fabulous Car! - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cuaak5 - July 14 - 10:00 am

  I love driving my Pontiac, I will always buy Pontiac

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  Grand Prix - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By smpf4 - July 14 - 10:00 am

  Overall, I am happy with this vehicle. I have experienced a rattle in the power windows. Recently the air conditioning settings of 1 and 2 have gone bad. Worse yet, 125.00 to fix! The car handles well and gets good milage on the highway versus the city.

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  Above Average - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Phillip - July 14 - 10:00 am

  I traded my 1992 3000GT VR4 for this car and I have no regrets. The VR4 had more ponies and the All-wheel drive handles corners better but The GTP is very close to the performance and is no where near the high price of a new VR4. This car is awesome bang for your buck.

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  Fun Fun Fun!!!! - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By Enfury8me - July 14 - 5:20 am

  I bought this car a couple of months ago on a whim and I absolutely LOVE it! Anyone who wants to laugh at it or make fun of me for buying it can do it but they dont know what kind of FUN they are missing! The vehicle is very responsive on curves and in the snow it goes thru any depth. We love all the room in the back because you can carry anything. Its just a FUN car to drive. We already feel like this vehicle is a part of the family!

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  Do Not buy GM - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By NetNut - July 13 - 5:46 pm

  I brought this van in Sep05. The ENGINE has been replaced 2 times. The Low Oil Presure Message and the ABS light are still coming on once a while. The gas gauge is fluctuating. The dealer still does not know how to fix it. DO NOT BUY GM.

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  my G6 - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By roger rue - July 12 - 9:06 pm

  I love my pontiac G6. After driving my car for a couple of months I would continue to buy pontiacs for the rest of my life if they keep making cars like this one.Its got a great stereo, its responsive, gets good gas mileage, lots of looks.

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  great value - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By docV8 - July 12 - 4:30 pm

  I had to go a ways to find this car, but it was worth it. I was looking at this or a BMW 545, and this took the cake (yes, really). Interior feels wonderful, exterior is beautiful. Power is everywhere. Despite what journalists are saying, torque steer has not occured yet, but for one time when it was floored at 10 MPH on uneven pavement. All I had to do was hang on tighter. Rear drive cars will break traction and get all twisted up (slip/regrip/lurch)if you floor it on uneven pavement, so whats the big deal? I guess some self proclaimed enthusiasts like to kick out the rear end around corners, but if you ask me, Id rather stay pointed where I want to go. Back seats are great too.

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  Very Very Mediocare - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By speed devil - July 11 - 10:00 am

  Its braking is soft and very unpredictable. Ive almost been in serious accidents because the breaks did not respond.Handling is just okay but traction is good because of the widetrac. The paint is horrible and the dirt wont wash off the glued on side panels. All the instruments are cheap and the screen for the clock and cd player overheats and sometimes feels like it will light on fire. The only thing that is really good is the stock cd player. Safety wise its a tank, but I dont know how it would be in a big accident. Overall I would not recommend the car unless you will buy it, rip the system out of it and re-sell it.

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  Amazing great car - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By Jerzy Banasiak - July 11 - 10:00 am

  One day I drove with my family and we met on the road Pontiac Aztek : "wow, look this what the car" said my wife, "wow" I said, "wow" said my son. We ware so fascinated so I follow Aztek for a while until we found it was Pontiac. Now we have it and we love it. I dont understand critics and the people who can say is awkward or ugly. No, it is very nice car, just different. Look at streets all cars are about same , Aztek is different.