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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  Buy one if you can - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Family Man - May 22 - 9:13 pm

  Have had for a few months and love the car. Fun to drive. Picked up one with 11,000 for 22K. Better value than overpriced European imports. Solid, handles well, and very good acceleration. Gas mileage not great, but gets about 2 mpg less than a high output V6. I was hoping GM would bring this body style back with the V6 / V8 Camaro engine. They would sell a ton of these.

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  Wouldnt Buy It Again - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By jodygodie - May 22 - 7:43 pm

  Vehicle was a certified used car, which evidently means little. MPG is great; car looks sharp. On a long trip, ride becomes a little hard. When backing up rear visibility not good. Requires a learning curve on operation of windshield wipers. Car now has 38,000 miles and rear main seal is leaking oil (but that is covered for 100k on power train warranty). Also, within last year front main bearing required replacement, dash A/C vents (plastic) broke. Now, service airbag light occasionally illuminates; so far (knock wood) it recycles and goes off when car is restarted. Dealership wants $700 to replace airbag seat sensor control module which he says will fix the problem.

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  Pontiac Excitement - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Dick - May 22 - 9:56 am

  Rides and handles very well with the stiffer, sport-tuned suspension. Spacious enough to be very comfortable for 5 adults and more than adequate storage. Plenty of pep under any condition to which Ive exposed it. AWD performs admirably. Style-wise, its been mistaken for a BMW. Great buy for the buck.

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  2000 Grand Prix GT sedan - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By wild bill - May 22 - 2:00 am

  I bought this car new. It has had a lot of trim problems, gage problems, radio problems, blower fan control problems, and a cooling leak which was very difficult to get fixed on warranty. The cooling leak turned out to be the upper intake manifold and took two years to get Pontiac to fix. The car drives will and has never broken down on the road, but has lots of road noise in the passenger compartment and cheap interior trim.

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  Great Midsize Coupe!!! - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By NYPontiacFan - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my GP/GTP for over 2 years now, and I still get comments from people on it. Love the looks, outside and in. I wish they added a few extra options like a passenger heated/power seat.

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  JUST OUT OF THE BOX!!! - 2003 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Porche - May 22 - 2:00 am

  Just got my new sunfire last week and I love it. Ive been driving vans, and SUVs for the past 7 years and its really nice to have something that handles so well and sporty looking too. Its as close to a firebird as I will probably ever get and I truly hope it turns out to be as good on fuel as I hope. I actually got 30 miles per gallon on my 1st tank of gas.Sure beats the heck out of 15. Hope it gives me good service for a long time.

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  Sayonara Grand Prix GT - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By pnwson - May 21 - 8:28 pm

  I bought this car in 1998 with 25,000 miles on it. Options I have and have appreciated are alloy wheels, remote keyless entry, power drivers seat and rear spoiler. I have put 206,600 more miles on it in the ensuing 12+ years. It has been a joy to drive. Naturally over that long there has been a few water pumps, a couple of alternators, replaced the radiator in 07, intake manifold last year in 10, oxygen sensor, engine mount, spark plugs...sigh. I dealt with all that, hoping to drive it even longer, but the transmission is slipping has been given a terminal notice by my trustworthy mechanic, and he wont touch it.

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  I love this car!!!!!!!! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Tyson Dilts - May 20 - 6:06 pm

  I have now had my new G6 about a month and it is such a great car! My car is white, with XM radio, sunroof, and remote start. I do alot of stop and go driving and still manage 26 mpg! I traded my 2003 Silverado in and do not regret it one bit! This car is very well designed! Im 63" tall and I have more room in my G6 sedan than I did in my old Ford Taurus SE. Not to mention the stylish looks compared to my old car. I even found I had more room in the G6 compared to the Grand Prix. I AM SOLD!!!!!!

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  Fun car...quality build - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By joe mc - May 20 - 10:00 am

  Only 500 miles, but already I love it. Easy to get in and out of. Moonroof and tunes package is great. Corners well, and ABS brakes. Trunk area is easy to access with no lip to lift over. Day time running lights and automatic headlights. All of this with a Toyota engine and transmission.

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  fair - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By friwrench - May 20 - 10:00 am

  nice car but i still like the bonnaville better