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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  driver and passenger comfort - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By adm - February 26 - 2:00 am

  The split bench seat is worthless due to console design. With the drivers seat up and forward you can hardly get in and out of the car. In general leg room is not what you would expect in a full size car. You get as much out of a Grand Prix

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  2000 SSEi - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By johnnys bonny - February 26 - 2:00 am

  The more I drive this car the more I like it. I love the power this big car has left when driving at 55+. The improved headlights are great too. Ive owned SUVs for the last 5yrs, this is my first car since my single days in a sports car. Im impressed so far with this car.

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  Depressing - 2003 Pontiac Montana
  By MontanaBlues - February 26 - 2:00 am

  Ours is a 2001, has 22000 miles on it. What has gone wrong? Where do I begin. The oil pan leaked and needed repair after 4500 miles; the power slider was recalled - "repaired" and then had to be repaired again at 6000 miles; the engine leaked antifreeze around 9000, needing new hoses; the transmission overheated while towing an ALUMINUM fishing boat (oh yeah, we have the "towing" package), and the thing squeaks and rattles so bad we sometimes think some of the structural welds have failed. We will never return to a GM minivan. The Odyssey or new Quest look good for us.

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  Nice - 2005 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Charlie - February 26 - 12:56 am

  This car is awesome. It exceeded my expections. It has good power and great traction. The car inside and out look great. The Ram Air system is great with this car. A bigger engine like a small V8 would be nicer addition with the Ram Air system.

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  Loin It ! - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Heather Anthony - February 24 - 10:00 am

  I totally love these cars !!!!

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  Killer 2000 T/A WS6 - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By stringer - February 24 - 2:20 am

  Third trans am Ive owned, and the fastest. Love the racey exterior, and interior. Handles great around corners, passes with ease. A definite looker. A very fun car to drive.

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  Vibe 2006 5 speed manual - 286 000 km - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By vibe_06_5speed - February 22 - 10:01 am

  I bought this car when it had 170 000 km on it, since then (over 2 years ago) Ive put on many miles on it (now have 286 000 km). I am very satisfied with the car. I have not put ANY repairs since Ive had it other then repainting the top (little bit of rust started). I consistently get between 40 - 44 MPG (Canadian) doing mostly highway (that is about 33 - 36 US MPG). I drive conservative though, I keep it around 100 km/h on highway. I like the exterior of the vibe better then the matrix. The car has good cargo space and when you flip down the seats you get ridiculous amount of room back there, you dont know what your missing until youve had it trust me! Highly recommend!

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  Best Value Around - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By RLT - February 21 - 2:00 am

  This is my second Bonneville. I did have to replace the water pump, but that has been the only unscheduled maintenance on the 2 cars. This car looks good, is fun to drive, is very comfortable and extremely practical given all the space it offers. I wont buy my third Bonneville because of the redesign in 2000.

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  a few problems but still a good car - 2002 Pontiac Sunfire
  By sweeties_mom - February 21 - 2:00 am

  I had my first major elec. problem within 24 hrs of pick up and 4 other others since but I have not had any problems in the last couple of months. It has been performing perfectly. I do ALOT of highway driving and this car does have alot of wind noise, especially when the sunroof is open. I would highly recommend the 2.2 DOHC engine. I came from a Cavalier Z24 w/ a v6 engine and this engine has almost as much power as that did. Despite the early electrical issues, this has been a very reliable, fuel efficient car that can be fun to drive.

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  Grand Prix - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By scotkris - February 20 - 4:43 am

  Have driven 25-30K per year and never done anything except routine or preventive maintenance. This has been the most reliable and best performing vehicle Ive owned in 30 years of vehicle ownership. Can haul a family of 5. The flat folding passenger seat can allow you to carry items up to 8 in length.