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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  Reliable Sport Compact. - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By MATT - January 31 - 10:00 pm

  Gets reasonable mileage, Fun to drive, Sporty if outdated styling.all the original options work including the cruise control.

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  GREAT CAR...BAD REAR END - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By Joey Cips - January 31 - 2:00 am

  Put in an EATON high performance posi traction rear. can beat the car all day.. will never break again. the original Auburn diff. is crap. broke a spider gear on day one. Eaton diff is a vast improvement for great traction and durability. the rest of the car is top notch. only problem was a leaky intake gasket.. $475 to fix. both windows are slow, but work. KYB shocks make a huge difference in handling. that is it.. the rest is stock with 35,000 miles on it. almost forgot.. the hypertech power programmer3 did wonders for acceleration and shift point changes. I recommend it.

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  Hoping they will make it right...... - 2002 Pontiac Montana
  By Not happy in NC - January 31 - 2:00 am

  Van has been in shop 3 times in two weeks. My ABS light came on and the AWD disengaged was told not to drive it. Hauled in on a flat bed. Dealer tried turning off lights I drove it less than a mile and the lights came back on. I and drove it back in, they cleaned the sensor head, I drove it 40 miles the brakes locked up and lights came back on. Hauled it in again. They tell me now it is ready and they were told by GM to replace the hub on the left front wheel and something else was replaced but Im not sure what. Told it was fixed. Well see.

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  Nice Car-loosed value fast - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By VWM - January 31 - 2:00 am

  I really like this car but I mean is it possible to loose value that fast on a brand new car? I have had this thing for almost 2 years and another dealership offered me $6700 for it. I mean come on 2 years ago this thing cost 17K brand new...The car is comfortable but the back seat has no comfortability to it. I have also had some problems with air noise

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  Great hard top convertible - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By Tim - January 26 - 5:33 pm

  Ive loved the Lexus SC but felt $65,000 out of my price range for what I wanted. Security and wondering if and when someone would cut a hole in the top was my hold back on a convertible and having it for winter. Just happened to see a G6 in a parking lot and checked it out on line and found a car for $31000 that did just what I needed. It really needs a place to lock items in when parked and one touch button top operation would be great. Liked the electric blue but found it was only available in 06 and put out the blue gold which I dont care for color wise. Odd they made the prototype electric blue and cancel the color for 07. I love the car anyway.

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  7/8-Scale Corvette - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By jdII - January 23 - 6:56 pm

  Ridiculous good looks attract a crowd everywhere I go. Flip off the traction control and make Corvette-like tire smoke. Enduraflex panels make parking lots non-scary. The Eco-Tech Turbo motor is impressive and pulls hard at virtually all RPMs. Very neutral handling posture especially at the limits, impressive brakes. In the final analysis, think of this car as a 7/8-scale Corvette. Its sexy, overt, a little louder and ready to eat GT Mustangs at the next stoplight. Despite the bravado, it is civil enough my wife can drive it and enjoy the cars appeal. Would like to see a few more exterior visual cues to differentiate the GXP from the normally aspirated model.

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  comfortable-fuel /elect/eng. probs. - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By poundcake - January 20 - 10:00 am

  I love the extended cab-the interior is comfortable...but alot of electrical problems ,a faulty fuel system and now a costly leaking gasket......

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  Very Good Car - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Ozzie - January 18 - 10:33 pm

  I bought a 2005 Sunfire with 28k miles on it and after one year and 16k later my Sunfire is getting better despite considering that I bough it with a salvage title (the car was in an accident). I put $15 on gas and my Sunfuire is taking me to work all week and my job is 18 miles from home.

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  Great car, no wonder it got stolen! - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Betawolf - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Hey i bought my 08 grand prix this about a month ago, it got stolen last week. Very good looking car and has great power and acceleration. The fuel economy is a little on the down side thanks to the fuel thirsty V6. Interior looks modern and nice, with comfortable seats and a user-friendly cock-pit. The exterior is very stylish and sporty, with tinted windows, a spoiler, and sleek curves. I had no complaints with anything except my 2008 model had no anti-theft devices or onstar which in the end is why i do not have the car anymore!

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  Flamer - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By DRJ - January 13 - 1:40 pm

  Performance and gutsy sound from dual exhausts is sports car like yet is a family sedan. Impressed with 30 mpg on highway under 72 mph. Great exterior design. Had to upgrade the tires and stereo dvd player. Very visible orangish red color has helped accident avoidance.