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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  Awesome Pick!! - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By Stephanie - January 17 - 1:26 am

  I bought this car about 2 weeks ago, I find that I made a great choice, and Im loving every minute of driving in it!. The pick up is a little slower than i thought but once it gets going, it holds you to the seat. Great for driving on the highway, not too bad fuel economy in the city. Very comfortable,and roomy. Quiet & smooth driving on the highway, and with over $7500.00 taken off the original price to make it $26,600 for the full SE package, i think i got a great price on it.

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  200,000 without major repair - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By Ray - January 16 - 3:02 pm

  Acceleration is not great, but not bad. Road holding is great. Just turned 200,000 miles without major repairs, mostly brakes and 2 recalls.

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  GTO bad to the bone - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By matthew - January 16 - 2:13 am

  This car is really fun and looks like a sleeper most people do not know what it is or what is under the hood (raw power baby)

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  Best of all worlds - 2004 Pontiac Vibe
  By Carcully - January 14 - 10:13 am

  We recently sold our 2003 Honda Odyssey, and replaced it with a 2004 Vibe. Im thrilled with our choice. We have two young children, but really didnt want to drove a large van around any longer, partly because of rising gas prices, and also because the van became a holding ground for extra items we really didnt need to be using. The Vibe is perfect for us. It still has the ability to haul things if needed, has a decent-sized back seat for a small car, but has much improved gas mileage, ease of handling and parking, and is equally as comfortable. It is also a sharp looking car, and it sits you up nicely for a good view of the road. If something ever happened to mine, Id buy another!

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  love it - 2005 Pontiac Sunfire
  By berdonn - January 13 - 2:26 pm

  my experience has been wonderful i really love the way the car looks feels and handles. I am finding that i like driving it too much at the rate im going i will have the miles jacked up in a year.

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  Could be better - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By chestnuts - January 12 - 5:36 pm

  Having driven my new Torrent for about 4 months now, I do find a few annoying shortcomings. The controls on the Steering Wheel are terribly designed. The 3 cruise control buttons (and those for the radio too) are much too small for a mans finger! I must take off my eyes off the road and actually look to find the right button, then use my fingernails to activate the control button.In short, a terrible design. I now have 12,000 Miles on it and I am ready to replace the tires. Especially in rainy weather, a little acceleration and the wheels start to spin! No traction whatsoever -very disappointing. I feel car should have more power. In normal overtaking maneuvers,car moans and groans.

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  Driving Excitement - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Judith Chesnick - January 12 - 5:03 pm

  I enjoy having and driving it very much. It handles excellent and the ride is very smooth. I havent had any complaints from people who have rode in it with me. I actually underestimated it when I looked at it but when I drove it, man it drove like a soaring eagle. The color of this car is nice, it is greystone metallic. It is a subtle color for the power that this car possesses. But I am not complaining.

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  4 passenger corvette - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By BCWatty - January 12 - 3:56 pm

  I am a car-a-holic, my last 4 were a Lexus, MINI, M-B, and BMW. Always valued handling over horsepower - I never knew what I was missing. Not sure if I can go back. I was glad to find a GM product with some appeal; unfortunately, the lower portion of my rear bumper keeps falling off and dealer states this design defect is not covered under warranty (a unique strategy, car falls apart, blame the customer) cannot imagine being treated this way at Lexus dealership. Car is never fixed the first time and the wait for parts is in terms of months, not weeks or days. Cool car, but not very stylish when the bumper spends more time in my trunk than on the vehicle. There is no viable alternative.

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  Its a sweet car! - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Marie w - January 12 - 10:00 am

  I got my car 8 months ago, its been a pretty awesome car. Its got great pick up, and is pretty solid. Ive had to put a new condenser cord in. but thats with any older car.

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  Love my Lupe! - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By jax - January 12 - 10:00 am

  I tell everyone I know they should buy an Aztek! It is one of the best vehicles on the road, regardless of what people say about its looks! Personally, I bought it for its looks...I did not want something that everyone else had....I have never been that type of person. The bottom line is that it takes a certain person to look past the exterior of a person or a thing. The Aztek offers much more than I could ever hope for in a vehicle...it is comfortable, extremely fuel efficient and has a smooth ride. I averaged 40+ miles per gallon while driving around the U.P. of Michigan...what does that tell ya? My Lupe is dependable & reliable!