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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  Will never buy Pontiac again!!!! - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By Kristina - September 2 - 3:46 am

  When I first saw this car, I had to have it. It was sporty, roomy, and a good affordable price. Well, you get what you pay for!!! I have had to bring it in the shop several times....a ball joint and power steering column replacement, random lights bulbs go out all the time, keyless entry failed all of a sudden, belt replacement, shock replacement. I mean come on!!! The car isnt even that old. Might I add that I purchased the model with the panoramic sunroof...what a piece of crap. The noisiest ride ever. It is so loud I can barely stand it. I think it was cheaply made...looks good from the exterior, but runs like a cheap go-cart!! Thank god i bought an extended warranty

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  Best Car Ive Owned - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By eric116 - September 1 - 7:16 pm

  I love this car. I bought it only for $100 dollars back in April after I traded in my 03 impala for it, yes i know I downgraded to a 2000, but the Impala was starting to rust and the Grand Prix had no rust and Ive always wanted a GP and it always slipped through my grasp until now. The only problem I have had with the GP is the windsheild has a crack in it, not the big of a problem being that it is not in my line of sight. Plus my ac and heating had a weird problem where the drivers side only blew hot air even with the ac on but the passengers side worked just fine at first but it corrected itself right before summer.

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  Viben it down the road - 2007 Pontiac Vibe
  By Linda Kauffman - September 1 - 3:26 pm

  When we had some bad snow storms come thru in the last two months, this Vibe did awesome. It handled the snow as if it was a 4x4. This is a good fuel economy car to own.

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  2006 Vibe - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By Gregg - September 1 - 3:16 pm

  We drive 50 miles a day over Bozeman pass to go to work. The Pontiac Vibe handles the hills and curves with ease in all types of weather from wet roads to 3 foot snow drifts.

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  The Solstice Rocks - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By kevin - September 1 - 7:10 am

  Overall I love the car, however GM should have worked on expanding the leg room for the driver and the passenger. The seven speaker sound system is great to listen to and even though its a four cyclinder, it still has some pickup to it.

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  Fun Car - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Jack - August 30 - 9:26 pm

  It is a great car to drive. People ask questions about it all the time. They are always saying how good looking the car is. It has plenty of power, and it handles very nicely.

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  Great sports car - 2000 Pontiac Firebird
  By johnpr - August 30 - 4:40 pm

  I have enjoyed every moment with this car, I have traveled across the country in this vehicle and have allways enjoyed the ride and the power on demand feel of this car. The only reliability issue I have ever had with this was when the battery died. This is hardly an issue though as that is a normal maintenance item. Anyhow, great car with a great ride and comfort.

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  so far not bad - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By birdhouse - August 30 - 12:40 am

  The car seems to be pretty good. I traded a 2001 honda EX 6cyl for it. My biggest complaint is that there is no light in the glove box (shame on you G.M.). I also do not like the high performance tires. I will be lucky to get 15,000 miles out of them. And they make high sounds when you hit any little thing on the road. The trunk popper is very user unfriendly. The steering is a bit unusual. In Florida we really dont need heated seats. That could have been an option. All in all, I like the car and time will tell the rest.

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  Most reliable vehicle in the world! - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By hughsbase - August 29 - 9:35 pm

  I am extremely happy to announce that my vibe just hit the 300,000 miles mark and still running. I have driving this car around the country all the way to New Mexico and back with barely little maintenance. If you can find this vehicle get it! I promise you will not regret getting this vehicle!

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  Great First Car! - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Lindsay03 - August 28 - 3:53 am

  This is my very first car, and Im still loving every bit of it. Though weve had to change the front brakes once at about 84000 miles and just replace the signal flasher (?), which was only about $150 (But that was doing the labor from my dad). Even though it has only about a 12 gallon tank, it still gets fairly good gas mileage. I figure I got about 19 to the gallon...could be worse.