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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  Beautiful car one concern - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Cassandra Brown - July 24 - 3:43 am

  I have had this car for a week now love it. This is my first American made car. Very fun and quick car. What attracted me to this car was it put you in the mind of a BMW and not only that its a pretty red car but the fact is it was not many on the road which could be a bad or good thing but my thought was it would a good thing because it stands out from all the other cars and it does just that. People are always take a second look and comment on how beautiful my G8 GT is.

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  average quality - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By tom - July 24 - 12:30 am

  I have owned this car for 3 years after purchasing brand new in 2006 and it currently has 78500 miles. Since then I have replaced the tires once, had to have the fuel injection system replaced, exhaust replaced, steering column replaced and replaced the brakes and rotors once. The engine is noisy and the car squeaks and rattles under normal driving conditions. The average MPG registers about 25 on the information center with a mix of city and highway driving. The best mileage has been close to 30. The brakes are noisy but work fine. The resale value is not great, I would not recommend buying a new G6 but a used one may provide cheap transportation.

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  What fun!! - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By harmsaj - July 23 - 3:06 pm

  I love my GTO, Pontiac may have rushed this car to production, but I think they did a good job. Only irritation is with the dealer, tried some underhanded stuff and took their sweet time with the financial stuff. Car is a rip snortin good time though, and that traction control on the shifter makes green light tire chirping more tempting. Always turns peoples heads, especially when the exhaust note hits their ears. Loud Tim Allen grunts with every punch of the gas pedal. Gas mileage is as expected, also like the constant monitoring system and modes on the dash, fun to play with. Strero rocks, but would prefer Boston or Bose like my 2001 GP.

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  takes your breathe away - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By airf15692526 - July 23 - 11:30 am

  styling is awesome, and the comfort and ease of driving , and when you see the open road you are in comand, it gives you a feel of freedom and excitement at the same time ,

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  GTP Performance - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Paul - July 23 - 11:03 am

  From the day I bought the Grand Prix GTP I really enjoyed the performance of the supercharged engine. The only problem is the low roof line. I enjoy driving long distances the seats and gauges are excellent. Gas mileage is okay for a large midsize car. Even though the 3.8 is old technology, GM has come a long way with making the engine quite yet with the supercharger it is very responsive.

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  My Review... - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By vibegirl - July 22 - 10:53 pm

  I have had the car since Valentines Day 2003. Great little car and great gas mileage. Only things Ive had issues with so far, part of my luggage rack fell off and left side of my stereo is dim and GMAC wants $230 to fix a light! CRAZY PEOPLE!!! Oh, and the windows that are very noisy when winding them up, one came off track, dealer wanted $165 to fix it, cost me nothing and had a friend do it just to tighten a loose bolt!!!

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  Love this car! - 2008 Pontiac G8
  By adrian blindt - July 22 - 10:16 pm

  Wasnt looking for a new car but couldnt resist this when it came out. I cant wait to go out driving every day and look forward to an excuse to go for a longer run. The performance from the 6L V8 is simply amazing for a stock $30,000 car and it handles like a dream. Very comfortable seats (Im a physical therapist and seats are important to me), great driving position. Spacious rear seat. Excellent stereo. Great trunk space. Did I mention the engine and the performance?! Even managing decent fuel economy (20+mpg) on longer runs thanks to cylinder deactivation.

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  Bought a bargain - 2009 Pontiac G5
  By Mean Marcus - July 22 - 10:03 pm

  I would not have bought this tiny car, except for the $4,500 federal rebate. The gas mileage is incredible. The speed sensitive electrical power steering is just ok. Cornering is ok. I think it should have better front brakes, given the weight ratio. Attn. Gm: this is a coupe. Do you understand? am I getting through? its a coupe; a coupe. Make it comfortable for two people. Jump seats would be fine in back. And the parking brake nestled under the armrest is just plain stupid.

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  Very Happy! - 2001 Pontiac Bonneville
  By twostepper - July 22 - 9:20 pm

  Bought this car used and have been very satisfied. Gets great gas mileage. Had the transmission rebuilt, but was worth it to me because I wanted to keep the car. Other small, fairly inexpensive mechanical problems but its a used car and things go wrong.

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  Great Low cost car - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Esteban - July 22 - 10:03 am

  I have been driving a 2D SE pontiac for a couple of years and havent had any problem its a very good car for the price