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 - 1996 Pontiac Grand AM
  By MATT - November 17 - 10:36 am

  Very reliable, takes a lot of abuse.Underated and under appreciated. Gas mileage is a little dissapointing.

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  Love my Aztec!! - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By pbwaters75 - November 15 - 10:00 am

  My wife and I just purchased a 2004 Aztec. We took a lot of time looking for a new vehicle, wanting more room than our 01 XL7 offered. The Aztec is everything we wanted and more. Its so comfortable that you quickly grow to love the entire vehicle. Plus, it was a great deal, its like a best kept secret or something, we got an 04 demo w/7100 miles for a fraction of the orginal MSRP. Reviews for this vehicle are great, take the time to look them over.

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  Excellent - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By michael barker - November 15 - 10:00 am

  I could not ask for a better car for what i paid. The power of this car is unbeatiable for a 4 banger. I motify cars for a living and my sunfire is totally pimped out now with extras includeing chrome rims, masterflow exhaust, nos, and dozens of other extras. This car is just plainly an excellent car to work with and there is no other way of saying it in words. When i drive down the road even when it was a complete stock car i still turned heads to see peole looking a awwwwwing.

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  The new GTO, is it really back? - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By GTO GIRL - November 15 - 10:00 am

  I have purchased many new vehicles with out any problems but this one has had me in the dealership twice so far. Battery replacement and now speedo gone hay wire. what is next?

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  Former auto Europhile - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By dhalbach - November 13 - 10:50 pm

  Have had the AWD with all the goodies for 850 miles now and am pleased. The AWD has performed well in the little snow and slush weve had. Nice power, ride and handling for such a vehicle. Good looking inside and out. Hauls long pieces of lumber well. Ive owned 5 BMWs and largely avoided US vehicles until I got a GMC Canyon to go 4x4ing. Had a good experience with that, so when I discovered that crew cabs dont fit into the 80 year old garage in the house I just got decided to give GM another chance and on paper the Torrent fit my needs better than anything else. Have been turned off by the recent quality problems with Euro cars. So far so good, and, my teenage daugter likes it too!

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  Love My Firebird - 1998 Pontiac Firebird
  By jakobshay - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I have a 98 Firebird with the standard V-6 matched with the 5-speed. it never fails to amaze me the power from this engine, its always smooth leaves most in the dust an I still am not stopping at every gas station in town. Many road trips later,,, its a nice smooth road car an handles nice to at speed. Im glad I am the driver however cuz I dont want to sit in the back seat!!! an luggage space is okay but could use some help in that dept!! but over all I am very very happy with the car !!!

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  Best Bang for the Buck - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Slats - November 10 - 10:00 am

  I am now purchasing my 3rd Sunfire GT. This is a testiment to the uncanny reliability I have experienced over the years with these inexpensive cars and large number of features for the buck. Simply put, no car for the dollar offers what Sunfire does. I owned a 97 GT, 01 GT and now just purchased an 05 GT. Besides regular maintenance (Oil, brakes and odd recall for software updates), I have had operational failure in these cars. I owned a 95 Honda Prelude that almost bankrupt me in repair bills, then I took a chance on the Sunfire and still cant find a reason leave. Sorry Corolla, Civic and Focus; Youre too expensive and lack Zest!

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  Built Cheap Wont Last - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cldavis - November 10 - 10:00 am

  Bought this car in April of 2004. Really loved it until it began to fall apart. Wheel speed sensor went out a week after I bought it--it is a $500 part and not to mention the cost of taking it to a dealership to get it fixed. About two months after that, the crankshaft pulley broke and my auxillary belt slipped....another big expense. The power seat motor, along with the red lighting on the clock also went out. The brakes were also a huge problem with this car. In 5 months, I had the pads replaced twice! I liked it at first because of its sporty looks, but thank goodness I traded it in on something more reliable!

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  Run rabbit Run - 2005 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Troy Ott - November 10 - 2:56 am

  Check for leaks, head gasket, overheating

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  A white knuckle experience! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By Robert Spinden - November 6 - 2:40 am

  This car is nothing but amazing! With its 400 horses under the hood waiting to go it deffinately has some "get up and go." The best part about the car is nobody has one! Ive never seen on the road. Its a sleeper, nobody knows whats under the hood. People point at red lights and ask you about it at the gas station. They recommend premium, so it can be a spendy trip! My buddy had his 2005 GTO up to 156 mph and he said it was still climbing. It handles great around the corners, and is truely a great ride! Dont buy one! So there are less GTOs out there for people to drool on!!!