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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  WOW!!! - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By whatagreatcountry - July 17 - 5:16 am

  I absolutely love this car. It is amazing, fun to drive, and a great head turner. Anybody that doubts that GM can build a great car has rocks in their head. The most heated discussion in our house each morning is who gets to drive it.

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  Loved this car! - 1997 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Spirit711 - July 17 - 3:33 am

  I bought this car with 17,000 miles on it as a program car. Its absolutely been the best car Ive ever owned. I have 76,000 on it now and I doubt if Ive put over $1,000 in it, including regular maintenance. Its time to think about buying a new one, but I keep trying to wait until something goes wrong with this car, and it just keeps going and going!

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  surprised - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By Darrell - July 17 - 3:33 am

  Bought it in June 05 , and have 9000 miles on it . Pleasantly surprised . MPG on Hwy at 80 mph we got 32 mpg on a 600 mile trip . My wife averages 28-30 in mixed driving . Very quiet except on really rough roads, excellent stereo , and spacious back seat on base sedan . Some cheap plastic on the interior , but what do you expect for under 20k ?

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  Fun car for short time - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By AkosPrime - July 17 - 2:00 am

  This car was excellent for about 100K miles. I only had a few problems with it during that time: power window motors died twice & the elec system easily. All in all it was still a great ride. After 110K miles the car developed a problem that I have spent many hours and dollars trying to get fixed. Now it needs to be warmed up for 5 minutes before it can be driven anywhere no matter what the temperature outside or else the engine dies when the clutch is depressed. The car looks beautiful, its great for driving in nice weather, and fun! The quality does not lead me to believe that it is a car for the long haul.

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  My kind of convertible - 2007 Pontiac G6
  By skijcm - July 16 - 1:10 pm

  I test drove several cars before the G6 and none felt as comfortable. The ride with the top up or down is smooth, responsive and fun.

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  There is a reason GM killed this heap - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Joshua Riopiedra - July 15 - 4:50 am

  GM used to build solid cars What the hell happened? Save your money and purchase a quality vehicle. A wealthy friend of mine put it best..."You need not be rich to afford a BMW, but the opposite is true about owning a domestic". -Buy something well built and you wont break yourself in repairs. Im sorry but we did it to ourselves, America. We lost the zero defect mentality and embraced the quick buck slap it together and send it out the door philosophy.

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  Nice suv for the money - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By TT - July 14 - 9:40 pm

  I was shopping for a wagon with good gas mileage and lots of room. I narrowed it down to the Magnum and the Torrent It came down to price and resale value. I picked up the Torrent used with 7200 miles for 16,900 with the standard package which by the way gives lots of options. I liked the styling on the Torrent and enjoyed the peppy response on the throttle. I was also suprised by the quietness of the cabin. Ride is really nice, very smooth and the engine barely makes a murmur. I love the room in the back seat and the cargo area is superior to lots of larger suvs in function all the seats fold down including the front passenger seat for added length. Much nicer than the Vue.

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  Its been a good ride w/minor irks! - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By cliff - July 14 - 4:36 am

  Purchased in 2002 with 44K on the 2.4L DOHC 150hp, 150lbs ft motor. I drive approx. 150+ miles daily, it now has 163K and still runs strong at highway speeds. Problems w/ the car: alternator and starter replaced; seems to run through brakes and rotors; both power window motors failed; left stranded after clutch cable broke, a $300 repair; the cd player quit; I had to replace water pump (Who designed this motor? Dealers wanted $700-800. Why? It is run by timing chain and you have to disconnect the exhaust, the ex manifold, timing cover and chain to replace. This is not a lexus guys.) has been reliable car. If this motor is this good, the ecotec which replaces the 2.4 should be better!!!

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  99 Sunfire se - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By E. - July 13 - 5:56 am

  Nice little car for work/travel. Had to replace tires & Rotors/calipers at 63,000 miles which cost me about $800.

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  What a lemon! - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Miss Unhappy! - July 12 - 9:13 pm

  What a disappointment this car has been! We purchased this G5, hoping that it would be similar in quality as the Pontiac Sunfire that we had previously driven. Not even close! We have always had a problems with the keys, to the point we cant even open our doors or trunk, and now the key wont even start the car! Its still under warranty but yet the dealership has chosen to spray my ignition with rustcheck instead of addressing the real problem, the keys! From months of juggling both of our keys to either get the doors opened and now to start the car, I guess the problems start now! Both keys are so worn out just from one year of driving. I also cant stand the noise whilst driving!