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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  True Sleeper! - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Phils06 - July 12 - 6:23 pm

  After a test drive I had to have it! Smooth ride very fast and big leather seats! I read a bunch of reviews on how this car is lacking well I have yet to see it that way. I have had my GTO for over 5 months now and still puts a smile on my face every time I turn the key. This is truly a sleeper and rare car on the street. So much power that makes a ford owner jelious!

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  Its the little things that matter most! - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By New York Driver - July 12 - 6:56 am

  21,000 miles - I have had no problems with my GP mechanically yet. I am however a new york resident, and I often get pounded by the snow here. One of the first things that I noticed was that when lifting the windshield wipers up, they are stopped by there arms hitting the hood. This only allows for about 6 inches to clear all the snow and ice off, and they dont stay up, so you have to hold them. Also, the salt requires frequent squirts of washer fluid, but even the slightest cold weather freezes the squirters. The windows freeze easily too. The heated seats will burn your butt though! The chrome handles get scratched very easily. I always wanted a GP, and now I have one, its nice.

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  one great car - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By driveone - July 11 - 10:00 am

  Great car for the money. Puts my 2001 Honda Accord EX V6 to shame in performance, fuel economy, quality and reliability.

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  great car overall - 1998 Pontiac Bonneville
  By mashka - July 11 - 10:00 am

  This car is very easy to drive and it gives you alot of safety due to its size.

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  One Great car - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By GreggWright - July 11 - 10:00 am

  The car is a wonderful balance of sport and luxury.

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  04 GTP WOW - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By jackgit - July 11 - 10:00 am

  Took delivery yesterday $200 over Invoice minus 500 dealer cash & 500 holiday cash, 1,000 GM $ 36 mths 404 per mth. I had am 01 GT dealer took back on drive ahead program. GM did an excellent job tight steering alot of power super ride. This is my 5th Grand Prix & the best so far!!

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  1 word "FANTASTIC" - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By natedavis - July 11 - 9:06 am

  I bought this 02 Base model (4spd automatic) Firebird with 87k miles on it and you would have sworn it was new. Even though its just a V6, this thing still has a lot of power (205HP) stock and handles amazingly on the road at any speed. Hugs the road like no ones business. Sounds great. Super comfortable and very durable interior. Great looking exterior! Only thing Ive had to do to it was replace the fuel pump at 92k, other than that its been great! I paid $4,200 for this car, but after driving it, I would GLADLY pay double that for another one! All I can say is I found the car that no matter what else I own, will always be in my driveway!

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  Ideal performance, value and fun blend. - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By SDG8GT - July 11 - 6:06 am

  My 2009 Panther Black Metallic G8 GT is my first brand new car. Picked it up with 12 miles on the odometer. It has the two-tone seats, premium, sport and sunroof. The 6.0 L V-8 makes getting freeway merging and passing effortless, even when the car is filled with passengers and cargo. My G8 GT is a head turner and driving in it, is much like driving a in a fish bowl. At 62, finding a comfortable driving position was easy. The back seat handles 3 real-sized adults easily. The trunk will swallow 2-3 golf bags no problem. On a recent road trip we got up to 22 MPG on 87 octane. A lot of that trip was surface street driving.

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  Absolutely Impressive!!! - 2005 Pontiac GTO
  By MrMcCaff - July 10 - 7:33 am

  From the second that i test drove my GTO at the dealership, Ive been in love with it. In the past two years, Ive owned a 1998 Trans Am and a C5 Corvette and those are both great cars but I truly think that the overall package of the GTO is better. The quality of the GTO is amazing, I feel like Im riding in a high end BMW. This car is the perfect combination of style and performance.

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  Why I love my car - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By SweetC - July 9 - 8:46 am

  I love my car. It snowed about two weeks ago and I had the opportunity to use the traction control. It worked great. The remote start is also a very nice feature when it is cold. I can stand inside the building at work and start my car.