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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  Good Little Car - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By jstant01 - June 29 - 6:30 pm

  My Vibe is a good little car. I downsized in mid-2005 when gas reached $3.00 per gallon. It gets good gas mileage, is fun to drive, and is very roomy for such a small vehicle. The back seat is HUGE. My only problems have been some rattles in the dash and an ongoing "starting" issue. It doesnt like to fire up right away when the engine is warm. Other than that, no real problems. Great car!

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  Best Safety for the buck - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By tom - June 27 - 10:46 am

  Bought this car for my daughter due to safety, price and looks, so happy with it we bought one for my wife three weeks ago! Love OnStar phone service and safety with all 6 airbags, rollover ratings and traction control

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  Torrent - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Cheri Dingfelder - June 27 - 4:40 am

  The rear seat is wonderful. It has so much space between the front seat. I am not getting kicked while I drive from the kids. Gets much better gas mileage than my Gran Prix that I traded in and the drive feels the same.

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  Vibe is a joy to own! - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Hugh - June 26 - 9:03 pm

  In almost six years now we have only put tires, a battery, and front brake pads on this car! Oil and filter of course, but wonderful car. Highway mileage goes to low 30s at high speeds. Contrary to what some here report, the Vibe and Matrix are made in America on the same assembly line in California.

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  Not Happy - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By John - June 25 - 7:13 pm

  This car was great for the first 50K miles then things started to fall apart. The catalytic converter went out at about 55K, and the transmission started operating real sloppy. From there the transmission went downhill. The transmission had a certain lag when you needed to accelerate and it started making funny noises. At 85K the transmission started dropping into gears and continued to sound worse. I just got rid of it before things got worse.

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  I Miss Pontiac! - 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By I Miss Pontiac! - June 24 - 9:46 pm

  I do like my 2007 Pontiac Grand Prix. I still dont love it. I am a Mercury Cougar fan, I had 2 including a 25th Anniversary Edition. The Pontiac and Grand Prix version is a wonderful car. I have leather, heated seats, dual temp controls, sunroof, remote start, and the XM and 6 CD changer. All in a regular GP, not GT. I was told it was customer built. My car was also a program car. I have not had any problems. Just the normal oil and maintenance routines. The Drivers Info center is fun. The car does have get-up- and go, you can pass easily.

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  Solid Performance Sedan - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By MarkK - June 23 - 9:30 pm

  I had the power steering pump replaced at 21000 miles. I had the outside rubber/plastic lining at the base of the windshield replaced at 30,000 miles. The fuel economy isnt the best but it has 260 HP and 280 ft/lbs. of tourque, so I expected it. I get around 23 miles per gallon average on mostly highway driving. Im almost 6 4" and just barely fit in the car (It has a moon roof which lowered the roof line). Regardless, its a fun ride with very good acceleration and decent handling. The fold down front seat is a nice addition. The trunk is large. Overall, Im happy with the car for the price.

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  Why not a recall??!! - 2000 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jinx - June 23 - 2:06 pm

  I can not understand why a recall has not been issued for the passlock system! I googled the problem with my car and saw hundreds of people having the same problem as I have with having to wait ten minutes ,randomly , to start my car. I was docked 15 minutes of pay last week because I was 45 seconds late for work one morning.! I left the house at 6:30 am and twice in a row my car made me wait ten minutes to start it...even though I live just a few minutes from work with half an hour to spare to get there ( I thought ) I ended up being late. I called the nearest Pontiac dealer and was told there was no recall because it is not a safety issue.

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  2004 GTO - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By jgenestra - June 23 - 12:10 pm

  When I read on a car forum the amazing discounts on the 04 GTO I could not resist especially since I got a total of $10,000 in rebates and incentives!. The car is great, and I love the overall feel of the car. As a former 02 Camaro SS owner, the interior and build quality of the GTO is a huge leap forward. At first I did not like the styling, but its growing on me. Once again GM has dropped the ball on marketing their products correctly, because for the money these cars should be selling better.

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  2004 Aztek - 2004 Pontiac Aztek
  By gogoclown - June 23 - 2:00 am

  I bought this "truck" to replace my van. Didnt realize the reach over the back end. Also, didnt realize how impairing the strip through the back window could be. Lots of blind spots in this vehicle. When it rains or snows....the back window gets yucky with no way to clean it. I havent driven it during snow, but theres no way to get rid of snow on the big back window, either. My experience with the sliding rear cargo tray....I took it out after 3 days. What a waste of space. And...when I went to roll the cargo tray out of the back, all the stuff that was on it rolled back into the car.