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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  Great Car! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By James - May 14 - 9:16 pm

  The car is roomy, peppy, sharp looking, versatile. We are very happy with it!

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  Good Choice - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By dmg1mn - May 14 - 7:13 pm

  Love it. I have always owned GM vehicles, This is my favorite. I have the base model. Affordable, drives nice, looks good.

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  My 2007 Solstice - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By Brian P - May 14 - 11:06 am

  I have only owned the Solstice for a couple of weeks but it has been an exciting time. The car is a blast to drive, a real head-turner. There is nothing like the feeling of a top-down ride on a back country road during the summer time.

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  Ouch, its the tranny - 2001 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Skeeter - May 14 - 7:03 am

  I just took my GP GT into the dealership after hearing a bit of extra noise under the hood. They called me back saying that it appears that a bearing is going and pieces are floating around the transmission. Cost to repair it, $3400. Not too happy about GM build quality after this. The other issues Ive had are "warped", distorted windshield, a spot in the paint that had been redone poorly at the factory, and a leaky rear window that had water sloshing underneath the rear seats onto the floor.

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  My Montana - 2005 Pontiac Montana
  By Matthew Pellegrini - May 13 - 1:20 am

  I just bought a new Montana and would not buy anything else. The ease the handling and the style of the montana compare to no other min van classification. To top it off all the repair bills I had on the other one was oil changes no major repairs that is reliability. Thanks Pontiac for making such a great car!

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  Sadly parting with this car. - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By iamhere - May 11 - 6:18 pm

  Sick at heart. This 2003 Vibe has 155,000 miles on it. I replaced a sluggish starter about 20,000 miles ago. That is it other than battery, tires, alignment, brakes and spark plugs. Some jerk ran a stop sign and totaled the car. Sick at heart. Want another just like it. It was perfect and I know it would have gone another 100,000 miles easily. Best interior and configuration. Never a bit of problem. So sad.

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  Great Car - 1998 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Jigga9JayZ - May 11 - 2:00 am

  Great car...only 64K miles and no problems so far...everything is in perfect condition...5-speed manual with the 4 cyl is fast and fun...great handling and performance

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  The GTO has finally here !!!! - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By GTO - May 11 - 2:00 am

  Good Car, delivers 100% and more, great engine and manual transmission package, excellent interiors - got confused with the exterior - Plain looking but clean,not impressed with the jelly been design. GM keep the good work and brings us few more effordable cars with Power in the future.

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  Good buy but dealer is less than helpful - 1999 Pontiac Montana
  By Maria M - May 10 - 10:00 am

  The van is great! Were having problems with the dealer not wanting to correct a brake problem we found when we bought it. Otherwise we like the van :)

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  Beautiful performance - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By louisky123 - May 10 - 10:00 am

  Have a 99 V6-5M which has been great and just bought a 02 V6-5M to keep for eternity since GM has lost its mind and decided to stop making them. What a bargain price for this well equipped vehicle. Big, powerful V6, smooth- shifting 5 speed, 4 wheel ABS, great sound system, wide 16" wheels and tires, and same great look as the V8 (better in my opinion than the slighty gaudy Trans Am). Highly recommend the 3800 performance package to get the dual exhaust and Torsen limited slip differential (huge improvement in the traction department).