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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  Pontiac Grand Am - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Jean - October 10 - 11:46 pm

  A very nice care and good value for the money, however a little more head room would be nice.

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  Buy a Ford - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By EJT - October 10 - 1:36 pm

  Fun to drive good performance for the money. This is my second GM product and would buy a Ford next time. Have had a half dozen Fords and never saw the service department. This my second GM and new the service guy at both dealers on a first name basis. 5- weeks of ownership and already have my 3rd service appointment. Similar experience when I purchased a Cadillac Deville. No major problems but lots of small stuff. It s not the problems so much as the inconvenience. All the trips back and forth to the dealer, being late to work cause you have drop of the car and then having to leave early to pick it up.

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  Salesmans Car - 2006 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By pakeane - October 10 - 3:03 am

  Test drove the ususal mid-size imports along with the GP, after crunching the numbers the GP provides much more value for your dollar. Base drivetrain miles ahead of base imports. Ample torque across powerband. Purchased for a salesman who travels 20k+ each year in the car (in addition to countless miles via air). Fair city mileage with good highway mileage and manners. Dont be affraid of domestic cars based on that crappy 1987 Oldsmoford you owned. While maybe not as refined as the other options on the market, this is surley a solid car at an attractive price point.

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  GTP CompG - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By U TI VOM - October 9 - 10:00 am

  When I initially drove and decided to trade in my 02 GTP I loved the new GTP with Comp G package. But Ive steadily seen horrible gas mileage in city driving (hovering around 15 MPG), and a terribly bouncy ride between 50-80 MPH on anything other than perfectly smooth backtop (which is hard to find in Chicago). Its fun to drive if you dont care at all about your gas mileage. The interior is a nice change in styling over the 02, but leaves a lot to be desired in quality. Although

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  Timing Chain eats engine - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Cracky - October 8 - 6:00 am

  So much for regular maintenance and synthetic oil. The 2002 2.2L ecotec has a childs bicycle chain to drive the cams and it, like thousands of others , have failed. GM knew this. They made improvements in 2003. They sent dealer bulletins but not a word to the owners. I think this is a very poor way to do business. I visited the dealership and got a world class cock and bull story with an offer to take my car in trade for $125 dollars. Im done with GM... forever.

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  8 - 2003 Pontiac Grand AM
  By jackpot - October 7 - 10:00 am

  No rust interior cloth no rips air condition power seats power windows power locks

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  6th Pontiac - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By John Berszoner - October 2 - 5:20 am

  I have driven 5 Pontiac Bonnevilles before I bought my G6 GT. I loved my Bonnies. They always met my driving needs as far as performance, handling and comfort was concerned. I test drove the G6 and was amazed that while the G6 was smaller, the performance and comfort was on par with the Bonnies. The handling was even better than what I was used to.

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  not your average 32k car - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By Just a Workin Man - October 1 - 1:16 am

  I took over a lease in october 2005. It was a great deal or I would not have considered it. The lackluster styling of the car is a real fooler. Once I took it out for a drive, I was hooked! I owned a 1964 GTO, 4 barrel with auto transmission in 1968 & 1969 with fond memories, but WOW what a difference. all I can say is if you dont drive a new GTO you have no idea what you are missing. The plain Jane styling is somewhat of a blessing since the cops dont seem to notice the car at all, so far so good, no tickets yet! I did have it up to 135 MPH & there was alot left to go, but that was fast enough for me.

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  My First Pontiac - 2000 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Poor Boy - September 30 - 12:53 pm

  Overall pretty good car. Steering rack was leaking, had it replaced under extended warranty. Window motor went out, again replaced under warranty. Great Gas Milage. Intermediate steering linkage has been a problem, fixed under recall but now acting up again. Purchased car almost three years old with 23,000 miles and bought it for half of new car sticker. Never owned a Pontiac before, thought I would give it a try.

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  04 GTO A Blast to Drive/Owner - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By cavu - September 28 - 4:56 pm

  Wife loves car. Nimble and responsive. Comfortable. Totally differnt experience than the BMW 3 and 5 series cars in our neighborhood. More of a stand-out bad-boy. The local kids know its different too... Corvette Powered! Some glitches w/ Gauges on deliever.