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:

• 

  Please do not waste your money - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By mel1105 - January 27 - 11:07 am

  I have owned this car for 3.5 years now and have dumped over $3,000 in repairs in the last 24 months into it with replacing wheel bearings, strut mounts, brake pads & rotors, calipers etc etc etc. I wish I had someone warn me prior to purchase on the money pit this car actually is. Please take note of this if you are considering.

• 

  What GM was, and is not today - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Salt Belt, USA - January 26 - 1:43 pm

  This is the most reliable car on the planet. I now have 185,255 miles on it and has never had more than $500 worth of repairs since I bought it 10 years ago new with 7 miles on it. Id recommend this 1997 to buy used over the other two newer ones any day. The 1997 "3800" engine is what Japanese quality motors are today.

• 

  97 Trans Am - 1997 Pontiac Firebird
  By Sinurgy - January 26 - 10:46 am

  I chose to purchase the Trans Am for two major reasons, looks and performance. It has a very sleek yet muscular look. Also the car is simply fast. Power is always available. For the money I cannot think of a better sports car. It easily out performs the Mustang (yes, even the Cobra) and is certainly more rare. While its performance is about the same as the Camaro, it looks so much better. To get better performance\looks youd have to head into Vette\Boxter.

• 

  Nice looking car but engineering is weak - 1999 Pontiac Sunfire
  By JoJo Jackson - January 26 - 2:00 am

  We paid about $13000 new. The only option was a CD player. The main problems were that the A/C fan went out twice and an A/C duct kept coming apart when we ran the fan on high. Also, the paint job started pitting in 2001. The hood looks like it has white dots all over it. It also lost its original shine. To be honest, we live in Florida and the sun is brutal on paint. But we kept it waxed a couple of times a year and paint should last longer than that. It is the dark green color. No major problems with the motor or transmission. The car rattles and is very noisy.

• 

  I LOVE MY CAR - 2003 Pontiac Aztek
  By AWORK - January 26 - 2:00 am

  The car handles excellent. We have the car on the road several times and have enjoyed our ride. There was enough room for all of our Christmas gifts along with all of our luggage and people. We would not trade our decision to buy this car for the world.

• 

  Who approved the 09 design? - 2008 Pontiac Vibe
  By Burns1210 - January 23 - 7:43 pm

  Ive had the Vibe for a month and Im liking it so far. As mentioned in other reviews, it seriously needs a telescoping steering wheel. The despicably low center arm rest can be replaced with a Corolla arm rest for much better comfort. The roof rack- less roof rack makes no sense. The cross bars used to be standard. Have to unscrew the antenna to use it anyway. The upgrade stereo is nice, so are the alloys. I like the head rest positioning, never had a car that I could actually rest my head on the head rest while driving. Plenty of rear seat room, and cargo carpet and bungee tie-downs are a must-have. Getting 32-34 mpg using 10% ethanol.

• 

  Bad handling and always something wrong - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By angel - January 23 - 5:20 pm

  I bought this car thinking that Pontiacs are good car. Sure it looks nice on the outside and inside but its a piece of junk. I have put it in the ditch 3x, the handling sucks, the thermostat goes out and the brakes I replace every couple months. Not to mention several electronic things from time to time need to be constantly replaced

• 

  I love my Rally - 2005 Pontiac Aztek
  By 2005RalleyedAztek - January 23 - 1:36 am

  I love my 2005 Pontiac Aztek rally edition. I was going to sell it so that I could get something more fuel efficient, but there isnt a SUV that great gas mileage this good and is this smoking hot. I LOVE MY RALLY!!

• 

  Huge Disappointment - GM lost me - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By SM - January 21 - 10:40 am

  Bought the car last month and have nothing but problems. Just got back from the dealer and they tell me there is nothing wrong with the car. A near vision-blurring vibration, engine misfires, transmission sticks in second, and the stability control turning itself off then cannot be turned back on are just a few of the complaints. Ive been a GM guy and in the auto biz for almost 30 years. 12 major malfunctions at 1k miles Paleeeeze. GM seems to have lost it as far as Im concerned. If you have issues with your car like I do, you will find out what "The New GM" is really all about. Based on my current experience, I would not recommend any new GM product. My car is a lemon!

• 

  Best Family Sedan On the Market - 2003 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Joe Dixon - January 21 - 10:00 am

  We bought our Bonneville just last month, we previously had owned a 94 Bonneville. The car itself has a good design its quite attractive, for someone who has a family and wants something big enough to easily ride in comfort and have plenty of power doing so, then this is the car. The engine sound is amazing. As soon as you open up the engine the supercharger roars, its really gives you a rush. When test driving the vehicle, a Ford Mustang GT pulled up becide and we had a bit of a drag race, we easily pulled ahead of him, beleive it or not the pedal was not to the "metal".