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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  Nice car - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By NB - November 9 - 5:20 pm

  I think this car has been very good. The only thing I have to complain about is replacing the brakes...it seems like at least once a year. Other than that I have not had any problems with it. I have the SE V6 which has nice pick up.

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  Sorry - 2007 Pontiac G5
  By Tom - November 9 - 5:10 pm

  My G5 has been in the shop 6 times since i bought it in December 07 with the same problem. Radio has staic rpm fluxuates, tires blown out, gas milage droped from 35 mpg to 27 mpg the first 2 months. I will never buy another GM product. Ill stick with my good dependable FORDS. Dealer still cant fix the car. They just keep reprograming it.

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  hate my pontiac - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Kristen Wade - November 3 - 10:00 am

  My 99 pontiac grand am is garbage...it has been in the shop more times than I can count...I have spent about 5,000 in repairs..and now it has a 4,000 dollar repair waiting to be fixed...I dont think so..I am hoping to trade it in...I still owe more than the car is worth...my advice dont buy

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  Poor Quality - 2001 Pontiac Grand AM
  By mikee4667 - October 19 - 2:57 am

  I would not recommend this car to anyone. It had a water leak in the passenger side that shorted out a computer that cost 500 to fix. 3 out of 4 power windows broke, and the passenger mirror fell off when I scraped snow off it. The security light came on and I had to have a new ignition cylinder put in-another 300. I traded it in while it was still running. Just to be clear I changed the oil regularly and kept up the maintenance. Poor Quality--I can see why Pontiac went out of business.

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  Stabilitrak - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By L Bgard - October 17 - 6:26 pm

  I bought my vehicle in June 07 and less than 6 mths later the back tires locked up (while I had my 2 mth old in the car!) and the stabilitrak lights came on. Brought it to the dealer and they fixed (so I thought). One month after my warranty ran out, the light came on again and my steering wheel locked up. I didnt bring it back to the dealer, but figured out it must b a computer glitch. If I turn my car off wait a few seconds then turn it back on, the light normally goes off and the wheel unlocks. This must be a problem with this particular vehicle! Dont purchase this vehicle in an awd! The paint on the window buttons located by the stick shift rubbed off. Looks like crap now. Seat stitching pulled apart

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  2004 Grand AM GT 2 door - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Bert Nissel - October 17 - 10:00 am

  Poor gas mileage, not as indicated on sticker. Night driving very bad ligths poor coverage, even after replacing to Sylvania silver stars. Noisy passenger door has air leak at 60 mph, dealer not able to find cause. Claims thats normal. Ram air ducts in hood are ornamental only.

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  Well...its a cheap car - 2009 Pontiac G3
  By axle2152 - October 6 - 6:15 am

  I bought my G3 in August of 2009. I currently have 71,100 miles. I have not had any mechanical problems, however I have 2 camshaft position sensors go bad. This causes the car to sputter and lose power and causes a lot of jerking which is bad for the transmission. The ride is a little rough, about what you would expect in a sub-compact. Power is a joke, 12 seconds to 60 MPH, and fuel economy could be better, and other cars in its class (from the same year model) get better gas mileage and still have better performance. On-Star never worked from the start and the dealership gave me the run around about fixing it, so it never was, not that I would subscribe to a nonsense service anyway.

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  Pontiac Montana SV6 - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By George J - October 5 - 10:06 pm

  The interior design is very poor. The second row seats wont fold down because the head rests are so big they hit the front seats. Also, they dont flip up like my Chevvy Ventures seats did to make more room temporarily for cargo. They also have slippery rounded backs, so you cant carry anything on them when they are in the down position. They are too heavy for me to carry alone, whereas I could carry 2 of the Ventures seats at the same time. The third row seats are even heavier, requiring two people to move them. Further on the headrests, they are so large as to render rear vision very limited. You have to use the mirrors to back up. The dealership has been great though.

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  Piece of junk - 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By LCYon - October 3 - 2:00 am

  Im not sure how Pontiac designs cars but they completely failed here. Even the repairs were not done very well by the dealerships (as evidenced by the repeated failure of the same part). I will never purchase another Pontiac and have moved to a more reliable car, a VW. Years 1-4 - three bad oxygen sensors - plastic molding on both doors fell off (replaced 6 times!!!) Year 5 - bad oxygen sensor - rusted through brake rotors ($500) - cracked power steering rack ($1200) - completely fogged headlights ($400)

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  Jeckyl and Hyde Van! - 1998 Pontiac Trans Sport
  By Wagner Family - September 29 - 10:03 am

  Such ironies! Bought with 19,000 miles and now have 109,000. Transmission great. Engine accelerates good and never a problem yet has always had cheap sounding, rough idle. Luxury and techie features are great, was ahead of its time. Yet same problems as everyone else! Leaking coolant cost $1k. Headlights/grill wobbly and cheap. Doors rattle, rear rattles. Nice ride on smooth roads but rattletrap on rough. Road noise in rear! And yes my radio/clock has now gone out. Obvious where production had flaws. Now trying sell and resale STINKS! Bottom line - close but no cigar - wouldnt cosider GM for new van or Ford/Chrysler for that matter. Bought 2005 Honda Ody - WOW! QUALITY!