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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  Comfortable Cross Over - 2008 Pontiac Torrent
  By Rob L. - September 17 - 6:06 pm

  This is a very good riding cross over type SUV. It gets very good gas mileage on the highway - about 25 to 26. The controls are pretty good, but the steering and handling on the base model is unacceptably sloppy. If you like this vehicle, get the GXP model which has a different and tighter steering system. The center console could be a lot better and more useful - it lacks storage and the center mounted power window buttons are not intuitive.

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  Batmobile, Tank, Grand Prix Coupe - 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By midwestboiler - September 17 - 4:49 pm

  This was my first car, and it was a great first car. Unfortuneatly, I was rear ended and ultimately had the car totaled. The time that I had it though, was very enjoyable. First, a V-6 engine allows for this car to be borderline over the top with power, but that didnt bother me. The problem with all of the power was that the car averaged about 18 mpg. The 12 gallon tank also forced me to have to fill up more often than I would have liked. I had leather seats and they were very comfortable. It was very easy to carry 4 passengers in the car. While the doors were huge, it allowed much easier access to the back seat.

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  Excellent car. - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By Mike - September 16 - 10:16 pm

  I wanted a reliable car with good gas mileage, but I am 60 years old with bad knees, so I needed a car tall enough to let me easily get in and out. I know this car was designed for young people, but it meets my needs just fine. I plan to keep it for a long time.

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  Grand Am GT V6 - Going Stron - 1999 Pontiac Grand AM
  By GMA - September 14 - 1:33 am

  Bought from a friend in 2005 who bought it new; it had ~50000 miles when i purchased it. Now has ~130000 on it. Replaced window motor, head gasket, alternator, brakes, rotors, rim leaking, shocks, etc... Typical for this car and similar to other posts. But, car drives great and if you keep RPMs under 2000, you can expect ok gas mileage. Everything still works, so no valid reason to trade it in, although it isnt work too much now. Will keep driving until the wheels fall off. If you are considering buying, try to get it cheap and make sure you go through these reviews to determine if any of these typical problems have been fixed. Mine is red, so looks good still when it is buffed

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  2008 Solstice - 2008 Pontiac Solstice
  By Danny - September 12 - 1:56 am

  I just bought the solstice and I love it. The ride and handle is great. The inside a little cramped and the cup holders are in bad locations. Not much storage anywhere so dont go shopping on this car. But over all I love this car.

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  Looks Better Than It Runs - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By The Fastest lemon - September 11 - 10:53 am

  Ive had my 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix GT Sedan for three and a half years. My Dad handed it down to me after he lost use of his right leg to cancer and I hit a deer with my 93 S-10. For the first three years Ive had it, it gave me no problems and I like the way it looks, especially in black, sleek and sinister, the fog lamps, spoilers, and dual exhausts dont hurt either. It was pretty fast and fuel efficient, but it turned into a piece of crap once it had 115,000 miles on it. The windshield wipers stick up when theyre turned off, the tail-break lights dont work, you could time its acceleration to highway speed with a calendar, the windows dont work, and it guzzles gas like a V8.

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  1997 Pontiac Grand Am SE by Alisha - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Alisha McAleese - September 9 - 1:46 pm

  I have driven many vehicles and i have determined my favorite was the 1997 Grand am that i bought this year. It handles great and it is really fun to drive even though it is an automatic. I have had many compliments on the car.

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  Get some "lift" in your life - 2003 Pontiac Vibe
  By castovicini - September 9 - 10:00 am

  The low end torque is a downside, but the car is fun to kick into "lift" mode at 6000 RPM. You can fold down the seats and carry the groceries home with the new lamp, or put all three kids in the back with the seats up. There are some cheesey plastic interior parts, but thats why its a $17,000 car.

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  95 t/a - 1995 Pontiac Firebird
  By 95ta - September 9 - 10:00 am

  This car is great I bought from A guy in Florida, who recently moved here (pa.). Body is in excellent shape to date. People ask me all the time is that a new car? No, I tell them its a 95 (8 years old) and they say "NO WAY". Overall I like the car but it does have its quirks, I owned 3 GM F-Bodies (85 camaro 2.8, 84 z28 - 5.0 h.o., 95 t/a 5.7L)and have the same complaints. Rattles and creaks everwhere, power windows are slow and always need adjusting, rides poorly on a bumpy road (shakes and rattles). No good in snow even with the posi, front air dam is to low, it bottoms out on almost anything.

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  2000 Montana - 2000 Pontiac Montana
  By Mongoose69 - September 9 - 10:00 am

  Other than going through a spell where we had a number of nagging problems around 35000 miles this has been a great van. More cargo space than any of the others. We plan to replace this van with another Montana in the next few years. My wife has just fallen in love with it. We have driven the Toyota and the Ford and the Chrysler/Dodge ones and she has concluded that none of them are as good as her Montana.