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, fun and comfortable - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By j. brown - December 2 - 9:33 am

  Had a Chrysler 300C, so originally thought car would be too small. But at 6 2", It fits great. Comfortable, smooth ride. I got compliments on this car from other drivers on the test drive. Car looks unique on the street with the top up and really cool with top down.

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  Blue Vibe base fwd auto power package - 2005 Pontiac Vibe
  By goodvibrations - December 1 - 8:16 am

  I have only had the car for two weeks but I am very pleased. Like sitting up higher than a normal car. Good interior space and hatch glass that opens separately is handy. Nice that the passenger seat folds down so kids son can get a nice view of the road. Love the dash. Provides all the information you need and its just plain cool. Gas mileage is excellent and I like the gearing. At 100 km per hr (60 mph US) only reving at 2500 rpms. Great little family wagan with a sporty twist no regrets with my purchase.

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  P.O.S. please dont buy. JUNK!!!! - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By thirst234 - December 1 - 2:26 am

  Bought a 2006 g6, Ive had it about almost 2 yrs now. Ive changed the brakes and rotors 6 times already, Ive had 4 aligments done, Ive had to replace some kind of sensor, had to replace tie rod and wheel bearings twice on passenger side, and the biggest thing is about a week ago i find out i need to replace my steering column and a intermediate shaft. With all the money i put into this car i could of paid it off by now or bought a new one... Ive read a lot of reviews and everyone is having these same issues with their cars. So if enough of us write to the headquaters maybe theyll put out a recall like the other companys have. DONT BUY THIS CAR, ITS A MONEY PIT.

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  Best little convertible in the market - 2007 Pontiac Solstice
  By JV - November 30 - 2:33 pm

  Fun to drive both with the top up and down. The interior design makes it easy to use all aspects of the electronics with minimal effort.

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  Like a G6 ;) - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By clasokel89 - November 30 - 11:44 am

  Ive owned my 3.5L G6 V6 for two years now and bought it with 41,000 mi on the od, it now has 72,000 mi. The only problem Ive had drivetrain wise were a 2 month old set of Bosch Platinum 4-post spark plugs failing me one after another (wouldnt recommend them). I average about 21.5 mpg due to mostly stop and go but at low traffic times I get about 18 city and bested 31 hwy on a trip from Tx to WI with family. At about 65,000 mi the steering started clunking due to the intermediate steering shaft which I had replaced and the rear passenger side door lock stopped working, other than that Ive had no problems with the car. Its quick when you need to blast onto the highway 0-60mph in 6.2sec

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  Solstice Rocks! - 2006 Pontiac Solstice
  By Solticeman42 - November 29 - 8:10 pm

  The soltice is by far in a class by itself sure to become a classic. I have taken it down Califronias highway 1 and people love it! The car is cool with the top up or down. Truly a fun car to drive and the fact that its American Rocks!

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  Get One If You Can - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By GXP_CraZy - November 29 - 7:33 pm

  It was definitely worth the wait. This is the best performing car for the money out of the box. Great road trip car and when you get tired of cruising, grip the wheel and mash the pedal. If you can latch on to one you wont be disappointed. An aftermarket exhaust really wakes the beast and gives it a much more respectable tone.

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  Good car, cheaply made - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By capimo - November 29 - 4:13 pm

  *Note this is a "sports" car your insurance will be expensive I bought it May 2013 (MY first car :D) $1,800 and 147K miles. Mine is a Canadian car (I live in Michigan) so everything is metric/km :S But yeah good mpg, very rust resistant, lots of power for lil 4 cyl, after 9 months still reliable. Problems: The seats and various useless plastics are breaking. The previous owner wore down the springs, catalytic converter went (I hear this is a common problem, I bought mine online $75 and had Tuffy put it in $45. 12 years old and most everything on the car is factory gear! (Although not good in some cases..)

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  A total pleasure! - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By MartyB - November 29 - 10:00 am

  Sitting in the drivers seat is like coming home. Once you find yourself there, it can be difficult to remove yourself. The comfort found in its wonderful seat is almost therapeutic. The feel and location of the wheel and stick are right on key, and a pleasure to hold. Once on the road, you forget yourself. Acceleration and handling manners that ask "How much more would you like?", and willingly comply to your every whim. The smooth ride makes any journey comfortable and tireless. I find myself taking the long way home. This is one classy vehicle, and I fall deeper in love with it after every mile!

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  Great car - 2004 Pontiac GTO
  By CMADROZ - November 29 - 10:00 am

  Three mustangs and one trans am later the gto is hands down the best ride:performance yet. It almost looks like three different cars at the front back and side angles. A performance car without a oil pressure gauge is a little disapointing. A higher geared O D would be nice for those long trips. Overall its a pleasant driving experience.