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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  Driving Excitement - 2002 Pontiac Bonneville
  By Dan - April 25 - 5:03 pm

  Bought used. Had the usual problems with leaking door, intermittent steering shaft noise, and now rear passenger window regulator. No other maintenance problems. Pontiac delivers is Driving excitement promise. I get 28 MPG hwy and 18 MPG city with a Supercharged V6 awesome. This car makes me feel like Im driving a luxury car with all the extras of a sports car. The interior is simple and pleasing to look at. The full power seats are extremely comfortable for long drives. I get at least 2 compliments on the looks of this car every day. Large spacious trunk. Smooth ride. Built in trunk tire inflater is great to have. Aggressive acceleration and handling. Best SPORT luxury sedan for the price.

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  A decent car, no more, no less. - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By action_nad - April 25 - 12:02 pm

  Not the fastest car I have ever had, but not the slowest. Does alright on gas, around 27 mpg by my measurements, but coupled with a very small tank means a lot of stops at the gas station. Interior on the base model is cheap looking, and driving can get uncomfortable after a couple of hours for tall people. All in all, not a bad little go kart, but you can do better.

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  97 Bonne - 1997 Pontiac Bonneville
  By KMS - April 25 - 10:00 am

  Problem areas: Transmission fixed under warranty at 8000 miles to correct abrupt 1-2 shift. Tranny has been fine since. Audio speaker intermittent failure. I elected to replace with after-market speakers to improve audio quality rather that fix as a warranty item. Water pump replaced at 52,000 miles ($300 - paid by Warranty Gold).

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  My awesome WS6 Trans-Am - 2002 Pontiac Firebird
  By chris lentz - April 25 - 7:33 am

  I had a lot fun with this car, handling is great, takes hills like nothing, great on turns, good sound system, good show car, all around it was a really good car. The t-top was also a lot of fun because it kept me cool when it was really hot out. A really good pick up chick car.

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  good used car to buy - 2000 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By johnny g - April 24 - 6:43 pm

  When I bought it, it was 3 yrs old with 38,000 miles. Got a great deal. Im happy with it, fun to drive. My gas mileage is not as good as others. I get about 17 and 27. My biggest complaint are the seats, they are comfortable, but when cornering, youll slide right off the seat if you go too fast. I love the heads up display!!

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  Practical and Pretty - 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Frank - April 23 - 12:33 am

  Affordable sedan that looks great, front wheel drive for Colorado snow and sporty feel and drive. Reliable and refined W platform means nice ride and long life power train (3800 Gen III) V6 engine. Power is adequate.

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  I like it! - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By Prunedaler - April 21 - 2:00 am

  Just got this car after nine years of minivans. No comparison in interior size, of course, and the minivans had many more conveniences, but I really like driving this car, and I think it looks cool. Mine is orange.

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  2004 Grand Prix GTP Comp G - 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By mjs - April 21 - 2:00 am

  Excellent car. A tremendous number of features (tap shift, stability control, traction control, head up display) at a very reasonable cost.

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  Jurys Still Out - 2004 Pontiac Grand AM
  By DJ - April 20 - 12:20 pm

  Since I bought the car I have had several problems that I am told are COMMON problems with Grand AM. So my question is why are these not recall items. I have had to replace the Traction control sensors 3 times and I just had to replace the ignition lock and switch which are of course only dealer parts because they have to reset the security features so some $1000.00 later I have my car again until the next COMMON problem occurs. I like the Grand AM but would never by another one. Foreign cars seem to be the most reliable. And I am all for AMERICAN made but our cars dont compare and thats a shame.

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  Too much fun - 1999 Pontiac Firebird
  By tom - April 20 - 9:53 am

  I have a silver 5 speed, T-top coupe with a V6-lots of power and appeal. Yes the bucket seat is too low, rear visibility is not good, interior could be prettier.etc.but at the end of the day, driving this thing with the top off if just too much fun. I love the exterior look. I still grin as I walk out to the parking lot and see it waiting. Driving it is excellent therapy and a tension reliever-even my wife feels that way when she roars off shifting gears like a stock car racer. My neighbor has a new Vette (06) also silver and frankly, side by side, look to look I really think my old beast still holds its own-especially when you compare our investments!