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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  My G6 - A lot like others... - 2006 Pontiac G6
  By JennyA - November 27 - 1:26 pm

  I do love this car. But Im frustrated to no end with General Motors and their lack of responsibility. There is a major, widespread problem with this cars steering shaft and power steering. Even under warranty, GM doesnt want to replace a part more than once; and, even if they did, it would just brake again because the parts are faulty. And nobody seems to care that steering troubles are major safety issues. I am currently very uncomfortable driving this vehicle. And anyone in my path should be scared, too. GM seems to think its fine with the steering wheel popping every time I turn. And theyre not concerned that most of these cars have a failing power steering system. Beware!

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  One great Ride - 1997 Pontiac Grand AM
  By Dave Sarasota FL - November 27 - 10:00 am

  Looks great and runs even better... own since new... Normal wear and tear turn 70,000 never a major repair. great car...

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  Grand Crap - 2002 Pontiac Grand AM
  By EMC - November 27 - 10:00 am

  This car started off good and turned into a lemon. The GM dealer wanted $400 to replace breaks and rotors. I had to replace a rim on the car and that was $180. This was the worst car I have ever owned. The car was made very poorly.

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  Looks Great ! Drives Great ! - 2008 Pontiac G6
  By J - November 27 - 4:33 am

  Not only does it have the look of a sports car, but it handles like one. Yet, it is very spacious interior and large trunk. Unfortunately, I can say it does great with rear accidents, only scratches to the bumper with 40 mph impact. Monsoon radio sounds great! Leather seats are incredible comfortable.

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  All the fun, for half the price - 1997 Pontiac Sunfire
  By bundok - November 26 - 2:16 pm

  I really like my car, but Im reluctant to do any modifications to it. Its an SE but it has the 2.4 liter engine and twin Cams. Its very peppy and handles well, though a little splashy. Great car for driving and the occasional (or frequent) driving wild. You wont feel like Mario Andretti in this car, but it definitely has a kick. The alternator has gone out once and my clutch cables snapped and had to be replaced. It has an oil leak Im assuming is from the oil pan gasket thats pretty bad; all of which I chalk up to my own driving and not the cars reliability.

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  Better Than Expected - 2007 Pontiac Torrent
  By Rich - November 26 - 2:20 am

  Had decided on either a Ford Freestyle or a Toyota RAV-4, but drove a Torrent and liked it much more than the Equinox I had driven earlier. The price versus options was better than the other two vehicles I tried. The ride is comfortable and visibility is good. I also like the fact that the vehicle has stabilitrak and traction control. Mileage is about 22 mpg overall.

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  04 Sunfire - 2004 Pontiac Sunfire
  By MLD - November 24 - 10:03 am

  I have had this car for 3 years it is a good car i have had a few problems with it for the motor mount crushing to the sunroof leaking to now the ac/heat works when it wants to and it sometimes hard to start the cd player has been replace do to it stop working but other then that i have enjoy driving my car when it not getting worked on it has a great take off very fast for a 2.2

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  My new car has a vibration? - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By Tina - November 23 - 1:33 pm

  We really thought that we had found our dream car, even though we traded in a 2006 330I BMW. We loved the whole look and feel until we drove our new vehicle home for the first time. Mind you, this vehicle was on the showroom floor, the odometer read 11 miles. While driving our "new" vehicle we first noticed that it did not idle properly and at various speeds between 30-45mph and 50-65mph there is a harmonic vibration. We have spoken with the auto specialist thinking that they would know what was happening since they are familiar with the vehicles they sell. We were told that this is normal for the 6.0L. We do not believe this is normal and we are still currently having these issues today.

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  Junk it - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By G.Timm - November 23 - 8:03 am

  Like most of the reviews, my G6 was bought new. It rattles, shakes so bad that I am afraid to drive it. Sun roof leaks and rattles. The interior design is very cheap. I also bought a new Grand Prix two months later, big difference. My lease expires next month and I am sure I will get boned my GMAC with them having to fix all of the broken crap that should have never failed in the first place. What a cheap piece of junk.

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  Buy a goat - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By kpdremn - November 23 - 4:16 am

  awesome car wish the steering wheel went down further. has tire hop...