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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  Happy but wont buy American again - 2006 Pontiac Torrent
  By Wyoming Guy - November 11 - 8:33 am

  Have owned my Torrent almost 3 years. Over all I have to admit I have been happy with it. I like the roominess, the stereo, and the power. The problems Ive had are the right front door speaker had to be replaced, twice. I had to replace the windshield in it, twice. Both times no explanation for why the windshield cracked. Too much flex in the body? Also the remote clicker wouldnt always unlock the car. That seems to be working okay now. The car is nearing the end of its warranty and I had planned on trading before it expires but the car has depreciated so much that I owe more than its worth. Now that Pontiac is going away wonder what that will do to the value? My next car will be a Honda

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  Good looks and comfort - Bad Tranny - 2002 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By hamlir - November 10 - 9:06 am

  The car looks great and feels great to sit in. It was well made for comfort. The Tranny totally blew up with 129k on it. Reg service was done and even serviced the tranny at 50k & 100k. The think is nothing more than yard art since it wont move.

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  Truly Madly Deeply - 2006 Pontiac GTO
  By Doug Myers - November 9 - 9:20 pm

  in love with GTO. Performance amazing, fit and finish perfect, interior appearance and quality excellent, understated external beauty, gas mileage very good for 400 HP and 400 lb/ft of torque, did need to upgrade stereo. That is my 2006 GTO experience. Do not test drive if you hope to sleep at night without owning one.

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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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  I would buy another Vibe - 2006 Pontiac Vibe
  By bmontgomery - November 9 - 4:40 pm

  I have had my Vibe for over a year now and I am happy with it. I can get 33 mpg on the highway if I keep it below 70 mph. City driving in a Minnesota winter is more like 24 mpg but that story is the same with all my cars. My only complaint is that the cargo area is not wide enough. I bought a station wagon so that I could carry stuff and the Vibe has let me down a few times.

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  Over 2,000 miles and still happy - 2005 Pontiac G6
  By prm342 - November 8 - 12:26 pm

  No problems so far. Got the GT primarily for the wheels and nicer cloth. My 97 GrandAm had been a great car since new. The 6-way seat with leather doesnt give you much more angle/height adjustability than the 2- way with cloth. Id like a steeper seat angle adjustment and lower tiltability for the steering wheel, but probably both are by design to prevent the driver being launched OVER the airbag! Thankfully, much less interior chrome (taupe interior) than most supposedly nicer cars. To each their own, but I like its looks inside and out better than GTO or Grand Prix.

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  Rocky Start for a 19yo second car. - 2005 Pontiac Grand Prix
  By Jon - November 7 - 1:43 pm

  I bought this car in December from GM with $64,000kms and it did well for the first 1500kms (so I thought). The car was sitting on the dealers lot for months and as a result the calipers seized and wore out my pads and rotors. I ended up having to replace front and rear calipers, rotors and pads in the first 2 months I had the car. Once that was done I havent had any more trouble with the car. It is a awesome car to drive, Lots of power, Handles excellent, and the it turns many heads. I LOVE the interior of the car, Its not boring like the impala or century, The car as of aug has 96,000 kms and I am taking a road trip with friends of around 10,000kms and I have no fear of it failing.

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  Get it while you can - 2009 Pontiac G8
  By SV - November 7 - 8:40 am

  With Pontiac going the way of Oldsmobile, I cant imagine too many people are willing to buy one of these anymore-to which all I can say is that is just too bad and pathetic mismanagement on GMs part. This car is the best deal out there in my opinion and after 9 months and 7,000 miles I can say I really love this car. This is a roomy, fast car that can quickly and comfortably eat up hundreds of miles at a stretch. The seats are extremely comfortable and the ergonomics just fine. Its not quite a luxury sedan but its got all the essentials done well; nothing comes close to the roominess and performance for the real-world cost of this car. Biggest glitch: came with defective rotors.

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  Rental - 2006 Pontiac Montana SV6
  By Pope - November 6 - 9:00 am

  Rented the Montana SV6, for seven days, I received so many compliments, It is comfortable,roomy, and it looks like an SUV, but inside its set up like a minivan. I love it, trying to talk my husband into buying one buy very pricey.