We always compare the latest Pontiacs to the old ones, for some reason.  To celebrate the all-new 2004 Grand Prix, let’s compare it to some other cars for a change.
('04 Grand Prix GXP pictured)
The Grand Prix occupies a unique place in the market, in that it’s sportier than the average family sedan from Ford or Honda, but not a fast enough or luxurious enough to be considered a serious challenger to Audi or Acura.  That hasn’t stopped Pontiac from making a big sporty family sedan its goal, however, and with …

All new for 2003, the Pontiac Vibe and its twin, the Toyota Matrix, herald a new era in small cars.  Their tall bodies and multi-configurable interiors make them friendly, economical people-and-stuff movers, and with optional all-wheel drive they’re a good alternative to a small or even a mid-sized sport utility vehicle.

But did you know they could run, too?  Perched at the top of the Vibe lineup is the hot-rod Vibe GT, which chucks the standard Vibe’s 130-horse powerplant for a double overhead-cam screamer churning out fifty more horses–an engine similar …

Is the Pontiac Vibe too cool for you?
With its active-sports-friendly carpet-less cargo area, cubbies designed specifically for cellphones and PDAs, laptop plug in the dash, a color palette with names like “Envy,” “Salsa” and “Frosty,” and a sunroof/CD upgrade package called “Moon And Tunes,” you’d certainly be forgiven for thinking so.  But underneath all that attitude, the all-new Vibe is actually a nice little car.

Apart from a name that will have teenagers giggling, the Vibe combines the versatility of a minivan with the size and maneuverability of a subcompact car, …

It may be the darling of rentacar agencies everywhere, but that doesn’t mean that Pontiac considers the compact Sunfire to be out of the game.  The Sunfire soldiers into 2003 with a fresh redesign and an improved powerplant.

It’s the first significant visual update for the smallest Pontiac in recent memory, and it’s a welcome change.  Cat’s-eye headlamps and prominent turn signals replace the Sunfire’s beaky nose.  The grille has been enlarged as well, and the Sunfire’s new face makes it one of the more expressive Pontiacs of recent years.  The …

Just like a baby boomer, the Pontiac Grand Prix has quietly entered middle age.  Although it made its debut in 1962, it seems to have aged better than most of its peers from that time period.

In proper Detroit fashion, Pontiac is celebrating the milestone with a special edition.  The Grand Prix 40th Anniversary edition, an option package available on Grand Prix GT and GTP models, features special hood vents, wheels, badging, and rooftop “fences” like those found on NASCAR racers.  A unique color is also part of the package, and …

Pontiac’s catchphrase for many years has been “driving excitement,” but the kind of driving excitement to be discovered by hurling a Bonneville into a tight corner has traditionally not been a good thing.

That’s changed since Pontiac redesigned the Bonneville last year.  Pontiac’s flagship sedan’s sporty looks have finally filtered through to the working parts beneath.  And that’s a good thing, as declining sales suggested the previous Bonneville had outlived its usefulness by a considerable margin.  The redesign keeps the familiar Bonneville face and Coke-bottle shape, but a healthy dose of …

Way back in the dark days of the early 1980s, the Pontiac Grand Am as we know it today was born.  The name itself dates to 1973, but it wasn’t until its1985 resurrection that the Grand Am took the form that it still wears today.  A whole raft of General Motors nameplates have shared chassis with the Grand Am (Oldsmobile Cutlass Calais and Achieva, and Buick Skylark, for instance), but the Pontiac is the only one to retain the same basic face and name for the entire run.

The current Grand …

As anybody knows, the real superstars of NASCAR–the car–are related to their street-going namesakes in spirit only.  So the Pontiac Grand Prix GRP has nothing, absolutely nothing mechanical in common with, say Bobby Labonte’s Grand Prix Winston Cup car, other than a Pontiac logo or two.  At least it’s available in a two-door model; the Ford Taurus and Dodge Intrepid stock cars are based on nonexistent coupe versions.  In the end, however, the Grand Prix stock car is more closely related to a Winston Cup Ford Taurus than to the …

Go ahead and laugh at it.  It’s funny-looking.  The more creative among you could probably throw insults at it for hours.  Mock away; the fact remains that the Pontiac Aztek has kicked the door wide open for an entirely new kind of automobile.

Chrysler’s PT Cruiser had the idea first (in this decade at least), with its minivan-style, multi-configurable interior.  But the PT Cruiser is still an economy car at heart.  The Aztek is large enough to seriously challenge minivans, sport-utility vehicles, station wagons, and even travel trailers all in one …

Who says that a minivan has to be a symbol of complete domestication?  Certainly not Pontiac.  Soccer moms and cable TV companies aren’t the only ones who can use a versatile hauler of people and things.  The 2000 Pontiac Montana is a convincing advance of the theory that a car is mere transportation, but a minivan is an extension of the home–a mobile headquarters for day-to-day erranding or for traveling.  Twenty years ago, this was the role of the full-sized station wagon, but minivans and sport-utilities have completely replaced the …