[mgarblik]

In the latest issue of the magazine, the editors just can't resist driving another stake through the heart of Pontiac, even if they deserve it in this case. The editors are pissed that much like the AMC Pacer, the Aztek is beginning to achieve a tiny cult status. Being the primary focus of an episode of the "American Dad" cartoon and "Breaking Bad" has certainly helped. The article is just brutal but has some really funny quotes. They summarize that this vehicle embodies everything that was ever wrong with GM cars. Hard to argue with that. Not sure about the cult status around here. Still see them all the time in various states of dis-repair for around a grand. Anyway if someone on here can figure out how to post the article big enough to read, it is funny. I can't do it.

[The Champ]

My daughter leased her first Aztek. When she turned it in, she bought the second one.

Yes, the styling is a little quirky - but my daughter liked it.

History has proved that quirky styling introduced by Pontiac was just a few years ahead of the industry.

They actually were pretty solid vehicles with a lot of room to haul things.

[Mr Anonymous]

Mike, what was the impetus for the styling? (I have to hear you say it again)

Found this too:

https://www.autoblog.com/2010/07/29/pontiac-aztek-fans/

"That’s the Ernest Borgnine of SUVs.”

[mgarblik]

I can't take credit for it, but I love the quote. It was an early Car and Driver review of the Aztek, like a first drive or something. When it came to the styling they said, " It looks like a group of prisoners whittled this thing out of a bar of soap!" For some reason, I just think it's funny and fairly accurate. Another quote was, "This thing is just a Montana with an ugly kit installed". There seems to be no end of the funny quotes. As far as the vehicle itself, it had all the same problem areas the rest of minivans from GM. Transmission problems with 4th gear, broken valve springs, broken rocker arms and stands, leaking lower intake into the oil pan or to the exterior of engine catching fire on the exhaust crossover, electrical problems with the relay accessory box under the hood causing a entire array of problems from network communications problems to no fuel pump, to theft deterrent problems to harness fires. Typical GM minivan stuff.

[David Jones]

Some friends had a red one. RED. It was butt ugly and they loved it. It hurt your eyes to look at it.

[66sprint6]

I remember that some friends of ours had one. They thought that it was cool. They were those kind of people that knew absolutely nothing about cars. We had to laugh later when they couldn’t get rid of it.
One funny thing: they went out and bought an accessory that effectively turned it into a camping tent on the Back. They paid big bucks for that.

[MikeNoun]

Azteks are considered ugly and may be the butt of jokes, yet look at the styling of vehicles that came later. Cube-shaped vehicles like the Scion xB and Honda Element, the latter having an eerie resemblance to the Aztek, or the rear end of the new Prius that looks like the alien creature "Predator", or the gigantic, gaping grille of a Lexus, or the aesthetically confused front end styling of the Juke.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

The August 2017 edition of POCI's "Smoke Signals" had a huge 8-page feature on the Aztek and its history. The magazine received a ton of positive feedback from readers who have taken a new view on this much maligned crossover.

From the article:

In a strange twist of fate, millennials have turned the once slow-selling Aztek into the sixth most popular used car amongst this age group! And, they’re not just buying them as transportation, either. This group of enthusiasts is coming together and fueling interest in these vehicles.

For all of the criticism the Aztek has endured over its controversial styling, it has spawned imitations from some pretty heady automakers. Compare an Aztek to the Tesla Model X, BMW X6, Mercedes-Benz GLE, Lexus RX350 or an Acura ZDX. All of them have similar windshield angles and large, sloping rear glass hatches nearly identical in concept, if not appearance, to the Aztek. Despite having much higher price tags, less-controversial styling and advanced AWD systems, all of the models listed above have been criticized for their lack of interior room and extremely poor offroad performance — two areaswhere the much less expensive Aztek excels.

When Aztek was introduced in 2000, the term “crossover” was unheard of and the only comparable vehicles in existence were car-based mini-SUVs like the Toyota RAV4 and the Honda CR-V. By the time Aztek was euthanized in 2005, crossovers accounted for almost half of all SUV sales — a figure that’s still growing and eroding new car and truck sales with new models being introduced each year.

[72projectbird]

Pontiac deserves every jab they take over that "thing".

With the crap Pontiac was churning out from the 90's - 2000's, it's no wonder they got the axe. Even thought the Aztek wasn't around during the final years, I do believe it was the final nail in the coffin.

[Doug]

Funny this posting showed up. Last Friday evening just after dark I was in a town in heavy stoplight to stoplight traffic. I stopped at a light and the vehicle to my left eased up to where I could just see the front half and I said to my wife "What is that car?" When it pulled ahead I saw the Aztek emblem and we laughed. It had been years since I had seen one.

[mgarblik]

I thought the Smoke Signals article was very well written and interesting. If it wasn't for the looks, it would just be like every other GM minivan and we wouldn't be talking about it. So there is some value in being weird, I guess. What really caught my attention is that Pontiac has been out of business for 8 years, the Aztek has been out of production for 13 years, and Car and Driver still felt they needed to devote 2 full early pages in the magazine to beat this dead horse some more. They "really" didn't like them!

[MikeNoun]

I've mentioned this before, but there was actually a family resemblance betwen the Aztek and the G8. Obviously the G8 is much better looking, but I'm just pointing out there were some similarities between the two. They both had similarly shaped grilles, headlights that tapered to match the grilles, and the G8 had the same style of narrow hood scoops located at the edge of the hood.

Definitely NOT twins, but the Aztek nose did have a lot of Pontiac style to it.

Now as the rest of the body.....uggghhh...the Aztek leaves a lot to be desired.

Mike

[The Champ]

My daughter still has her 2nd Aztek. Just doesn't want to let it go - even though she has a 2015 daily driver now.

[nas t eh]

what it really needed was a shaker hood scoop, then everyone would have loved them.

[tiretread]

My dad loved his Aztek. Even though it was a royal pos.


P.S.- My dad has also owned a gremlin, and not one, but two Pacers.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by tiretread

My dad loved his Aztek. Even though it was a royal pos.


P.S.- My dad has also owned a gremlin, and not one, but two Pacers.

I guess Pontiac found their target market! My dad also would probably would have loved the Aztek. Some of the winners he had over the years were various AMC Ambasadors in the 60's, early 70's. A salmon colored 1982 Datsun Maxima wagon with wood grain sides, a Subaru XT. How's that for a group of "winners?"

[Half-Inch Stud]

I think MikeNoun nailed it. And i dunno what i'm even talking about. But he nailed it.

[Keith Seymore]

Originally Posted by MikeNoun

I've mentioned this before, but there was actually a family resemblance betwen the Aztek and the G8.

And the Vibe and Torrent as well.

Eliminate the extra nostrils, paint the cladding body color and put some fat tires & wheels on it and it would have been fine.

Just like a Caprice: lower it, paint it black and put install some nice tire/wheels and you go from "inverted bathtub" to "collectible cult classic".

K

[keith k]

Well said, Mike.
I've noticed the same thing - a lot of automotive design characteristics that first appeared on the Aztek have shown up on other (frequently premium/expensive) products. And unlike so many other vehicles built in that timeframe that look terribly dated now, the Aztek doesn't so much.

[NBF823]

The Aztek is just beyond me. We picked on that thing when it was brand new, and I don't think that will ever change.

There's guys who will still buy a Gremlin or a pacer, but I still, even with their "vintage" status, I can't imagine owning one. At least those were cheap cars; it's hey, I know it's ugly, but it's cheap, and when it hits the end of its usable life, I'll throw it away without remorse. The Aztek, however, has no excuse.

Sometimes you see these design studio artist renderings, any they're really striking and progressive, but when the production unit hits reality, it's just an aweful fail. I think the Aztek is the epitome of that occurrence.

It wasn't one of GM's great periods of styling anyway. I don't know how guys who grew up in the late 60s/ early 70s felt about GM cars of the time, but I can tell you I will be aweful difficult for me to look at 90s/00s GMs with any love for the rest of my life.

None seem to rival the Aztek in design flop, but there's others. I think if you could make the lower half of a Nissan Cube out of 90s GM plastic styling, you'd have a winner. The new Encore could probably win some hearts over too - it's an EGGcellent car. The early 00s Monte Carlos are quite lovely, as well as the Nissan Juke, and the previous generation of VW Beetle.

[Formulabruce]

Aztek is a Utility vehicle. I know a guy who has the camper for his and uses it. How Ugly was the "Vanagon" . Utility often takes a bit to catch on, but it usually affects , or is affected by others in the line up ( Montana ?/)