Pontiac Aztek: the crossover that was too bold

The Pontiac Aztek is a mid-size crossover SUV marketed by General Motors for the 2001 to 2005 model years. It was a four-door with front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive, a V6 engine and a four-speed automatic gearbox.

Pontiac Aztek at a glance

History of the Pontiac Aztek

The Aztek was first shown as a concept in 1999 and was well received, with what Pontiac called “Xtreme” futuristic styling and a promise of maximum versatility for a young, active Generation X buyer. The production car went on sale in summer 2000 as a 2001 model, launched with the tagline “Quite possibly the most versatile vehicle on the planet” alongside the television show Survivor.

It used a shortened version of the platform under GM’s minivans, including the Pontiac Montana, with rear outswing doors rather than sliding doors and a split tailgate whose lower section was moulded with seat indentations and cup holders. Practical details included a front console that doubled as a removable cooler, rear stereo controls in the cargo area, a sliding cargo floor with grocery compartments and an optional camping package with an attachable tent and air mattress.

Design and reaction

The Aztek was styled under Tom Peters, who later designed the Chevrolet Corvette C7. BusinessWeek reported in 2000 that the car was meant to signal a design renaissance at GM and to “make a statement about breaking from GM’s instinct for caution”; one designer said it was made “aggressive for the sake of being aggressive”. The result was widely criticised. Dan Neil, listing it among the 50 worst cars of all time, wrote that under the ugliness there was “a useful, competent crossover”, and a 2008 Daily Telegraph poll put the Aztek first among the 100 ugliest cars.

Engineering

The Aztek was built at Ramos Arizpe in Mexico on the same line as the Buick Rendezvous. All-wheel drive, called Versatrak, was added during the 2001 model year; it used hydraulic gerotor pumps and multi-plate clutch packs instead of viscous couplings, and brought a fully independent rear suspension with aluminium control arms and rear disc brakes in place of the beam axle and drums of the front-drive cars. The system was supplied by Steyr-Daimler-Puch under licence from McLaren Traction Technologies.

It was one of the first cars designed entirely with computerised rapid-prototyping tools. The dashboard came from Johnson Controls with Pontiac’s red lighting and an optional head-up display. The body could take a standard 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood, and buyers could choose a pull-out cargo tray rated at 400 pounds or a cargo net holding 200 pounds in a claimed 22 configurations; a ten-speaker Pioneer stereo and a seat-back backpack were on the list. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety rated the Aztek Marginal overall for safety.

Design and features

• Camping package: a tent and air mattress that attached to the tailgate, with a built-in air compressor.
• Cooler console: the front centre console lifted out and doubled as a cool box.
• Versatrak all-wheel drive: gerotor pumps and clutch packs, with an independent rear suspension.
• Split tailgate: moulded seats and cup holders in the lower section for tailgate parties.

Pontiac Aztek versions

• Front-wheel drive (2001–2005): the standard car with a beam rear axle.
• Versatrak all-wheel drive (2001–2005): added during the first model year.
• 2001 concept: the 1999 show car that promised the same versatility.

The Aztek filled the gap left by the Sunrunner in Canada, and it shared its platform with the Trans Sport minivan family. More models are in the Pontiac collection.

Video: 2003 Pontiac Aztek Start Up, Quick Tour, & Rev With Exhaust View (Fugly) – 87K

Video by Intechdude300 on YouTube.

Sources

• Pontiac Aztek, English Wikipedia: history, styling, technology, safety