The Pontiac Aztek has followed a similar cycle as the Chrysler PT Cruiser, Fiat Multipla and a number of “quirkly-looking” automobiles that have eschewed contemporary design trends. At first, everyone loves these machines. Then, after a very short honeymoon, the world hates them. These weirdo-mobiles stay in this “hideous and uncool” category for about 10 to 15 years, and then, once they’re become rather rare, the world decides they’re cool again. But what if we ignore all of these ebbs and flows in our collective design-conscious and instead just evaluate the Pontiac Aztek as a car? What if we look at it unironically? Let’s do that.
I’m not writing an “objective” review of the Pontiac Aztek. The truth is that, in order to properly review a machine, you do have to account for emotional appeal. Cars like the Jeep Wrangler and F-150 Raptor and Tesla Cybertruck would otherwise score rather poorly, as they trade far too many compromises for attributes that really don’t strictly matter to most people. But millions of folks love these machines for a reason, and understanding that reason and at least folding that it into the stack of notes that make up a car review — it’s important. I mention this only because, while this is an unironic review of the Aztek, it’s not an emotionless one. I’m not going to tell you the Aztek is good because it’s now cool to be uncool, but I’m also not going to ignore how the car makes me feel when I drive it.
With that out of the way, let me begin by reintroducing my beloved new-to-me 2003 Pontiac Aztek — this beige beauty right here:
Though the car arrived from Arizona with a drained battery that caused the car to go absolutely haywire, a quick trickle charge had the Aztek back in tip-top shape. It’s got a bit of missing trim on the outside of the rear passenger’s side door, the window switch panel on the interior driver’s door is a bit loose, and there are some scratches and dings and rust spots, but overall this Aztek is gorgeous. The interior, especially, has held up nicely, plus the AC blows cubes (though I hear it’s rare for it to actually work on Azteks). This is not a junky example of the Breaking Bad star-car, it’s actually a relative creampuff. To have snagged it for only $3,604 is incredible.
It couldn’t have popped up on Cars & Bids at a better time. I was in the process of moving from Studio City to Santa Monica, and while I have managed to sell off lots of the junk I owned when I lived in Michigan, the truth is: I transported far too much stuff to California. So there was plenty of junk to move.
It’s Extremely Comfortable
My plan was to use the Aztek for the boxes and smaller items, and then I’d rent a pickup truck to transport my giant couch. So I hit the 405 and headed from Santa Monica to Studio City to pick up all my junk.
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Right away I noticed: The Aztek rides really nicely!
The Pontiac Aztek has a MacPherson strut front suspension and a Torsion Beam in the rear, with coil springs all the way around. It’s top-heavy and a bit roll-y in the turns, but it’s soft and rides very well. Sitting on that comfy camouflage bucket seat made me feel like I was floating along the 405, sitting up tall. Actually, the ride reminded me of my 1994 Chrysler Voyager minivan — I was seated at about the height I’d be at if I were standing on the road, and the ride was floaty and just downright pleasant.
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The stereo system is better than you’d think, with speakers right near the A-pillars and in the doors. The steering is a buttery hydraulic system that’s a bit on the heavier side compared to some modern electric racks, but overall the car is set up for comfort in almost every way.
The 3.4-liter V6 pulling that 3,800-pound machine around via the front wheels is powerful enough at 185 ponies, probably getting the machine from 0-60 in around 9 or 10 seconds if you really get on it. The powertrain isn’t really remarkable in any way — not great, but it’s also not worth complaining about; it fades into the background.
Visibility all the way around is awesome, again reminding me of my 1994 Chrysler minivan. I don’t have much else to say about the driving experience. It’s not sporty, but it’s supremely comfortable, and just generally a pleasant place to spend time. Even my girlfriend Elise enjoyed it. “I liked the Aztek! Very comfortable ride, spacious, retro vibes,” she just texted me.
It’s A Legitimate Pickup Truck Alternative
I do realize how blasphemous that subhead above is calling an Aztek a pickup truck alternative — that’s ridiculous! But hear me out.
So many modern “pickup trucks’ have narrow 4.5-foot beds — see Rivian R1T, Ford Maverick, etc. And I can tell you without a shadow of a doubt: The Aztek is easily as useful as any of those trucks for actual transport of junk. Just look at the photos above to see how much fits inside!
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To be sure, I was expecting the Aztek to be versatile, but I wasn’t expecting it to be able to swallow literally everything in my apartment in just three runs. And what’s more, I was utterly blown away when I managed to shove an eight-foot-long couch in the back using nothing more than just a couple of ratchet straps to hold the couch in and the rear glass down.
The 42-inch opening of the rear door, the ease by which one can remove the second row of seats, the great tie-down points in the cargo area, and especially that tailgate take the Aztek’s versatility to a new level. It offers much of the usefulness of a pickup truck, but the ride of a car. Honestly, you know what that sounds a lot like? A minivan. And that’s exactly the vibes I got when I drove the Aztek — “Wow, this feels shockingly like my 1994 Chrysler minivan.”
It’s no surprise, then, that the Aztek is built on GM’s U-Body minivan platform.
This might make you think: “So it rides nice and fits a lot of stuff. So it’s just a five-seat minivan? Why not just get a van?”
This is where the emotional component of this Aztek comes in. Yes, it’s essentially a minivan with five seats and a tailgate — if there’s anything to take away from this review, it’s just that. Functionally, it’s a van. But we don’t buy cars solely because of what they are “functionally,” we care about what they are holistically, and the Aztek manages to add some soul to its legitimate versatility.
I took the Aztek to Bob’s Big Boy, a legendary Friday night car show in Burbank, California, and I didn’t think to actually park it in the show. So I parked it on the street, and I shit you not: As soon as I stepped out of the car, someone asked if he could take photos of it.
Everyone loves the Aztek. It’s wacky, it’s charming, it’s fun, but it manages to be more than just that — it’s actually a good and useful car. It’s versatile and comfortable and easy to see out of and not horribly unreliable. It’s a legitimately enjoyable machine, which is why Motor Trend said this back when the car came out in the early 2000s:
With 9K miles on the clock, the Aztek may not have produced any converts–but it has garnered the respect of naysayers. Not a small triumph
The world didn’t hate it when it was new, the world hated it for 15 years, and now the world has come back around. But don’t think it’s just that classic quirky-car love-hate-love cycle, for the Aztek is actually good. It always was.
“At first, everyone loves these machines. Then, after a very short honeymoon, the world hates them.”
Er, not quite…
As far as the Aztek, no one loved it “at first”; I challenge you to find any rave review of this vehicle from its launch. Eventually, when the first JD APEAL scores first came out, it turned out that the handful of owners out there actually did love it, but the hate was pretty strong and consistent right from the start. If people loved it, there would have been extensive dealer price gouging (like we saw with the PT Cruiser).
Conversely, I think it took quite a while for people to get sick of the PT Cruiser, especially once they discovered the buyer demographics skewed towards the senior citizen crowd.
I’m not sure “everyone” loved the Multipla at launch, but I think there was a small collection of quirky individuals (including myself) who thought it was kinda cool–but again, unlike PT Cruiser, people weren’t knocking down Fiat showroom doors to get one.
Beyond that, an entertaining writeup…
The common factor here is that none of those are proper pickups, they’re all lifestyle vehicles. Which is fine. As you noted, there’s a definite emotional attachment to them and that has value aside from the actual functionality of the vehicle.
I’ve pretty much always thought the Aztek hate was more than a little overblown. It feels like one of the early victims of an internet dogpile. I’m happy to see it getting a well-deserved re-evaluation.
Sheesh. I got a slightly smaller wagon, a lot lighter around 2900lb, a 1.8L engine with 180 ponies. Now, I cannot fit 4×8 sheet of plywood (internet says the Aztek can), but I can fit a 10-pack of 8-ft fluorescent tubes. 50+cf of cargo space with the seats down and completely flat with the trunk.
Next Aztek challenge: I want to see a 4×8 sheet of plywood INSIDE that vehicle, the back doors shut completely. Then I’ll be mildly impressed.
Needs to be lowered another 4 inches or so.
My brother’s wife expressed interest in one when new because she’d been in one and used it. Looks aside, it was very good at its job. They ultimately ended up getting a Saturn Aura for her. My brother ended up falling in love with the Pontiac Vibe which he’s now on his 3rd.
I’m relatively new here so if this has been asked and answered before, please forgive me. Which existed first, the girlfriend or the Lotus?
Anyway, I rented one of these for a few days in Yuma, AZ and on the long shot chance this is the same one I drove (it’s the same color inside and out), please know that I drove it respectfully. You’re welcome.
Looking back, I thought it was pretty hideous on the outside, the IP and dash etc were not pleasant to look at, in routine around town driving it was pretty obvious that handling limits would be low and that the A/C was gangbusters. Which is important in Yuma.
I don’t remember it being particularly cushy, but that may have been due to the way rental car agencies seemed to always overinflate the tires back then.
Enjoy it. Personally, I still don’t want one.
My 2005 Acura MDX has much the same vibe, it’s a bit boxier than the newer ones and can hold an astounding amount of stuff. Built on Odyssey platform with AWD when I need it. Fuel economy is terrible and handling is described best described as existing. It is also comfortable and shrugs off highway miles.
The center console is a removable cooler. That’s all you need to know.
“How does it drive?” – “Well the center console keeps my drinks cool”
“What’s the cargo room?” – “At least enough for 4 cold drinks”
“How reliable is it?” – “The cooler still keeps drinks frosty”
“0-60?” – “Id say if I put a frozen bottle of water in the cooler, it would reach 60 degrees in quite a few hours”
but how did it sleep
The crux of the issue with the Aztec, as with any weird car is…most Americans don’t like weird cars.
I also went through the love-hate cycle with the Aztek like many. The design never truly bothered me that much though. And yes, it’s basically a small van, which is where nearly all it’s appeal comes from.
I’d rather see automakers attempt to design cars with clever features like the Aztek than what we have offered to us today, regardless of what they look like. I don’t really see how most crossovers are much better looking that this anyway.
I think I already mentioned on the Insta or Threads post, IT’S A VAN!!!
But, too bad you didn’t come across one of the wild color examples
I’ll pile on and say post-Hyundai Kona, the Aztek is positively palatable.
The U body platform was a blessing and a curse. Totally ruined the proportions of the concept, but paid it back with practical, spacious design.
The early U bodies have their downsides, (Front overlap crash safety on the early minivans :O) but damn… They drive way better than you’d expect.
Yeah… going to pass on this one. A 4-speed transmission? Seriously? Why only 4 if you could have infinite gear ratios thanks to a Jatco Xtronic CVT? No wonder Pontiac is no longer…
Username checks out.
David, you have discovered the longest possible way to say “the Aztek is a minivan but uglier, and it does everything exactly like a minivan would.”
But that’s every “CUV” from the last 30 years. I’m a millennial and we know that. A lot of us buy minivans because they still are better at day to day with kids than CUVs.
Bring up your point in relation to a Pilot VS Odyssey and I get shouted at like I’m punching babies.
People get mad at me when I say the Ridgeline is a sawzalled minivan because “A piLOt IsN’t a mINivaN!!!!”
But the Pilot, like most crossovers, is literally and objectively a minivan in every sense of the word.
Aztek criticism was always 90% about styling (other 10% about crap GM playskool-plastic interiors and general garbage GM quality).
Now fast forward to a world where we have BMW pig snout giantitus and CUV sameness and GM 1500s with hoods taller than a Civic and a model of a multi-story building for a grille… Mispositioned headlights on Jeep Cherokees, followed by 5 or 6 other CUVs…
… Suddenly that Aztek front end isn’t the ugliest thing on the planet.
I agree, nowadays it kind of just looks super tame.
From what I’ve heard, GM forced them to use the U platform which had limitations on track width which is why it’s so narrow/tall feeling which contributes significantly to the oddball weird looks.
Terrible name too – I imagine the top of mind recall for average consumer is “human sacrifice”
This falls into the same category as some other GM products of the time: they may not be.pretty, but they do what they were designed to do quite well. I was very anti-Aztek for a long time, but I have moved to the other side. Now, they’re kind of cheesy but cool.
Now the Buick Rendezvous….every one of those things should have a Rendezvous with the crusher post-haste!
The criticism of the Aztek was mostly centred around its styling, which was too far ahead of its time and with some unfortunate design choices inflicted on it by the accountants because GM. This has been covered here.
Factoring out the styling choices, it represented quintessential GM meh-diocrity emblematic of the late 1990s and early 2000s. Which is to say: unexceptional powertrain, cromulent vehicle dynamics, reasonably resistant to indifferent maintenance, plastic-fantastic interior with a side of: one or two interesting features and irritating cheap bits failing repeatedly.
Like the take here on the same-era Impala, I just can’t really agree. Especially compared to the competition of the era. Maybe after suffering the much higher depreciation it is a better value, but as a new vehicle? Ehhh…maybe with cash on the hood.