2001 Pontiac Aztek Road Test

Walkaround

A quick glance at the Aztek tells you this is not just another boxy sport-utility wagon. It looks like no other vehicle with rakish but angular contours, unusual shapes for side and back windows and a wedge-like profile underscored by a massive ring of bumpers, bodyside moldings and fender flares.

Aztek is a bold and stylized treatment that you're either going to love or not. The aggressive design makes a polarizing statement that leaves no room for in-between opinions.

Despite origins from a platform that supports several General Motors minivans, there's no hint of minivan styling in the Aztek. And with its arching profile that rounds off the roofline at the rear, it doesn't look like a sport-utility box either. It's more like a racy four-door hatchback that's jacked up in back and mounted on a slab of bumpers and side cladding cast in a contrasted dark color.

In front, the wide track and stubby prow with tall bumper treatment sets up the chin-forward face of a snarling bulldog. Trapezoidal cat-eye headlamp clusters flank a twin-port grille over-scored by ram-air slots in the hood, with amber turn lights mounted above corner headlamps and round foglamps set below.

The front face tips decidedly rearward and the hood slopes up to the raked windshield as A pillars form rails that flow over B- and C pillars to meet the opposed D pillars sloping down to a squared tail. Creased shoulder planes run the length of both sides above flat doors and the low row of molded side cladding that bulges with rippled streaks implying motion.

In the rear, the flat tail shows the tall bumper below a narrow painted lip of a flip-down tailgate panel and the flip-up liftgate superstructure. It consists of a horizontal pane stacked vertically, followed by a canted pane tipping forward to match the slope of the windshield in reverse.

Interior Features

Understanding the interior is the key to appreciating the Aztek. With front bucket seats divided by a floor console, second-row bench split in half and a cargo compartment in the rear, the layout may be the only conventional aspect of the Aztek's interior plan. All of the interior elements themselves relate to functional use for recreation and the storage of lifestyle and sports equipment.

Bold graphic designs spread across the cloth seat fabrics and door panels. Soft-to-touch molded composite polymers are used to line dashboard, doors and rear panels. Grab handles appear everywhere, on doors, dash and pillars. Four power outlets are provided, at the instrument panel (one), rear of the floor console (two), and rear quarter panel (one).

In the cockpit, dashboard bumps house a recessed instrument cluster containing large analog gauges as well as four round air vents that have center joystick-style shutoff controls. Below the pair of center vents is a stack of audio and climate controls that features large easy-to-grip rotary dials.

Front bucket seats feel firm and have side bolsters with reclining backs and rear storage pockets. The standard second-row bench may be removed and the seatback, divided into two equal segments, folds down flat to expand cargo space in back. Two removable captain's chairs may be substituted for the rear bench with GT trim.

Storage compartments dot the cabin, from a front glove box and side door pockets to concealed spaces in rear quarter panels and back sill plate plus center front consoles for the floor and ceiling. The GT package adds a thermal container that locks into position in the front floor console and functions as a console storage bin when in the vehicle or a twin six-pack cooler when removed. Also, flexible zippered bags stuff into front door pockets to house cameras, phones, CD players and other portable gear. Optional storage systems are available for specific sports equipment, such as an interior bike rack for the cargo bay, a cargo net system with 22 different configurations, and a slide-out rear cargo tray that supports 400 pounds worth of gear. There's even a specially designed tent that fits over the rear with tailgate and liftgate open, and a broad air mattress to fill the floor of the cargo bay.