Smokey's new ride. :thumbsup:
Pontiac Aztek 'Trans Am Firebird' Is So Wrong It's Right
The Pontiac Aztek is one of the most controversially-styled vehicles produced in recent times yet has quite a bit of a cult following, thanks in no small part to its involvement in Breaking Bad as the car driven by Walter White.
While Pontiac is no longer around, the GM-owned car manufacturer produced a handful of iconic cars over the decades but the Aztek, introduced in 2001 and built through until August 2005, was not one of its finest moments. Spurred on by the idea that the Aztek can be made more appealing with some alterations, Abimelec Design has created these renderings.
(https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pontiac-Aztek-Trans-Am-1-768x575.jpg)
In creating his modified Aztek, the designer took inspiration from the Pontiac Firebird Trans Am. Consequently, the SUV is finished in gloss black which alone helps to mask some of its horrific pieces of styling. In addition, the famous 'Screaming Chicken' decal of the Trans Am is featured on the Aztek's hood. Not too long ago, we stumbled across a BMW i8 featuring this famous decal and it works wonders on the Aztek, attracting your attention and drawing your eyes away from some of the SUV's less appealing parts, such as its split headlights and front grille.
Abimelec Design has also lowered the SUV, fitted a set of flared front and rear wheel arches, lowered the suspension, and rendered in a set of gold and silver wheels.
(https://www.carscoops.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/Pontiac-Aztek-Trans-Am-2-768x576.jpg)
Link: https://www.carscoops.com/2020/04/pontiac-aztek-trans-am-firebird-is-so-wrong-its-right/
As if we needed another sign for the apocalypse.
God fucking dammit what the fuck
No, it's just wrong. :nutty:
Nope. I appreciate Azteks, but nope.
Azteks are the new brown wagons for 2020 Jalopniks.
Quote from: Laconian on April 14, 2020, 02:37:29 PM
Azteks are the new brown wagons for 2020 Jalopniks.
:lol:
The rendering is pretty decent, other than the wing on the roof. But the car is still gonna be garbage with a lame drivetrain and subpar interior, unless the entire car has been re-done. But that would be $$$
It's not that bad. But as they say, it is what it is.
Can it make a LS2 work?
Quote from: Submariner on April 14, 2020, 04:49:42 PM
Can it make a LS2 work?
Heck, it can barely make a 3400 work.
Azteks were so roomy inside though!!!! LOL
Oh god, so... conflicted. I'm impressed, but know I shouldn't be. :mask:
yeah but you still have to look at this when driving it:
(https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/pontiac/aztek/2001/oem/2001_pontiac_aztek_4dr-suv_gt_i_oem_2_500.jpg)
Quote from: Speed_Racer on April 15, 2020, 01:25:50 PM
yeah but you still have to look at this when driving it:
(https://media.ed.edmunds-media.com/pontiac/aztek/2001/oem/2001_pontiac_aztek_4dr-suv_gt_i_oem_2_500.jpg)
It's not terrible. The gauges are nice anyway. The materials...well, not the best.
That's not terrible to you? What interior would you consider terrible?
It's very simple and has standard GM radio/controls. The only part I think is actually terrible is the steering wheel.
You have impossibly low standards.
Quote from: MrH on April 15, 2020, 01:58:27 PM
That's not terrible to you? What interior would you consider terrible?
Drove a van for a while where the dash was a 2x6 piece of lumber with an ashtray bolted to it...
Anyways, how nice the IP looks is to me, a highly over rated aspect of car ownership.
Quote from: Soup DeVille on April 15, 2020, 02:18:13 PM
Drove a van for a while where the dash was a 2x6 piece of lumber with an ashtray bolted to it...
Anyways, how nice the IP looks is to me, a highly over rated aspect of car ownership.
That's just rustic!
I think I might take that over an Aztec interior still
The real problem with that era of GM dash was the buttons would yellow over time, and there were so many gaps they were hard to keep clean.
Still; it would be only a minor consideration overall.
Oh, there are far worse... :lol:
(https://static2.thecleverimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Fiat-Multipla-interior-e1494104992652.jpg?q=40&w=928&h=526&fit=crop)
Lol it's kind of amazing, the Aztek doesn't actually look all that ridiculous or unattractive anymore compared to some of the other shit on the road.
Quote from: MrH on April 15, 2020, 02:08:13 PM
You have impossibly low standards.
I dunno man. I detail like 180+ cars every summer. I've been in more different vehicle interiors than probably just about anybody here. Perhaps I am just jaded. It's a standard 2000s GM interior. It is cheap and basic, not offensive (besides the awkward steeeing wheel hub shape).
Quote from: CALL_911 on April 15, 2020, 02:33:13 PM
Lol it's kind of amazing, the Aztek doesn't actually look all that ridiculous or unattractive anymore compared to some of the other shit on the road.
WORD!!!
Quote from: shp4man on April 15, 2020, 02:25:32 PM
Oh, there are far worse... :lol:
(https://static2.thecleverimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Fiat-Multipla-interior-e1494104992652.jpg?q=40&w=928&h=526&fit=crop)
barf!
Quote from: shp4man on April 15, 2020, 02:25:32 PM
Oh, there are far worse... :lol:
(https://static2.thecleverimages.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Fiat-Multipla-interior-e1494104992652.jpg?q=40&w=928&h=526&fit=crop)
Reminds of a Ghetto Blaster. :ohyeah:
Hey, the Multipla dash is awesome!
Quote from: CALL_911 on April 15, 2020, 02:33:13 PM
Lol it's kind of amazing, the Aztek doesn't actually look all that ridiculous or unattractive anymore compared to some of the other shit on the road.
god no
The Aztek was more than an "ugly" car.
It was also badly made and horribly cheap.
Yup yup, America had a LOL when the winner of "Survivor" drove off into the sunset in his prize Aztek.
Also, the Aztek was lazily engineered. The Juke is polarizing, but the Aztek has bad detailing and poor proportions - since it's basically awkward styling thrown up on a SWB Venture Van.
I feel like a more modern Aztek would have been hugely popular if they released it like 4 years ago or whenever the #vanlife stuff starting taking off
Why would anyone ever want to see a modern Aztek? Just leave it buried and never mention it again.
Quote from: 2o6 on April 17, 2020, 05:37:57 PM
god no
The Aztek was more than an "ugly" car.
It was also badly made and horribly cheap.
No argument, I'm purely talking about the styling
Quote from: FoMoJo on April 17, 2020, 07:33:43 PM
Why would anyone ever want to see a modern Aztek? Just leave it buried and never mention it again.
The Aztek was one of the first modern crossovers. Which are now everywhere.
Quote from: giant_mtb on April 18, 2020, 08:35:43 AM
The Aztek was one of the first modern crossovers. Which are now everywhere.
I recall the Aztek came out about the same time as the Escape which followed the Honda CRV which followed Toyota RAV4.
I'm really glad I got the first year Escape. It lasted 15+ years before I sold it (may still be on the road somewhere).
My point was, most crossovers follow the Aztek (and Escape, CRV, RAV4, etc). Aztek and Escape were the first domestics, the Japanese were half a decade ahead of the game and it still shows.
The CR-V and the RAV4 were *the* pioneering CUVs. They delivered SUV practicality and looks with compact car thriftiness. The Aztek was powered by High Value V6 pooprods and sadness, and was released five years later.
The only neat thing about the Aztek was the tent feature. :lol:
For Midsized crossovers, the Aztek and Rendezvous were definitely some of the first. The Toyota Highlander was similar in concept, and didn't come until a few weeks later. Also, arguably, the RAV-4, Escape, and CR-V were more car-based SUV's rather than true crossovers.
But once again, it was a cheaply made and designed product. Although the Civic, Corolla, and Camry were made to make crossovers, it's not like there's a big sharing of hard points between those cars and those SUV counterparts.
GM used an old minivan chassis (It's a venture van - they have the same windshield even) that wasn't all that competitive in the first place. FWD Azteks have a solid axle, even. The suspension design are from the U-body vans (which in turn was based on the old A-body Celebrity). The wheels are tiny - larger wheels won't fix the design. It's also very slab-sided, since bending any sheet metal would have been over budget if the chassis would have accommodated it.
Honda, Toyota and even Ford went wholly into making a true entry into the class.
GM just made an ugly minivan and sic'ed that thing onto the public.
Quote from: 2o6 on April 18, 2020, 04:50:51 PM
For Midsized crossovers, the Aztek and Rendezvous were definitely some of the first. The Toyota Highlander was similar in concept, and didn't come until a few weeks later. Also, arguably, the RAV-4, Escape, and CR-V were more car-based SUV's rather than true crossovers.
But once again, it was a cheaply made and designed product. Although the Civic, Corolla, and Camry were made to make crossovers, it's not like there's a big sharing of hard points between those cars and those SUV counterparts.
GM used an old minivan chassis (It's a venture van - they have the same windshield even) that wasn't all that competitive in the first place. FWD Azteks have a solid axle, even. The suspension design are from the U-body vans (which in turn was based on the old A-body Celebrity). The wheels are tiny - larger wheels won't fix the design. It's also very slab-sided, since bending any sheet metal would have been over budget if the chassis would have accommodated it.
Honda, Toyota and even Ford went wholly into making a true entry into the class.
GM just made an ugly minivan and sic'ed that thing onto the public.
It must be said that Mazda contributed more to the Escape initially, than Ford, though the Duratec engine was/is marvelous.
It was said to have been based on the Protege platform, but it wandered from that considerably.
Quote from: FoMoJo on April 18, 2020, 04:57:44 PM
It must be said that Mazda contributed more to the Escape initially, than Ford, though the Duratec engine was/is marvelous.
It was said to have been based on the Protege platform, but it wandered from that considerably.
Underneath, it's a 626.
Quote from: giant_mtb on April 18, 2020, 09:18:59 AM
My point was, most crossovers follow the Aztek (and Escape, CRV, RAV4, etc). Aztek and Escape were the first domestics, the Japanese were half a decade ahead of the game and it still shows.
The Lexus RX300 made its debut in 1999. I'd say that was the first real crossover in the US.