Pontiac Aztek ‘Trans Am Firebird’ Is So Wrong It’s Right

Started by cawimmer430, April 14, 2020, 10:49:56 AM

mzziaz

Cuore Sportivo

2o6

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.

Laconian

Yup yup, America had a LOL when the winner of "Survivor" drove off into the sunset in his prize Aztek.
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

2o6

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.

CaminoRacer

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
2020 BMW 330i, 1969 El Camino, 2017 Bolt EV

FoMoJo

Why would anyone ever want to see a modern Aztek?  Just leave it buried and never mention it again.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

CALL_911

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


2004 S2000
2016 340xi

giant_mtb

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. 

FoMoJo

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).
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

giant_mtb

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.

Laconian

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:
Kia EV6 GT-Line / MX-5 RF 6MT

2o6

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.

FoMoJo

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.
"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." ~ Albert Einstein
"As the saying goes, when you mix science and politics, you get politics."

2o6

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.

Submariner

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.
2010 G-550  //  2019 GLS-550