Alex Laperriere
It looks hideous. It has plebeian three-spoke wheels (yes, I know the three-spokes went bye-bye later in the Aztek’s Life). It has quality plastic cladding at the bottom because, you know, quality. It has the face of Jeremy Clarkson when he eats too many donuts. Yet here’s this random writer telling you that the infamously-terrible Pontiac Aztek is cool.
Allow me to set the scene. The year is 2001, and SUVs of the day are boxes on wheels. Pontiac is starting to get in trouble- they needed a big money maker to keep Pontiac afloat. Enter the Aztek, with its quirky styling ques. Its infamous, horrid design took the world by surprise. Pontiac’s monstrosity was different than anything on the road in the 2000’s. It’s bizarre bottom plastic lining was atrocious (which is why it was later painted body color), the roof had a weird line. It was dierent; not uniform and pedestrian like most other SUV’s!
And that is why it is cool. The Juke is in the same boat as the Aztek, only the Juke had nothing going for it other than it’s bold design. Nobody wanted this… people were very happy with their average cars. Pontiac knew it was a gamble to put this car out, but it t their criteria; they wanted a cool, fun SUV. And depending on who you talk to, the styling isn’t terrible! And some of the features of the Aztek are unheard of!
Unheard Feature #1: The Tent
This photo doesn’t entirely do it justice, but this was an option for the Aztek.
It was an option to get a tent on an Aztek. So now when you go camping, you bring your Aztek! It’s a great feature, and isn’t too difficult to set up! You’ll be hard-pressed to find another car that comes with a built-in tent.
Unheard Feature 2: The Mattress
You can’t have a tent without a mattress! Pontiac knew this, so they included a built-in air mattress, that way buyers could sleep in an air-conditioned tent while sleeping on an Aztek-branded air mattress during their adventures.
Unheard Feature #3: The Mega-Practical Armrest
Practicality is key in SUVs, and the Aztek took practicality to a whole new level: a cooler that doubles as an armrest! You can take the cooler out and when you go in the back or your Aztek while you are camping, you can have your drinks nice and cold! Good thinking, Pontiac.
The Bold and the Not So Beautiful
It’s a car that was daring. It was a fun, quirky car that nobody wanted or needed. And for that, I think that this car deserves our respect. At least, some of it. And even if you still (somehow) don’t like the Aztek, you have at least been enlightened with Aztek facts you didn’t even know existed until just now. You’re welcome, viewers.
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