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Pontiac Aztek works as a SRV wagon geared for sport and play
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
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VIRGINIA CITY, Nev. -- The new Aztek by Pontiac, spread wide across a broad platform, presents the face of a snarling bulldog and edgy body styling with angular contours, unusual shapes for side and back windows and a wedge-like profile underscored by massive ring of bumpers, bodyside moldings and fender flares.
It looks exotic, like no other vehicle on the road, and draws the eye of spectators wherever it goes.
The unusual exterior styling of Aztek signals a different approach for its composition and purpose. Pontiac tags it as the world's first SRV, or sport-recreation vehicle, and casts it as a multi-purpose machine to accommodate active lifestyles with ample room aboard for hauling recreational equipment such as bicycles, canoes or kayaks, snowboards and skis.
Aztek's interior stylists say their designs were inspired by the multi-function Swiss Army Knife and the tone and feel of high-tech sports equipment like mountain bikes and scuba-diving rigs. As a result, interior components flip and fold and contort to work as a highly individualized package with comfortable space for five people and a load of gadgets for sport and play.
The chassis and essential mechanical elements including a V6 engine and four-speed automatic transaxle were borrowed from the General Motors minivans like Pontiac's front-wheel-drive Montana, so Aztek drives and rides with the easy-to-maneuver agility of a minivan, yet the high profile and load-carrying capacity enables it to act like a sport-utility wagon.
Despite the foundation of a minivan platform, however, Aztek reveals no hint of minivan styling. At the same time, its arching profile with roofline rounded off at the rear really doesn't look like a boxy sport-utility wagon either.
Actually, it more closely resembles a rakish and racy four-door hatchback sedan jacked up high in the tail and set atop a slab of bumpers and side cladding coated in a dark color contrasted against the painted sheetmetal.
A stubby prow with wide-track stance and the tall bumper treatment sets up that chin-forward face of a bulldog, with cat-eye corner headlamps flanking a twin-port grille and horizontal ram-air slots in the hood, amber turn lights mounted over headlamps and round foglamps down low.
Aztek's leading edge tilts rearward and the hood slopes up to the canted windshield as A pillars work as rails that run over B and C pillars to the opposing D pillars sloping down to a squared-off tail. A creased shoulder plane extends for the length of each side above flat doors and the low row of molded side cladding that bulges with long rippled streaks implying motion.
At the flat-faced tail, a tall bumper stacks beneath the narrow lip of a painted flip-down tailgate panel and the flip-up liftgate, which contains a horizontal pane mounted vertically and a canted pane tilted forward to mimic in opposition the slope of the windshield.
Inside, the layout -- with two front bucket seats on either side of a floor console, a second-row bench split in two equal segments and a large space at the rear for cargo -- scores as the only conventional aspect of Aztek's interior design because all components relate to functional use for recreation and the storage of lifestyle and sports gear.
Strong graphic patterns splash across the cloth seat fabrics and door panels, with soft-to-touch molded plastics lining the dashboard, doors and rear panels. Multiple grab handles anchor to doors, dash and pillars, and power outlets show up on the instrument panel, back of the console and rear quarter panel.
Aztek's dashboard houses a recessed instrument cluster with bold analog gauges as well as four round air vents with center joystick-style shutoff controls. Below a pair of center vents, the cluster of audio and climate systems utilizes large easy-to-grip rotary dials.
Bucket seats in front feel firm and have side bolsters with reclining backs and rear storage pockets.
The second-row bench pops out to increase storage space as the seatback, split into two segments, folds flat to expand the rear cargo compartment.
Storage spaces fill the cabin, from a front glove box and side door pockets to concealed bins in rear quarter panels and back sillplate plus center front consoles above and below. Also, flexible zippered bags stuff into front door pockets to corral tote items like a camera, cell phone and CD player.
Further, optional storage systems relate to specific sports equipment. A thermal container that locks into position in the front floor console functions as a console storage bin when in the vehicle or a twin six-pack cooler when removed. An interior bike rack slips into the cargo bay, a cargo net system with 22 different configurations cages loose gear and a slide-out rear cargo tray supports 400 pounds worth of stuff. There's even a custom-made tent that wraps around the rear with tailgate and liftgate agape, as a wide air mattress inflates across the cargo floor.
When the series is fully developed in 2001, Aztek will be available with either standard front-wheel-drive traction mode or a new all-wheel-drive Versatrak system that detects tire rotational differences between front and rear wheels during low-traction conditions, then directs power to either or both rear wheels momentarily before actual tire slippage occurs at the front wheels.
Both Aztek traction editions pull power from a 3.4-liter V6 engine that produces 185 hp through an electronically controlled four-speed automatic transaxle.
The base Aztek, priced at $21,995, brings a long list of standard equipment including frontal and side-impact airbags plus anti-lock brakes and comfort items like air conditioning and power controls for windows, door locks and exterior mirrors.
The Aztek GT from $24,995 adds dual-zone heating and cooling, cruise control and all-speed traction control, a remote keyless entry system, leather-wrapped steering wheel with radio controls, the removable console cooler and a rooftop rack for sports equipment.
We spent a day steering a front-wheel-drive Aztek GT over the snow-capped Sierras of California and across high deserts of Nevada to the hills of Virginia City in order to measure its vitality, feel characteristics of its ride quality and experience on-board comforts. What we discovered was a sturdy machine that could charge up a steep grade and maneuver confidently on twisty mountain curves while also steer easily through traffic on urban streets such as in Reno and rip along in stable stance on high-speed freeways.
Aztek's long wheelbase and wide wheel track set up a stable stance to keep it anchored to pavement, and with power directed to front wheels it steers more like an easy-driving sedan or minivan rather than a truck-based sport-utility wagon. Obviously, it manages to blend favored features of a minivan, sedan and sport-ute wagon, yet Pontiac tips Aztek's price points toward the affordable.
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| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2001 PONTIAC AZTEK Specs |
| Description: |
Five-door sport-recreation vehicle
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| Model Options: |
Five-door sport-recreation vehicle
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| Wheelbase: |
108.3 inches
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| Overall Length: |
182.1 inches
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| Engine Size: |
OHV 3.4-L V6
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| Transmission: |
Auto/4
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| Drive: |
Front 2WD, 4WD Versatrak
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| Braking: |
Power disc/drum/ABS
Opt. 4-disc/ABS/TCS
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| Airbags: |
2 (front) + 2 (side)
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| Gas Mileage: |
19/26 mpg
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| Price: |
$ 22,000 to $ 28,000 |
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