On Wheels by Brooks Peterson

Saturday, November 25, 2000

Pontiac's Aztek GT a versatile, amusing ride

We're all mature adults here - well, we're all adults, at any rate - so I think we can all agree that preconceived notions are a bad thing. Bad, bad, bad.
   But, doggone it, they sure can be fun. And once you've hatched one, it's tough to turn it loose.
   A case in point is Pontiac's new-for-2001 Aztek.
   See, here's the thing: The Aztek makes such a powerful visual statement that it's all but impossible to avoid judging by appearances. And that, uh, unorthodox look can lead you down the slippery slope to false assumptions and snap judgments.
   So it has been with the Aztek and me. Even before I slid behind the wheel, I had conjured up a couple of leads:
   "There is one utterly compelling reason to drive the Pontiac Aztek: If you're inside driving it, you're not outside having to look at it."
   Or:
   "Visibility for the Aztek driver isn't everything it should be.
   This has nothing to do with the design of the vehicle. Rather, it reflects the fact that most Aztek drivers will be wearing bags over their heads."
   You see what I mean? Shallow. Nasty. Superficial. And, well . . . irresistible. Look, it isn't all my fault. If there has ever been an in-your-face motor vehicle, this is it.
   The message, from the glowering visage to the oddly configured derriere, is: "Your opinion? Who asked for your opinion?"
   Nor are the Pontiac PR guys pulling any punches. The Aztek, they write, is "Quite Possibly the Most Versatile Vehicle on the Planet!"
   This is all endlessly entertaining, and that on balance is a big plus. Most of the time, automakers play it painfully close to the vest. As the wildly successful PT Cruiser is to Daimler/Chrysler, so the Aztek is to General Motors: an attempt to create yet another market niche . . . and show there's still a bit of the party animal in the General.
   Did I mention that the Aztek came in a close second to a mud fence in the Ugly Olympics?
   Stop that!
   Perhaps the most honest thing I can say about the Aztek is that, being predisposed against it initially, I emerged from a week's worth of driving to discover that I not only respected it, but (augghh! Am I really writing this?) harbored a certain affection for the beast.
   Looks aren't everything, after all. And, come to that, some even profess to find the Aztek handsome - "presentable" might be a better word - in its rough-hewn, iconoclastic way.

2001 Pontiac_Aztek GT Five-passenger, four-door front-drive 'sport recreation vehicle' Base price: $24,445 Price as tested: $27,695 Drivetrain: Fuel-injected 3.4-liter V-6, 185 hp; four speed automatic-overdrive transmission Brakes: Front discs, rear drums with standard antilock (ABS) EPA mileage: 19 city/26 highway Web site: www.pontiac.com

   (At least one motoring journalist discerns in the front view vestiges of Firebird Trans Ams gone by. I guess if you back away and squint real hard you could make a case for that. But where's the big ol' Screaming Chicken decal?)
   Drive the thing for a while, walk around it a few times, and you will begin to get a feel for what Pontiac is about with the Aztek, which it has dubbed a Sport Recreation Vehicle. The Aztek (available in regular and upscale GT versions) blends elements of the sport-utility, the minivan and that good ol' (rapidly disappearing) standby, the station wagon. Oh, and a dash of armored personnel carrier.
   What's more, there's a certain amount of method in the Aztek's madness. That odd, chopped-off rear does reduce the vehicle's carrying capacity - but it also makes it possible to open it WAY up. Pop the glass hatch, then lower the tailgate, and, by golly you're looking at serious access. (You should also know that all that glass in back gives you a startlingly panoramic view of the road winding away behind you.)
   Those of you who have been paying attention also will have seen those commercials touting the optional tent arrangement whereby you can turn your Aztek into the moral equivalent of a (small) camper-trailer.
   But you want to know about the driving experience, right? Well, at least some of you do.
   Actually, it's in the driving that the Aztek is really going to make friends.
   This is no lightweight, understand: The two-wheel-drive version weighs in at a whisker under 3,800 pounds. (If you go for the optional all-wheel-drive format, count on about 200 more pounds.) But the 3.4-liter V-6 puts its 185 horses to good use, particularly when moving out from a halt: It squirts up to 60 mph with impressive alacrity. Mid-range punch is another matter, but we Americans know where our priorities are, right?
   Handling for the most part slots in somewhere between SUV-unwieldy and sedan-responsive.
   You will experience lean in the turns, so just resign yourself to it. Assuming you can rein in your inner grand prix driver, you will find the Aztek a capable and occasionally amusing ride.
   Oh, and speaking of ride: This is where you pay some dues for the Aztek's multipurpose prowess.
   Truth is, you're going to get jostled about on those dry creekbeds and logging roads. Shoot, you'll bounce along plain old potholed urban streets. Whiners need not apply.
   Happily, the, uh, controversial styling doesn't carry over into the interior, save for the lumpy, bumpy, industrial-looking dash. The seats are well-shaped, and legroom up front is decent. The second row, however, is definitely snug. The Aztek can accommodate five, but you wouldn't want to make a regular thing of it.
   Demonstrating GM's commitment to this vehicle, there's a long, long list of options and add-ons, ranging from a full-lunged 10-speaker stereo with a 6-disc in-dash CD changer to a trailer-towing package that will let you haul up to 3,500 pounds (but don't look for sparkling performance toting that kind of bulk).
   If nothing else, you've got to admire Pontiac's sheer corporate courage in tossing a vehicle like this into the market.
   It won't steal many sales away from, say, the PT Cruiser or the New Beetle. Rather, think of it as the General's version of the Swiss Army Knife - just a bit less aerodynamic.
  
  

---

[an error occurred while processing this directive]

---

  © 2000 Corpus Christi Caller Times, a Scripps Howard newspaper. All rights reserved.