The Aztek didn’t end Pontiac. GM’s execs poor decision making ended Pontiac. The most interesting brand in GMs lineup and they tossed it out like junk.

The aztec styling is very common nowadays: -coupe roof drop -fwd -split headlights -focus on practically

Ironically, the concept of a car-based SUV was actually the future for the market. If Pontiac hadn't dropped the ball with the Aztek's styling, they might've been a market leader instead of going extinct only a few years later.

It’s funny how high end cars now have this look. Lamborghini Urus and cybertruck have these weird sharp edges

hilariously, even as a kid, I always thought the rendezvous was much more hideous than the aztek. The rear of the rendezvous is so rough

8:30 - YES. The Aztek was a scapegoat. GM gave up on "excitement" years earlier, offering only 1 or 2 cars after ~1973 that did anything close to exciting. Pontiac 1000, Parisienne, Safari, Sunbird, Grand Am, LeMans, TranSport, G3, G5...and so many were rental fleet grade.

I would say that Aztek predicted the future of Crossovers in general.

Is anyone else still pissed off that Pontiac didn’t make the 1994 Sunfire concept car a reality? While they did what GM normally does, and borrow styling cues in their eventual production versions that were rebadged Chevys, the Sunfire concept looked so good and the brochure art of it parked out on the beach sold me as a kid on wanting one, well up to today. I wonder if Pontiac had taken “Fast and the Furious” to heart, and rebranded the image of “Driving Excitement” to high performance, inexpensive compact cars chock full of option packages, that it would last longer as a brand. Take the 2.0L and 2.2L EcoTech motors, boost them with turbos (as one was boosted to run an NHRA funny car, or how the Dodge Daytonas and Spirit R/Ts in the early 90s were), and make an entire brand that focused on cars that were fun to drive and still useful for young working professionals. Put all GM trucks and vans under the GMC label with a focus on heavy duty passenger vehicles that work for a living, roll Buick under Cadillac, and make Chevrolet the mid-budget family car brand with “SS” packages available to get the vintage Super Sport feeling. The Corvette would still be the flagship car of the company, but play into distinct brands that sell specific solutions that are customizable with option packages.

Released today, the Aztek wouldn't even stand out among the dozens of small "SUVs" that are built on van and car chassis, with ugly split lights. Interesting how everyone hated the Aztek, but it seems like similar models are the biggest trend these days.

11:56 ahhh yes, that frenetic music that Motor Week used in the early 2000's 😂

Call me weird! I love the very first ones with grey cladding and three spoke wheels!

Doug DeMuro looks like The Pontiac Aztek

Definition of "ahead of its time"... For better or worse

Heads-Up Displays have such a weird public perception. They're always "futuristic" regardless of how many years they've been out. Nissan Silvias/240SX had HUDs in 1993. Futuristic. The Aztek has one in 2001. Futuristic. The modern SUVs from most brands have it today. Still considered futuristic 30 years later.

It is also worth mentioning that an Aztek was also heavily advertised (and one given away) on the first season of Survivor.

Thank you for this, I was one of the proud Aztec owners that requested an episode. I loved mine, I love the looks it was super reliable. I drove it for a long time and I miss it.

This was such a great episode. I always thought the Aztek was the uglest thing ever created. But when i found out they made a camping model i wanted one. But they had already stoped making them. I really do believe the styling is what killed it and did a lot of damage to pontiacs reputation. I always thought it could have had way better sales, if it was off road capable with four wheel drive, and a different front end. It could have been a real success. And maybe if the roof could have popped up to provide some camping room, it would have been a fascinating vehicle.

I remember the Aztec was marketed for the younger “extreme sports “ crowd but the price tag was more then that demographic could afford,I also remember it being a prize that was available on the game show survivor and the guy that won it gave it away to one of the other contestant’s.

I have always loved these quirky cars. Some SUVs of the time tried to look as though they could go off road. The Aztek looked as though it could go off planet!

Um, excuse me, but Walter White was shot to death. He had lung cancer, but he didn’t die from it

They used a Pontiac Aztec in the opening scene in the movie Wrong Turn.

I have a friend that has both a Buick Rendezvous and a Pontiac Aztek. The Buick was in her family, and she just recently purchased the Pontiac from a neighbor. Unfortunately, someone broke into the Aztek, and they took the cooler.

Thank you for a successful video. I liked the footage, the wide and vast information about Pontiac, and the other GM brands and the discussion of parts sharing. The photos were great also. I enjoyed that as well. The Aztek is now a legend indeed. Thank you for the effort placed in the video.

Great one as always! Thanks

With every new Hyundai and Kia,Aztek looks better and better.

The Aztecs first big tv break was being part of the prize for the winner of the first season of Survivor which ended in August 2000. I remember it so well.

Very cool. Thanks. What a great way to enjoy a brief 15 minute necessary distraction.

The Aztek looked like the modern day Family Truckster, & to quote Clark Griswold "You think you hate it now, but wait till you drive it." Hello From Phoenix Arizona 🌡🔥

Pontiac Aztek is truly a "Let him cook" moment in the whole GM history

Aztec: one of the best cars I ever owned. Fantastic suspension.

Polarizing implies there were people who didn't think it was the ugly as sin! Great video! Very fun to watch! Thanks.

Great video!

I never had one, but I loved the design. Thanks for another great episode. Keep them coming Do one on the G5/G6/G3 Pontiacs please. if you haven't already. :P

Great! Now I want to buy a Buick Roadmaster!! 😂

The Aztek concept car was pretty cool. Design-by-committee and 'parts bin engineering' are what killed it.

Well I learned something new, this car had a stylist. Wow, that is mind blowing.

4th gen caprice was peak tbh

"Dark Angel" a FOX tv series starring Jessica Alba and a Pontiac Aztek

This was way ahead of it's time.

A friend of mine had one of these in college. He was a tuba major, and it was the easiest vehicle to get large instruments in and out of.

could you do a video on the Infiniti I30?

Thanks for another great video! Here's one for the algorithm! :^)

next can you do the pontiac montana, buick terraza, chevy uplander and saturn relay? i always loved the aztek now you have new cars that look like it!

It must have just been so ahead of its time? Or maybe it was actually influential? Because I’m having a hard time hating it now, but I *absolutely* remember it being an absolute JOKE for years after coming out. I think we were too entrenched in the retro revival - with the prowler, pt cruiser, new beetle, etc - to see what we had there.

Could you do a video on the Ford Explorer?

The Rendezvous was only nice looking if you saw the Aztek first.

Crazy that dark angel took place in a apocalyptic 2019 seeing how 2019/2020 went

Can you do a video on the Nissan sx cars?

Could you do a story on the Honda CRX? It was a great car. I had a red 85 model. Super reliable. Thanks.

The original Cybertruck😂

Do a video of the Isuzu axiom.

I love the Aztek, I voted for it; although it wasn't what I expected when that production model debuted. Pontiac should have given this the L36 and L67.

Do a video on the 1990 regal

This could have been a game changer for Pontiac but instead they sealed their own death note.

I'm surprised you didn't touch on the Survivor/Aztec tie up.

I liked the look of it then and I still like the looks. It was different in a time of very boring vehicles. Modernize the looks and it would probably be popular today. The body cladding was a bit much on Pontiacs but look at Subarus of the last few years. It hasn't stopped them. I also think the press had a lot to do with how people saw the Aztek. There was a constant barrage of how bad it looked that people in general just believed it looked bad...because that is what they heard in the press and on tv.

A couple of years later, Honda basically steals the idea with the Element - they sell like crazy and are still sought out as used vehicles.

I love the aztel !!

Dang. Now I want an Aztec.

3:35 and nobody remembers because of that other thing that happened at Daytona in 2001

This car was awarded as a prize on the first season of “Survivor “

Consumer Reports complained this vehicle lacked a rear wiper.

Now I want to add some cladding to the side of a Rendezvous. And call it an Aztevous or Randetek.

Didn't you do a video on this already?

Looking at the bumper at 2:56, maybe just MAYBE the Aztec would have looked better with those high turning signals integrated with the headlights somehow

Do a video on the avalanche

I liked the Astek!

Personally I never hated the Aztec as much as everyone else. But nowadays I think it is really growing on me. I think it is going to be a collectible one day.

Nice.

I think the Aztec was the nickelback of cars. Lots of people who say they hated them actually liked them but didn't want to admit it because others who also secretly liked them would make fun of them.

I'm pretty sure there was an AZTEC in The Walking Dead TV show at one point in the early seasons!

I worked at a Pontiac dealership on in Fishers Indiana. Weird GM suv

It was a car that was made before the market knew it wanted it. Right car, wrong era. I still think the aztec looks better than the rendezvous and certainly other modern crossovers. 😊

Pontiac was losing sales for 2 big reasons. #1 was many of their cars were rebadged Chevy's. And #2 was Pontiac was behind in the market trend by the early 1990s. Pontiac was in need of a sporty SUV the whole time. I see you mentioned the Chevy Avalanche in this video. I'm still waiting for you to do a video on that weird, cool 4 door truck. I see them around sometimes.

Remember when a guy won one on Survivor and never picked it up? Colby in 2001.

The Aztek was styled ahead of it's time, the hard lines are all I see everywhere now🤷

By modern standards, it’s a good-looking car.

Frankie Muniz in the pacecar in 2001. And now he races at Daytona.

The saddest part is that everyone on earth called it ugly and slow and yet...every vehicle today looks like the Aztec and is extremely underpowered lmao

I freaking love GM

I once heard a comedian call it “a car ugly enough to cause retina damage”, 😂

I actually love the look of the Aztec I thought it was so funky. There was nothing wrong with the vehicle at all .

I never liked this vehicle, but I get how cool the versatility of the interior would be appealing

@3:01 “The 2000 and 1, Pontiac… AZZTEK!!!”

Anything looks better than the Cybertruck!

Tiger Woods - Buick also had a huge marketing push with him

I loved the Pontiac Aztek. I actually knew someone who had one.

What about the Ford Courier ?

Most of those 120,000 sales came with heavy dealer discounts sponsored by GM. Almost none ever sold at liat price. It's interesting that the break even point was 30,000 and they expected to sell 35,000 each year. So GM launched this expecting to make little profit anyway. Bizarre!

Do Acura Integra ! PLEASE

HONEY WAKE UP, NEW MOC

I legitimately liked they way they looked. Thought it was a cool concept.

IMO, The Chicken Tax is one of the reasons why GM and Chrysler declared bankruptcy

That press event might be the most boomer thing ever!

Never had a problem with the front styling of the Aztek. It was the horendous unimaginative rearend & the early grey clading that killed the car for me. Glad they color-matched the body, but that rear.🤢 The Aztek had great options and features.

Aztek is ahead of its time. Finesse the type a bit, Pontiac may be able to get away nowadays. We have similar coupes SUVs from Benz and BMW in 2024.

And yet today, it would fit right in with the sea of crossovers pretending to be SUVs with weird headlight arrangements 😀

Has you've seen what inspired? The first X suv from BMW on quarter look couldn't more similar, Toyota Venza, etc. SORRY THE LIST IS TOO LONG.

So crazy.... Such a good idea that they totally fumbled!

I worked at a Pontiac dealer at the time. I liked them they had a nice ride and had space without being a minivan. The gray body cladding was just awful looking.