Today I found out that my dad was one of the Interior engineers for this car. He had a blast designing everything in it. He and his boss got along great because they were around the same age and liked the same things. They just said fuck it lets do what we want, so they added everything. The cooler in the front is for keeping the beers cold while you drive to northern Michigan with friends or fam (I was born in 97 so he had me on his mind as well). He had the airpump to air up the bike tires, bike rack for the bikes, a tent for sleeping and he designed the glove box to be able to fit a 1/5 of Jack Daniels. The entire design team thought it was hideous btw. No one thought it looked good but gave it a pass for shits and giggles. This car was made to be one big shit post.
The Aztek does feel like GM decided to shitpost one day and make something outrageous, this was a trend at GM cause they made things like the SSR, Escalade EST etc. and later filed for bankruptcy in 2008 lol
I know, I have a thing for the Aztek.. I've noticed how close it is to the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.. Only if they would have made the Eclipse a coupe again lol
@@WMItruckspotting they still could, the eclipse coupe could be sold alongside the eclipse cross and a returning eclipse spyder. The platform already underpins a 2+2 convertable so a coupe/hatch isn't a tough sell. And I think an eclipse hatch with a family resemblance to the cross could look good. Different from past eclipse designs and more along the lines of a CRX but several sizes larger.
That's the deal, back in the day the Aztek ha god awful looks, but considering nowadays that every single "crossover" type car looks like this, it doesn't actually look bad or out of place.
UGHHHHH I'M AT A STOPLIGHT, I'M IN MY RX-7, TIME TO FLEX THAT FOREARM AND *AND LOOK AT YOU OVER MY BICEP* UHHH YOU WANT THIS *M Y D I C K I F U L L O F C H E E S E*
As a SAAB nut, I can appreciate guys like Cameron putting in effort to keep strange cars alive. He could give less what other people think because his car makes him happy and that’s all that matters.
I love how well kept this car seems. He has all the factory stuff in good condition. Don’t necessarily like the Aztec but I like THIS Aztec and it’s owner.
I ended up buying one because Seattle car market. I dig it now that I own it. Love the 60 degree V6, the aftermarket is VERY well stocked. This time next year I’ll have a 350hp supercharged Aztek. Why? Literally because I can.
this was the last thing i ever watched with my best friend the day it was uploaded.he died later on that night in a crash. we both loved rcr and i still do.we live in ireland so no pontiacs here but we also both loved that aztek
Because you can also just chuck a little roadside compressor in your car and if the built in compressor in your aztek goes bad you're basically fucked because you need an OEM compressor and it's not easy to get to.
@Chris Alexy that doesn't mean they're immune to maintenance. Air compressors need to be lubricated and in the event yours does go out it's not an easy fix by any means. It's better to provide your own in my opinion. A compressor you know and trust that you can take out to maintain. Not that you really need much of a compressor in most situations. Most roadside emergency kits come with them these days and they're small enough to put in a pocket. If you want a cheap air compressor for emergencies everyone should have a roadside kit.
@@pfitz9346 it still isn't a bad option... car companies fit a lot of crap that can go wrong too, an air compressor for an off road car makes sense, even if what you say is very reasonable.
I thought the air compressor was for the load levelling suspension. That’s why every other GM vehicle had a compressor. You need high volume low pressure air for a mattress... otherwise it will take forever to inflate and explode at the end.
No, there aren't enough people willing to take out a loan ironically. Also that's the AMC Eagle which would do well enough, basically a proto XV Crosstrek
Crossovers go back to the AMC Eagle, if not earlier. But yeah, Azteks have certainly achieved a strange popularity (thanks, in no small part, to Breaking Bad).
I say this as one of the people who thought this was the ugliest thing on 4 wheels when it came out If this thing came out today with modern amenities and a powerplant correct for this year and maybe lost the plastic on the lower half it would have done totally fine in the market today. It was the crossover before the crossover was a thing and its styling, while not blending is frankly doesn't look any worse than a good amount of crossovers on the road today. I quite honestly find it inoffensive by modern standards actually.
Ever heard of an AMC Eagle? That was actually the first crossover. Anyways, I do believe that the AZTEC will be a future collector's item. It'll be the DESOTO of it's time.
@@ScottaHemi440 Just have it be flex fuel complaint with a battery range extended "ECO" mode so it's a sudo hybrid, a bit taller ride height, and modernize all the gray/black plastic parts, under the Chevy badge at less then $20 grand starting price, and I think it could do well today.
A cooler center console is an awesome idea. Imagine going on a road trip on you just got a center console full of snacks, and when the ice melts you can just lift the whole thing out.
I remember loving these as a kid. Any time I saw one I’d stare at it. I genuinely thought they cool looking because of how weird they were. I especially liked the idea of having a tent in the car. I’d love to own one someday (unironically)
I looked through this comment section and I swore I was gonna be the only one. I still kinda like the Aztec and all the gimmicks with it, though some I could see just being optional and they'd probably get less crap for. That tent that connects to the trunk, though... seems like a novel idea to me.
Definitely same! Always wanted one. All that "gimmicky shit" this guy talks about makes me want it even more. I would definitely have made good use of it when I lived in Montana, heck I could have lived in it while working up in the hills.
I've always thought the big problem was the small wheels. Or the overlarge, empty-looking wheel wells. If the wheels were an inch bigger it wouldn't look nearly as bad.
In a lot of ways I think GM was ahead of its time. With some minor exterior styling changes and a small modern turbo 4 this thing would sell very well. It was a compact crossover before anyone knew what that was.
As the former owner of a twin to this 'Tek, I don't think I've laughed harder at any Aztek video. Priceless. Even my wife was cracking up. One of your BEST. Awesome job.
One quirk I particularly enjoyed... The tailgate was contoured for two (2) pair of bums. When lowered, 2 people could use the tailgate as a rather comfortable seat.
@@JustJay1281 Cheap GM plastic seemed to rear it's head in the 1978 redesigns. The 3rd Gen. F-bodies seemed to really let the Beast loose and by sometime around 1983-85 it blanketed the entire GM lineup of cars. The light duty trucks escaped until 87 because they were all running the 73 design until then.
The irony is... I've never thought it was an ugly vehicle. It's certainly one of the most unique, strange, "who hurt you" kind of designs... noisy even, but... I actually kind of like it, because it's so woefully bizarre.
I mean am I the only one who can' get over the fact that the Aztek could legitimately come out TODAY and STILL not look out of date. New interior, LED lights, bigger wheels... BAM. And let's not forget the whole camping/tiny cabin/trucks with camper beds thing is a huge fad now. To say this thing was ahead of it's time is like the biggest fucking understatement ever.
For real. The Aztek was considered ugly and bizarre, yet most of its design cues ended up on the SUVs that followed in later years. If the Aztek came 5 years later it would have probably been a success
Early last year, I was blown away when Motorweek's review of the Aztek showed me that the center console cooler was a thing. I had to have one. I went out to a salvage yard a few months after that and found one in one of six Azteks they had on their lot. The yard let me take it home for $15 and since then I've cleaned it, painted it, and used it more than any cooler I've ever owned. It perfectly fits a six-pack and keeps ice longer than anything designed by GM in the early 2000s has a right to. Call it a gimmick, but I'd say they hit one outta the park with that center console cooler. Also, I'd totally own and drive an '06 Aztek GT with AWD as my winter/utility vehicle.
Gone probably because people know about the cooler and just take it to have one like a normal cooler, not because it is missing in the car. Glad to hear you found one. How was it sitting in those different Azteks?
Every 00’s car that was meant to be cool for young people ended up being popular with boomers. The Aztec, the PT Cruiser, the HHR, the Scion xB and now even the Kia Soul.
My brother just upgraded from his '01 Aztec to a Subaru Crosstrek, but is still keeping it around as a second car. I get so excited when I see one on the road - thank you for reviewing this amazing vehicle.
We all made fun of this thing yet car manufacturers now all consistently churn out crossovers that look exactly like this ♪ Let's all laugh at an industry that never learns anything tee hee hee ♪
My Aunt and Grandma in southern Michigan both owned Aztecs (one of them this same color scheme) from the late oughts to the mid 2010’s, and I honestly really liked them. They looked different (cool), they were fun to ride in and drive, and all those features combined with the carefree design left an impression on me as a 10-15 year old kid that the world was full of adventure and freedom. The Pontiac Aztec resides in my heart next to Michael Bay’s 2007 ‘Transformers’, ‘Ace Combat X’, cheap road trips, ‘N-Strike’ nerf guns and muggy midwestern evenings as symbols of a glorious childhood and promising future cut short and body slammed by the cold reality of the ‘09 crash. Thanks for sharing this one with us.
So my mom's friend had one of these and it was AMAZING, at the time and still today. Superbly utilitarian and very comfy. Even as a base model. This was the ultimate drive-in movie car. Just back it in, tune the radio, and get hammered in the back hatch.
I always unironically was interested in one. It had crossover design cues and panoramic glass a decade before those design trends really came in to their own.
Am I the only one who'd really love to have an Aztek now? I mean, the longer I look at it, the more genius this design is... just needs some time getting used to it. Unfortunately, there seems to be none for sale in Europe... maybe no-one was weird, crazy and wealthy enough to import one in the whole continent. Such a shame, I'd love to see one in person at least.
Saw a bunch of them in Russia as a kid. Dunno if they were sold here officially (were Pontiacs even sold in Russia at all? They're a rare sight), but they all have just disappeared at some point. Haven't seen an Aztek for years.
@@fishkings423 Like it's that easy... Anyway, now I've already seen 3 Azteks here in Hungary. One in the wild, in my town, with German plates, and two at a US car meeting. I could even sit in it, the owners were really friendly seeing that someone finally likes their cars :)
hgpo27. Some of us have the ability to think for ourselves and either agree or disagree. I agree. This, the first gen Pontiac Trans Sport, and the Turbo Trans Am were each a decade apart disasters for Pontiac.
This is how i feel with Jeeps now days except they are getting worse and Worse as time goes on. The JK is just that a joke and the Upcoming Gladiator is a Abortion.
GM really was shortsighted not bringing this thing down under...this thing would be just about perfect a built in tent where you sleep off the ground away from snakes, crocodiles and wayward dingos...and for some reason many of us like camping so the tent makes sense here at least and it would be perfect for long treks from Melbourne to Cairns to visit Uncle Gavin for Christmas...
The Aztek wasn’t alone in the outdoor gimmickry. The Honda Element had a lot of the same features as AZtek only executed a lot better. Dodge Caliber also had the glove box cooler thing. I believe it was confusing to auto execs and engineers in the early 2000s why Americans were purchasing so many SUV’s and not using them off road.
"Take your BS with you." 😂😂😂😂 I can't even. I love the Aztek, I almost got a red 2001 model but something was seriously wrong with it and wasn't worth it
Was the seriously wrong with it part, because it is a GM And GMs are crap??? Because that gimmicky nonsen sounds fun but it's a GM and I dont have boomer cash.
This was the perfect tailgating vehicle. It had an optional tent and air mattress, the back seats are removable, the back trunk lies down to make a bench seat, the inside zips up for privacy in the back, the back compartment with the handle has wheels, and a removable cooler was in the front. Sorry, this was a cool car.
@@Bartonovich52 fiat 500L over the cherokee version, nissan cube, juke, kia soul, bmw i3, toyota yaris iA, Mitsubishi i-MiEV ... all uglier than the cherokee personally
6:29 “Bob Lutz thought this looked like an angry kitchen appliance.” This probably made me laugh more than it should have.... on second thought, I think it made me laugh at just the right amount.
the only reason Walter drove an aztek is because the production crew only paid $760 for the car in question, they bought it and didnt tag it because it was a "Movie prop car" but on a podcast the director said they were looking for a "cheap junkyard car because by the end of the show it was going to be blown up" so they found a cheap aztek in a junk yard.
My family had a 2003 Aztek for 14 years. I grew up with that car. I learned how to drive in that car. I crashed that car into a tree in 2013 in the snow and totaled it but that car was an F*ing BEAST and we fixed it and kept it running up until 2018 when my dad sold it, still in nearly pristine condition, for $500 to a GM dealership ultimately to be auctioned off to god knows where. I wish he didn’t because it was perfectly fine and he went and bought a boring equinox lol My dad really liked station wagons and had them from the 70s onward and when they finally went out of style, I think that’s why he was attracted to this car so much. Also my mom had a 1985 Horizon and I think that’s also partially why she liked this car too. She was rear ended in this car and it did more damage to the car behind her than the Azteks bumper. Yeah it was ugly to some but I stand by it being a beast 😆😁 I can tell the owner of this car definitely is as proudly passionate about it as I am. YES ITS FOR THE BOOMERS HAHAHA 😂 I’m just an old school millennial chick who just loves cars with character. I remember in breaking bad when Walt sells the car, the guy says “some people like to laugh but these cars are real sturdy” and it’s 100% true
The HK VP70Z of cars... Ugly as sin, but ahead of its time in many ways. On a side note, why do we have Infotainment? When you drive, you should be driving. I still try to find the older style stereos on the vehicles I buy because I don't want this huge lit up area on my dash... Plus they are unneeded $10K options on most vehicles.
Backup cameras are now mandatory for all new cars sold in the US. Manufactures have just decided to use that screen for everything else when you aren't backing up to save space and keep there from being a big useless black rectangle on the dash 99.9% of the time the car is being used.
I get why people like big fancy looking touch screens, but I prefer "old fashioned" single din head units. Buttons for everything, you remember where they are after awhile and don't even have to look over to change the volume or station. Not to mention manufacturers seem to have an obsessment with replacing all the controls in cars with a touch screen, I rather have a simple control that does a function rather than flipping through menus just to change the a/c fan speed...
@@axmajpayne They can put a small screen in the rear view camera, base model 18'-19' Corolla IAs have them without a display in the center console. I've seen a number of other vehicles from this decade that have also had the backup camera display through the rearview mirror.
Back up cameras are what now?! I probably wasn't going to ever buy a new car anyway, but now I'm really not going to ever buy a new car. Maybe if they would make a car with proper windows instead of these quasi hatchback things, or the super high waisted Tonka toy look they're all going for now, you wouldn't need a backup camera.
"And while that's a long walk for a 69 joke,.." lol What a great writer. Always elaborate but direct, and you never miss the chance to add one liners lol
Kenny K I’d buy one as a beater vehicle. They’re pretty dirt cheap. If I had a budget of $1000 and looked at several cars that had white smoke chooching out the tailpipe and ran like ass then went to look at an Aztek that ran flawlessly and had no white smoke out of the tailpipe, guess which one I’d buy?
If I remember correctly one of the first season of Survivor had this car as a prize, the castaways got to check it out and comments like "edgy" came up, stuff you would read on those dealer brochures. Now that i think about it, the castaways must have been prompted to use terms like those before they saw it. When they were "surprised" to see such a "daring" car. Half the castaways are ether models or more often then not, aspiring actors.. They do what they are told to say I'm sure. That was probably the most praise the Aztek got in any media at the time.
You're the only person who has mentioned the Rio PMP mp3 player, ever, since I bought it for my girlfriend at the time. And for that, Mr. Regular, you are loved.
as awful as those bubble buttons look, i would welcome that over todays trend of touch screen EVERYTHING. Seriously, who thought it would be a good idea to make every god damn thing in a car a touch screen instead of tactile in a thing that requires your utmost attention while using? you know when you want to change inputs so you sort of hover over the touch screen icon and as soon as you go to hit it you hit a bump and you end up going into the settings menu and then you gotta find the "back" icon but now youre all discombobulated so you have to take your eyes off of the road and watch as you interact with the screen? yeah, thats absolute horse shit, i should have a physical button SOMEWHERE to rely on in order to change the fucking station. The ones with the built in mouse are even worse
In answer to your question about who made every control a touch screen, I believe the answer is: The Japanese. The Japanese believe EVERYTHING should be a challenge to be surmounted for self-betterment, and therefore designing things to be easy and intuitive to use is anathema to them. Just look at any TV or DVD player (or their remote controls) for examples. This will only end when A) We stop allowing the Japanese to design things, or B) When the human race comes to an end because no-one can figure out how to use anything anymore.
If Buick had a touch screen in 1986, then it failed to catch on for about 20-odd years, which is to say it had no consequences.. Whereas the Japanese make "puzzling" a feature of just about everything they design.
Ah, early 2000s GM, and their obsession with covering everything in the most fade happy gray plastic body panels (this, Avalanche, etc) that should just say Rubbermaid on the side and be parked on the curb waiting patiently for the garbage truck to come and take them away lol
We bought a brand new Aztek in 2003. Today it is in 2022, but we are still driving this car. It still works very well. So far it has served us for 19 years. We love Aztek.
Today I found out that my dad was one of the Interior engineers for this car. He had a blast designing everything in it. He and his boss got along great because they were around the same age and liked the same things. They just said fuck it lets do what we want, so they added everything. The cooler in the front is for keeping the beers cold while you drive to northern Michigan with friends or fam (I was born in 97 so he had me on his mind as well). He had the airpump to air up the bike tires, bike rack for the bikes, a tent for sleeping and he designed the glove box to be able to fit a 1/5 of Jack Daniels. The entire design team thought it was hideous btw. No one thought it looked good but gave it a pass for shits and giggles. This car was made to be one big shit post.
Did they work on the Avalanche as well? Wouldn't be surprised of crossover. Great weird early aughts GM
I sorta respect that, just saying "fuck it" and making whatever you want. I feel weird for saying this but I sort of like the Aztek now.
The Aztek does feel like GM decided to shitpost one day and make something outrageous, this was a trend at GM cause they made things like the SSR, Escalade EST etc. and later filed for bankruptcy in 2008 lol
Haha! Like I said in my comment, this thing is from a distant point in time, before innocent leisure and fun became passé and problematic.
Tell your dad we all say thank you! Fellow Beer drinking Michigander here and I’m currently trying to find one as a cheap daily 🤣
That moment when you realize... just about every crossover looks like an Aztek these days.
I know, I have a thing for the Aztek.. I've noticed how close it is to the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross.. Only if they would have made the Eclipse a coupe again lol
This thing is still somehow worse, though.
Yep. 20 years later, we realize that it created what is almost certainly the most ubiquitous automotive segment of all time.
@@WMItruckspotting they still could, the eclipse coupe could be sold alongside the eclipse cross and a returning eclipse spyder.
The platform already underpins a 2+2 convertable so a coupe/hatch isn't a tough sell. And I think an eclipse hatch with a family resemblance to the cross could look good. Different from past eclipse designs and more along the lines of a CRX but several sizes larger.
This car was a warning.
"The back becomes a tent, and the center console becomes a cooler"
Im sorry but how is that not cool?
hell yeah :)
FOUND THE BOOMER!!
@@devinpaul9026 must be you
@@g-gar9135 Yeah, I know right? Hahaha! With the not being one, and the fuck you, lol! Ahh good times!
I think it's cool 😂
And now every other car on the road is a dumpy crossover with fake grills. Pontiac were 15 years ahead of the times.
If you don't account for Toyota and Honda beating Pontiac to the punch by 6 years with the RAV4 and the CR-V.
@@vinesauceobscurities The RA4 and CRV were not ugly though, unlike todays gawky monstrosities.
Yeah! They beat Toyota to the same styling used on the Prius!!!
That's the deal, back in the day the Aztek ha god awful looks, but considering nowadays that every single "crossover" type car looks like this, it doesn't actually look bad or out of place.
@@vinesauceobscurities Those weren't crossovers at the time, just light SUVs, I wish they had light SUVs again.
*YELLOW IS NEON BROWN CHANGE MY MIND*
IM NOT GONNA CAUSE THATS SOME REAL SHIT YOU JUST SAID
n e o n b r o w n
WOKE
l u m i n e s c e n t m a n u r e
Brown comes out the back, but yellow comes out the front.
Checkmate, Atheists.
the pinnacle of vehicle designs:
1. ISUZU VehiCROSS
2. Pontiac Aztek
3. Nissan Cube
4. Fiat Multipla
The Nissan Cube wasn't ugly. It was just... a cube.
the multipla is way uglier than any of those
@@_ian2671 The pt cruiser wasn't ugly, it was just boring.
@@abalakrishnan4152 PT wasn't ugly, Prowler is ugly and not boring....
@bbibasik7 cube is asymetical cube, like Veloster
Nissan Cube was legit a hella good looking car
Aztec owners with Breaking Bad, are like RX-7 owners and rotaries. They know that we know, but they live by one lone statement.
*IMMA TELL YA ANYWAY*
trianglesTRIANGLES
I'm not gonna tell you again JUST GO TO MY CHANNEL.
*IMMA TELL YA ANYWAY*
UGHHHHH I'M AT A STOPLIGHT, I'M IN MY RX-7, TIME TO FLEX THAT FOREARM AND *AND LOOK AT YOU OVER MY BICEP*
UHHH YOU WANT THIS
*M Y D I C K I F U L L O F C H E E S E*
NNNGHHH REFERENCES
"An engineer's advice to an alcoholic is to 'stop drinking.'" Brilliant line.
What about an alcoholic engineer
As a SAAB nut, I can appreciate guys like Cameron putting in effort to keep strange cars alive. He could give less what other people think because his car makes him happy and that’s all that matters.
Saab gang
saab will forever live on as an amazing brand before GM fucked them
I love how well kept this car seems. He has all the factory stuff in good condition. Don’t necessarily like the Aztec but I like THIS Aztec and it’s owner.
An old comment, but a mature assessment. I completely agree. This owner has taken really good care of his ride. Admirable.
I want to like this, but I don't want to ruin it's nice number. So, here. I like your comment. It resonates with me.
@@dfenders2 a welcome comment in a time like this, Thank you. Stay safe.
heck yeah. the yellow unit with all the extras. some of those things are factory accessories and not standard nor aftermarket junk.
I ended up buying one because Seattle car market. I dig it now that I own it. Love the 60 degree V6, the aftermarket is VERY well stocked. This time next year I’ll have a 350hp supercharged Aztek. Why? Literally because I can.
'' jesus, what do you have in that cooler, cinder blocks?''
'' Half a million in cash.''
asac shrader and you can go fuh yourself
this was the last thing i ever watched with my best friend the day it was uploaded.he died later on that night in a crash.
we both loved rcr and i still do.we live in ireland so no pontiacs here but we also both loved that aztek
this is sad af
Rip for your friend
I feel bad for him
FFFF
F
FFF
F
Sorry to hear about that man, I hope he’s resting well and happy. I also hope you’re doing okay, it’s really tough losing a friend
why isnt a built-in air compressor a standard thing on modern trucks and suv's. like that's actually useful af.
Right! Or how about a floor jack that isn't a total peice of shit
Because you can also just chuck a little roadside compressor in your car and if the built in compressor in your aztek goes bad you're basically fucked because you need an OEM compressor and it's not easy to get to.
@Chris Alexy that doesn't mean they're immune to maintenance. Air compressors need to be lubricated and in the event yours does go out it's not an easy fix by any means.
It's better to provide your own in my opinion. A compressor you know and trust that you can take out to maintain. Not that you really need much of a compressor in most situations. Most roadside emergency kits come with them these days and they're small enough to put in a pocket. If you want a cheap air compressor for emergencies everyone should have a roadside kit.
@@pfitz9346 it still isn't a bad option... car companies fit a lot of crap that can go wrong too, an air compressor for an off road car makes sense, even if what you say is very reasonable.
Weight. I'd rather they brought back glass headlamps before compressors.
You forgot the air mattress which is one of the reasons it has a compressor
I thought the air compressor was for the load levelling suspension. That’s why every other GM vehicle had a compressor. You need high volume low pressure air for a mattress... otherwise it will take forever to inflate and explode at the end.
woww
phillip davis How ironic, a mattress in a car that will never get you laid.
We call that interior color "cost containment gray."
💀💀💀
You’ve been promoted to GM’s director of procurement.
I've said it before and I'll say it again - The Aztek was remembered for being ugly, but now it looks like any other car on the road.
If you think about all the aggressive, angry, angular lines of a modern crossover.... You'd be right
It actually is a little different in styling but it fits in the the current crossover crowd.
You're not wrong.
I disagree with you entirely. I've yet to see *any* other vehicle that looks like the Aztec. And that's a good thing.
All the other crossover nowadays makes the Aztek look beautiful
Pontiac Aztek, by Fisher Price
Correction...by DU-PLO (Wasn't even cool enough for LEGO).
LOL!
@CSXRockford hahaha
Yeah, I'll bet 6 year old kids think the Aztek is cool.
11:05 In my head i was hoping you would say something about the mandals, but the completely silent flash was perfect.
The original crossover. This car would do numbers if it were relaunched today!
No, there aren't enough people willing to take out a loan ironically.
Also that's the AMC Eagle which would do well enough, basically a proto XV Crosstrek
Crossovers go back to the AMC Eagle, if not earlier. But yeah, Azteks have certainly achieved a strange popularity (thanks, in no small part, to Breaking Bad).
I'd rather the GTO or Trans Am come back personally. Goodbye Pontiac =^(
Nissan made a mini-Aztek with the Joke! Er, Juke!
Even that was killed and replaced with the blander "Kicks".
Mayjaplaya the Juke made me want to puke! (The jokes pretty much write themselves for the Juke!)
I say this as one of the people who thought this was the ugliest thing on 4 wheels when it came out
If this thing came out today with modern amenities and a powerplant correct for this year and maybe lost the plastic on the lower half it would have done totally fine in the market today. It was the crossover before the crossover was a thing and its styling, while not blending is frankly doesn't look any worse than a good amount of crossovers on the road today. I quite honestly find it inoffensive by modern standards actually.
Wise words, dude.
Ever heard of an AMC Eagle? That was actually the first crossover. Anyways, I do believe that the AZTEC will be a future collector's item. It'll be the DESOTO of it's time.
the 3.6L V6 would do wonders under the hood of this!
@@ScottaHemi440 Just have it be flex fuel complaint with a battery range extended "ECO" mode so it's a sudo hybrid, a bit taller ride height, and modernize all the gray/black plastic parts, under the Chevy badge at less then $20 grand starting price, and I think it could do well today.
@@CommodoreFan64 isn't that basically the new Blazer?
A cooler center console is an awesome idea. Imagine going on a road trip on you just got a center console full of snacks, and when the ice melts you can just lift the whole thing out.
It's going to take a lot for all that gray plastic to be cool
Gray is the brown of the 90s/00s
@@brapbrapbrapbrapbrapbrapbrap And glossy piano black is the grey plastic of 2015.
@@MrDanielsahne yep
@@arnehurnik Every Pontiac had too much grey side body cladding, it was a joke at the time.
Every crossover has it now.l
Amazingly it did kinda well in the frist 3 years
I think glasses were invented in 2004
Might be when lasik got popular.
I love how in depth he went in the mock commerical. "Rear courtesy lamps with integrated coat hooks!". That got me.
Looks like a Pontiac Vibe that puts whey protein in peanut butter sandwiches.
Travis Toole
...oh my god it absolutely does!!! And they just superglued some bullshit on top!!!
The Vibe was a rebadged Toyota Matrix.
@@CamaroAmx A product of badge engineering
Travis Toole and saddest thing is that the vibe was the last Pontiac ever built.
@@CamaroAmx oh my heck that is sad
when you want a trans am but the wife is pregnant
Used to be you’d tell her to shut her yap and put the kid in the back.
I put my kids in the back of my trans am..they love the 6 speed sound
HighOctaneMeme that’s true that’s true!
*girlfriend
@@Bartonovich52 true, my dad had a daily driver 1995 camaro when I was in kindergarten
The Pontiac Aztek kind of looks like an AI generated Toyota Prius.
I remember loving these as a kid. Any time I saw one I’d stare at it. I genuinely thought they cool looking because of how weird they were. I especially liked the idea of having a tent in the car. I’d love to own one someday (unironically)
I looked through this comment section and I swore I was gonna be the only one. I still kinda like the Aztec and all the gimmicks with it, though some I could see just being optional and they'd probably get less crap for. That tent that connects to the trunk, though... seems like a novel idea to me.
I felt the same way. I don't think it's really ugly... hell, if you wanna see an ugly car, look at the '96 Ford Tauros sedan
Definitely same! Always wanted one. All that "gimmicky shit" this guy talks about makes me want it even more. I would definitely have made good use of it when I lived in Montana, heck I could have lived in it while working up in the hills.
Just get a honda motor coach rv xD
Why don't you get one, from what I've seen they are fairly inexpensive!
It’s......
It’s sorta like the prius’ angry cousin
angry FAT cousin
Angry Superior
The aztek looks amazing to me. If it wasn't totally unreliable it'd be a dream car!
I've always thought the big problem was the small wheels. Or the overlarge, empty-looking wheel wells. If the wheels were an inch bigger it wouldn't look nearly as bad.
I think it's the look that killed this car. Because I think all the gadgets are kinda cool.
I agree. I like this car because of that.
@peter magri The tent, the central compartment that's also a cooler, the removable suit case. These kind of thing.
@@jayive34 agree
They are cool but useless for majority of people.
A car with a built-in homeless shelter.
So what your saying is buy a 2007 Aztec. They’re more rare then a Ferrari.
There are no 2007 Aztecs. Those 06-07 sales numbers are from the leftover 2005 models still haunting dealer lots.
No wonder I couldn't find any 06 or 07 on Autotrader. @@jackeby9901
No... what I’m saying is learn the difference between “youre’s” and “than’s”
Mopar564 heil the grammar nazi. Find some thing else to do with YOU’RE time.
Jack Eby so..... more rare than a Ferrari.
Breaking Bland
Imagine if the ancient Aztecs saw their remarkable civilization represented by this abomination.
They would sacrifice and eat the designers of this car
Ellis Jackson I think they would do that regardless...
+
Wallet chain and a pair of airwalks keeping the 2001 theme going
He might as well have had on a pair of JNCO jeans
Is no one going to mention how freakin dope those radio controls in the trunk would be for drive in theaters!? What a feature!
In a lot of ways I think GM was ahead of its time. With some minor exterior styling changes and a small modern turbo 4 this thing would sell very well. It was a compact crossover before anyone knew what that was.
I think GM was late to party with Aztek as crossover, VW made one in 1990 (Golf/Rabbit Country)
It was too ginormous to be a crossover in my opinion.
It's based on a minivan. There's nothing remotely compact about an Aztek.
It was a compact crossover before they became horrible.
@@markmiller3279 compared to a Suburban or Tahoe it's small
Pontiac Aztek, the Toyota Prius of the suv world.
Pontiac Aztek, the Fiat Multipla of the suv world.
Pontiac Aztek: the Kinect of the SUV world
But prius became a success
To be honest i dont consider the prius to be an ugly car. This aztek however is a disease not a car
I can't believe I'm defending a Prius but: the Prius was successful.
As the former owner of a twin to this 'Tek, I don't think I've laughed harder at any Aztek video. Priceless. Even my wife was cracking up. One of your BEST. Awesome job.
One quirk I particularly enjoyed...
The tailgate was contoured for two (2) pair of bums. When lowered, 2 people could use the tailgate as a rather comfortable seat.
Hell yeah
But it was the way it had to be in Fisher Price plastic...., with cup holders, but no backrest.
@@robertwoodliff2536 you hit the nail on the head with the biggest flaw of the Aztec, is the sea of cheap GM plastic inside and out.
@@JustJay1281 Cheap GM plastic seemed to rear it's head in the 1978 redesigns. The 3rd Gen. F-bodies seemed to really let the Beast loose and by sometime around 1983-85 it blanketed the entire GM lineup of cars. The light duty trucks escaped until 87 because they were all running the 73 design until then.
2001 Nissan Juke
Not a thing
This car is now going to be the #1 homeless shelter in late 2019, early 2020.
Nah. We homeless people try to blend in, not stand out. Aztecs are for hipsters looking to buy a personality. I sleep in a reliable Honda Odyssey.
"all the quirks and....quirks and......quirks....
QUIRKS...
QUIRRRRRRRRRRR...."
*DDeMuro.exe has stopped responding*
Early 2000s GM awakens my pillar
a w a k e n s m y p i l l a r
AWAKEN, MY MASTERS.
Gunner Ginn real pillar hours who’s up
AYE-YA-YAYA
[O I L I N G C O M M E N C E S]
The irony is... I've never thought it was an ugly vehicle. It's certainly one of the most unique, strange, "who hurt you" kind of designs... noisy even, but... I actually kind of like it, because it's so woefully bizarre.
all new suv's look like this. it was just ahead of its time. that being said its hideous.
You're right. The new Lamborghini Urus is looking a lot like this... too much like this. O_O
Your thumbnail pic is gorgeous
Aztek = Greatest car in the world? 🤔
dont be mean
I mean am I the only one who can' get over the fact that the Aztek could legitimately come out TODAY and STILL not look out of date. New interior, LED lights, bigger wheels... BAM. And let's not forget the whole camping/tiny cabin/trucks with camper beds thing is a huge fad now. To say this thing was ahead of it's time is like the biggest fucking understatement ever.
Holy shit this car is awesome. I want ALL that gimicky stuff.
Get a 2001 Bonneville GXP if gimmicks are your thing. A TON of buttons!!!
So u want BULLSHIT in your life? 😂😂
@@custommuscle7603 your parents did
no you dont
@@TrippEvans destruction 100
The Pontiac Aztek, the SAO of cars
My farts GO IN NOW.
i died when he said that haha
Best part lmaoo
I’ve been waiting for this video for 5 years.
Doug demuro did this same video like a year ago.
@@trilbymcreddit618 Fuck Doug
For me, the aztek is not even that ugly, it's unique and totally underrated.
For real. The Aztek was considered ugly and bizarre, yet most of its design cues ended up on the SUVs that followed in later years. If the Aztek came 5 years later it would have probably been a success
Early last year, I was blown away when Motorweek's review of the Aztek showed me that the center console cooler was a thing. I had to have one. I went out to a salvage yard a few months after that and found one in one of six Azteks they had on their lot. The yard let me take it home for $15 and since then I've cleaned it, painted it, and used it more than any cooler I've ever owned. It perfectly fits a six-pack and keeps ice longer than anything designed by GM in the early 2000s has a right to. Call it a gimmick, but I'd say they hit one outta the park with that center console cooler.
Also, I'd totally own and drive an '06 Aztek GT with AWD as my winter/utility vehicle.
Gone probably because people know about the cooler and just take it to have one like a normal cooler, not because it is missing in the car. Glad to hear you found one. How was it sitting in those different Azteks?
Every 00’s car that was meant to be cool for young people ended up being popular with boomers. The Aztec, the PT Cruiser, the HHR, the Scion xB and now even the Kia Soul.
Don't forget the Honda Element, and the Pontiac Vibe/Toyota Matrix.
Further proof, if it were needed, that the motor industry doesn't have a clue what it's doing.
Because the motor industry is still largely made up of boomers, making vehicles for boomers, by boomers.
The scion xb and Kia soul weren't sold until 2010's. Personally I love the Aztek and I'm 19.
@@mzaite I love the Honda element I wish they still made that car!
My brother just upgraded from his '01 Aztec to a Subaru Crosstrek, but is still keeping it around as a second car. I get so excited when I see one on the road - thank you for reviewing this amazing vehicle.
We all made fun of this thing yet car manufacturers now all consistently churn out crossovers that look exactly like this
♪ Let's all laugh at an industry that never learns anything tee hee hee ♪
Don't think you can just slip that Zero Punctuation reference past me. I'm on to your shenanigans.
@@AeronDuskglow Ah, I see you're a man of culture as well
The car of my chemistry teacher
Oops.
My Aunt and Grandma in southern Michigan both owned Aztecs (one of them this same color scheme) from the late oughts to the mid 2010’s, and I honestly really liked them. They looked different (cool), they were fun to ride in and drive, and all those features combined with the carefree design left an impression on me as a 10-15 year old kid that the world was full of adventure and freedom. The Pontiac Aztec resides in my heart next to Michael Bay’s 2007 ‘Transformers’, ‘Ace Combat X’, cheap road trips, ‘N-Strike’ nerf guns and muggy midwestern evenings as symbols of a glorious childhood and promising future cut short and body slammed by the cold reality of the ‘09 crash. Thanks for sharing this one with us.
So my mom's friend had one of these and it was AMAZING, at the time and still today. Superbly utilitarian and very comfy. Even as a base model. This was the ultimate drive-in movie car. Just back it in, tune the radio, and get hammered in the back hatch.
I read "hammered in the back hatch" in Mr. Regular's gravelly voice
some kind of horrible innuendo
@@lvk104 That's what everybody did at a drive-in.
@@lvk104 that's pretty much what drive-ins were for.
…oh…back hatch of the CAR
I can’t lie, I’ve always loved the Aztek
Collin Kelly me tooooo
Me 4
Ditto. Almost bought one back in the day before I even knew everyone hated them.
I always unironically was interested in one. It had crossover design cues and panoramic glass a decade before those design trends really came in to their own.
Am I the only one who'd really love to have an Aztek now? I mean, the longer I look at it, the more genius this design is... just needs some time getting used to it.
Unfortunately, there seems to be none for sale in Europe... maybe no-one was weird, crazy and wealthy enough to import one in the whole continent. Such a shame, I'd love to see one in person at least.
MetalTrabant Just go on a trip to the U.S.
Saw a bunch of them in Russia as a kid. Dunno if they were sold here officially (were Pontiacs even sold in Russia at all? They're a rare sight), but they all have just disappeared at some point. Haven't seen an Aztek for years.
@@fishkings423 Like it's that easy...
Anyway, now I've already seen 3 Azteks here in Hungary. One in the wild, in my town, with German plates, and two at a US car meeting. I could even sit in it, the owners were really friendly seeing that someone finally likes their cars :)
"I AM AN EXTRA IN SEINFELD!"
Prove it
*sandals*
"My farts go IN now!"
Alexander Falarski **clears throat**
*_M Y F A R T S G O I N N O W._*
@@RazgulTheKind The fact that he didn't even bother commenting on the sandals just made me lose it
Still better looking than the Nissan Cube....
And Juke!
@@thjn23 I was on board with the Cube comment, but a Juke?! C'mon man.. check out the Juke Nismo.
And the Prius! I’d rather been seen in an Aztek than a Prius ANYDAY!
@@Slayer0941 now its a sporty kind of ugly. Wow
No way, this one looks literally terrible!!
The great thing about the Aztec is that if you’re in an accident no one can tell, because it already looks like it’s been hit!
I feel like GM shittyness comes in waves every 10 years or so. It's like they just keep forgetting how shit they can be and want to try again.
Damn, you really thought a lot about what you had to say. Great insight and examples.
hgpo27. Some of us have the ability to think for ourselves and either agree or disagree.
I agree. This, the first gen Pontiac Trans Sport, and the Turbo Trans Am were each a decade apart disasters for Pontiac.
@@Bartonovich52 and the new Chevy full size truck that was just announced...
This is how i feel with Jeeps now days except they are getting worse and Worse as time goes on. The JK is just that a joke and the Upcoming Gladiator is a Abortion.
Gm ss lol
Too many cooks!
GM really was shortsighted not bringing this thing down under...this thing would be just about perfect a built in tent where you sleep off the ground away from snakes, crocodiles and wayward dingos...and for some reason many of us like camping so the tent makes sense here at least and it would be perfect for long treks from Melbourne to Cairns to visit Uncle Gavin for Christmas...
Any car without "infotainment" is a good car in my book.
Also, it's a rolling meme.
_Riot I would buy one of these and constantly call it the asstek. and camp with it frequently
So is your avatar.
no and yes
@@nickaa827 I've been calling my yellow one the "Short Bus"
Joey Giraldi perfect
The Aztek wasn’t alone in the outdoor gimmickry. The Honda Element had a lot of the same features as AZtek only executed a lot better. Dodge Caliber also had the glove box cooler thing.
I believe it was confusing to auto execs and engineers in the early 2000s why Americans were purchasing so many SUV’s and not using them off road.
The Aztek's cousin the Buick Rendezvous sold very well.
"Take your BS with you." 😂😂😂😂 I can't even. I love the Aztek, I almost got a red 2001 model but something was seriously wrong with it and wasn't worth it
Was the seriously wrong with it part, because it is a GM
And GMs are crap???
Because that gimmicky nonsen sounds fun but it's a GM and I dont have boomer cash.
Mr.Regular. The type of guy to release a review in the middle of the night for most of the continental US.
Finally a car as strange as Mr. Regular himself
not strange.....stran-jay
well, strange'
This was the perfect tailgating vehicle. It had an optional tent and air mattress, the back seats are removable, the back trunk lies down to make a bench seat, the inside zips up for privacy in the back, the back compartment with the handle has wheels, and a removable cooler was in the front. Sorry, this was a cool car.
That tent. Where do you sleep though. The floor looks small af. Also. Hangy down boom box accessory. Oof.
He forgot the mattress-
Yes, the mattress.
It has an inflatable mattress lmao
Seats fold and sleep 2 comfortably with the mattress
Like Will Smith in the pursuit of happiness. Curled u with your foot on the door and tears in your eyes.
Didn't think I'd see you here lol!
73!
@@Sys-Edit0r-1995 I'm everywhere my man!
0:30 Mr Regular attempts to open a car door
"It looks like a station wagon stretched out by a car bomb" that pretty much sums it up :P
This for me was always an American answer to the Fiat Multipla.
Fiat: Here's the ugliest car everyone. Enjoy
GM: Hold my beer!
Now it’s the Jeep Cherokee and Kia Soul.
This is fantastic thank you!
@@Bartonovich52 but the Cherokee is a good car especially the only models. It makes a fantastic offroading car even though it isn't a wrangler.
The Multipla might be the one car that makes the Aztec look good.
@@Bartonovich52 fiat 500L over the cherokee version, nissan cube, juke, kia soul, bmw i3, toyota yaris iA, Mitsubishi i-MiEV ... all uglier than the cherokee personally
The car reviewers favorite punching bag
Just getting started on this vid, and had to give props for the "Too Many Cooks" intro reference right off the bat!
It’s 3am and Mr. Regular uploads? Time to stay up another 13 minutes
Mr. Regular is why I work night shift.
You mean 12 mins and 52 secs
@@nedflanderz2935 8 seconds after the video to type a comment
Hyundai decided that the Aztek had a beatiful face and recreated it on the Hyundai Kona.
6:29 “Bob Lutz thought this looked like an angry kitchen appliance.”
This probably made me laugh more than it should have.... on second thought, I think it made me laugh at just the right amount.
1:25 had me in tears. I've never seen someone with such contempt for editing out bodily noises and I love you for it.
Is it bad that I now want an Aztek?
V E R Y . 💩
They are cheap and about a dime a dozen..people literally throw these things away..so yes
Breaking bad.
You just wanna fuck with people's minds.
the only reason Walter drove an aztek is because the production crew only paid $760 for the car in question, they bought it and didnt tag it because it was a "Movie prop car" but on a podcast the director said they were looking for a "cheap junkyard car because by the end of the show it was going to be blown up" so they found a cheap aztek in a junk yard.
My family had a 2003 Aztek for 14 years. I grew up with that car. I learned how to drive in that car. I crashed that car into a tree in 2013 in the snow and totaled it but that car was an F*ing BEAST and we fixed it and kept it running up until 2018 when my dad sold it, still in nearly pristine condition, for $500 to a GM dealership ultimately to be auctioned off to god knows where. I wish he didn’t because it was perfectly fine and he went and bought a boring equinox lol My dad really liked station wagons and had them from the 70s onward and when they finally went out of style, I think that’s why he was attracted to this car so much. Also my mom had a 1985 Horizon and I think that’s also partially why she liked this car too. She was rear ended in this car and it did more damage to the car behind her than the Azteks bumper. Yeah it was ugly to some but I stand by it being a beast 😆😁 I can tell the owner of this car definitely is as proudly passionate about it as I am. YES ITS FOR THE BOOMERS HAHAHA 😂 I’m just an old school millennial chick who just loves cars with character. I remember in breaking bad when Walt sells the car, the guy says “some people like to laugh but these cars are real sturdy” and it’s 100% true
The HK VP70Z of cars... Ugly as sin, but ahead of its time in many ways. On a side note, why do we have Infotainment? When you drive, you should be driving. I still try to find the older style stereos on the vehicles I buy because I don't want this huge lit up area on my dash... Plus they are unneeded $10K options on most vehicles.
Backup cameras are now mandatory for all new cars sold in the US. Manufactures have just decided to use that screen for everything else when you aren't backing up to save space and keep there from being a big useless black rectangle on the dash 99.9% of the time the car is being used.
Gave this a like for the VP70 reference.
I get why people like big fancy looking touch screens, but I prefer "old fashioned" single din head units. Buttons for everything, you remember where they are after awhile and don't even have to look over to change the volume or station. Not to mention manufacturers seem to have an obsessment with replacing all the controls in cars with a touch screen, I rather have a simple control that does a function rather than flipping through menus just to change the a/c fan speed...
@@axmajpayne They can put a small screen in the rear view camera, base model 18'-19' Corolla IAs have them without a display in the center console. I've seen a number of other vehicles from this decade that have also had the backup camera display through the rearview mirror.
Back up cameras are what now?! I probably wasn't going to ever buy a new car anyway, but now I'm really not going to ever buy a new car. Maybe if they would make a car with proper windows instead of these quasi hatchback things, or the super high waisted Tonka toy look they're all going for now, you wouldn't need a backup camera.
9:28 nice
"And while that's a long walk for a 69 joke,.." lol What a great writer. Always elaborate but direct, and you never miss the chance to add one liners lol
Finally I’ve been waiting for this ugly ass car to be reviewed ❤️
It's not that ugly
@@nedflanderz2935 it's pretty ugly man, looks like a blown up Toyota Prius....
It's arguably THE ugliest car ever made. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Kenny K I’d buy one as a beater vehicle. They’re pretty dirt cheap. If I had a budget of $1000 and looked at several cars that had white smoke chooching out the tailpipe and ran like ass then went to look at an Aztek that ran flawlessly and had no white smoke out of the tailpipe, guess which one I’d buy?
me too and to see the jokes of Breaking bad that have kept Mr.Regulas
A car built for the homeless that now the homeless can afford.
legit lived out of a 2001 Aztek, it was great
The single frame of the ad model’s “hiking” sandals at 11:14 says everything we needed to know about this car.
I love the "Too Many Cooks" reference in the songs. Push the button Smarf!!
If I remember correctly one of the first season of Survivor
had this car as a prize, the castaways got to check it out and comments like "edgy" came up, stuff you would read on those dealer brochures. Now that i think about it, the castaways must have been prompted to use terms like those before they saw it. When they were "surprised" to see such a "daring" car. Half the castaways are ether models or more often then not, aspiring actors.. They do what they are told to say I'm sure. That was probably the most praise the Aztek got in any media at the time.
You can't call it praise if it's paid for.
Not sure if it was Season 1, because it was a surprise hit. Colby definitely won one in Season 2. He was their target demographic.
I like the Rendezvous because it looks smoother, has the Column shifter and is more luxurious. Too bad those are underrated.
You're the only person who has mentioned the Rio PMP mp3 player, ever, since I bought it for my girlfriend at the time. And for that, Mr. Regular, you are loved.
You have no idea how long I've been waiting for this video...
4:00 Reminds me of how 1st and 2nd gen CR-V's came with a little picnic table in the back
as awful as those bubble buttons look, i would welcome that over todays trend of touch screen EVERYTHING. Seriously, who thought it would be a good idea to make every god damn thing in a car a touch screen instead of tactile in a thing that requires your utmost attention while using? you know when you want to change inputs so you sort of hover over the touch screen icon and as soon as you go to hit it you hit a bump and you end up going into the settings menu and then you gotta find the "back" icon but now youre all discombobulated so you have to take your eyes off of the road and watch as you interact with the screen? yeah, thats absolute horse shit, i should have a physical button SOMEWHERE to rely on in order to change the fucking station. The ones with the built in mouse are even worse
In answer to your question about who made every control a touch screen, I believe the answer is: The Japanese. The Japanese believe EVERYTHING should be a challenge to be surmounted for self-betterment, and therefore designing things to be easy and intuitive to use is anathema to them. Just look at any TV or DVD player (or their remote controls) for examples. This will only end when A) We stop allowing the Japanese to design things, or B) When the human race comes to an end because no-one can figure out how to use anything anymore.
If Buick had a touch screen in 1986, then it failed to catch on for about 20-odd years, which is to say it had no consequences.. Whereas the Japanese make "puzzling" a feature of just about everything they design.
@MrRivethead1001 I think he's making a political statement that I think I agree with, so you're gonna need a political statement too.
*COUGH* tesla *COUGH*
Yep! And our government ( the one that says using a phone while driving is dangerous) let them sell cars that are equally distracting!
Ah, early 2000s GM, and their obsession with covering everything in the most fade happy gray plastic body panels (this, Avalanche, etc) that should just say Rubbermaid on the side and be parked on the curb waiting patiently for the garbage truck to come and take them away lol
Better than rust.
I like GM but I gotta agree, plastic look sucks
We bought a brand new Aztek in 2003. Today it is in 2022, but we are still driving this car. It still works very well. So far it has served us for 19 years. We love Aztek.
This review is one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse
Woah, I think you're right dude. S is gonna HTF soon. Damn Regular Car Guy starting the apocalypse. In the emortal words of Homer S. Simpson: "doah!".