The Pontiac Aztek is a 5-door SUV from Pontiac, built from 2000 to 2004, in the decade of stability control, dual-clutch gearboxes and the first serious hybrids. Under the bonnet: 3.4 . Tom Peters (chief designer: 1997) drew it. The total made was 119,692.
How it came about
The Pontiac Aztek is a mid-size crossover SUV marketed by General Motors introduced in 2000 for the 2001 to 2005 model years. As a four-door crossover with front-wheel drive and optional all-wheel drive, the Aztek featured a four-speed automatic transmission with a V6 engine.
Marketed by Pontiac as a "sport recreational vehicle," the Aztek used a shortened platform shared with GM's minivans (e.g., the Pontiac Montana) featuring 94 cubic feet of cargo room with its rear seats removed. The design employed conventional rear outswing doors rather than sliding doors, and a split rear tailgate, the lower section formed with seat indentations and cupholders. Other features included a front center console that doubled as a removable cooler, optional rear stereo controls in the cargo area, optional sliding cargo floor with grocery compartments, and optional camping package with an attachable tent and air mattress.
The hardware
Power comes from 3.4 other versions carried different engines, listed in the specification table below. It weighs 3,779–4,043 . It shifts through a 4-speed 4T65-E automatic. The wheelbase is 108.3 in (2,751 mm). These are manufacturer figures carried by Wikipedia and Wikidata, not road-test measurements.
Family and rivals
Its family tree is legible: it took over from the Pontiac Sunrunner (Canada); its successor was the Pontiac Torrent; assembly was at Ramos Arizpe (Ramos Arizpe Assembly), Mexico. Its contemporaries in the catalogue — the Hyundai Santa Fe, the Honda S2000, the BMW X5 — show what else the money bought that year. Its Pontiac stablemates include the Pontiac 2+2 and the Pontiac 6.