*Yes, that spelling is a sad, Doug-prompted joke.
I just caught Doug DeMuro’s review of the Pontiac Aztek, and I learned some things:
- I always knew the famous tent was an option, but I didn’t realize that it came with a matching air mattress and awning.
- It was equipped with a rudimentary - but pretty ingenious - sliding drawer system!
- A factory cooler lived between the front seats
- The Aztek had a split-folding tailgate, just like a Land Cruiser! (Ducks in-coming bricks...)
- It had myriad cubbies and storage options for all kinds of equipment, and even though that interior is full of cheap plastics, you wouldn’t worry about having to hose it out.
- Pontiac had cornered the market on proto-Hipsters way back in 2001. #vanlife early history:
All-in-all, I was shocked at the thoughtful and overlander-friendly factory options available on the Aztek in the early Aughts. Of course, Doug doesn’t delve into its limited off-road chops (optional Versatek AWD notwithstanding), and you certainly wouldn’t catch me driving one anytime soon.
That said, what a fascinating engineering and design experiment on GM’s part. It’s too bad these ideas came off as novelties or add-on extras, rather than real, useful tools for adventure travelers.
Imagine what might have been had they pushed some of the Aztek options to tougher and more off-road-capable platforms like the ZR-2 Blazer (a truck whose shape I’m unashamedly in love with), or Tahoe Z71...
It seems to me that General Motors might have had an opportunity to introduce Americans to what we now think of as “overlanding” a whole lot sooner.