It should be noted that folks who owned Aztek's loved them. This article makes it seems like the vehicle was despised across the board and that wasn't the case. Despite their looks they were solid cars with a ton of features. If anything this is a testament to the necessity elegant design on a solid product feature set.
I think that's what he was driving at with the following quote:
"Many people in the car business do not understand that a vehicle has an image. To them, a vehicle is a collection of attributes. If your attributes are better than the other guy’s attributes, you’re gonna win. It’s engineer thinking, along totally rational lines. Their advice to an alcoholic is “stop drinking—is there something about that you don’t understand?” That’s not how people actually think."
If you add up an Aztec as a collection of attributes, it was a damn fine vehicle. If you engage with it from the perspective of an actual consumer -- a sometimes irrational, emotionally-influenced person whose sense of self is in some small way defined by the vehicle they drive -- the Aztec is a fiasco. Part of the function of a car is how the driver feels to own it, so form is part of the function. And the Aztec was a complete failure at providing that part of the function.
But the actual customers loved it. If anything it was too innovative. It was panned by people who weren't customers and weren't intended to be. If anything it is a fiasco of market demographics in that the company assumed the market for the Aztek was bigger than it was. For those whom they got the demographic right they nailed it.
If you look a few years later, the entire car industry was racing to get "Azteky" cars into the market. Honda Element, Scion xB, Nissan? Cube are all cars that have similar design/feature goals.
Amusingly, the "Azteky" cars you list were also failures of market demographics (and have all since been discontinued).
Of them the best seller, the Element, enjoyed mild success only because it missed its target market entirely. Instead of the "young urban males" it was targeted at, it was instead popular with older people who wanted an economical vehicle with easy cargo access, and dog owners, who wanted a n interior that was easy to clean.
The Scion xB isn't discontinued; it's expected to see a redesign for the 2015 model. Also, the Kia Soul is a very "azteky" car introduced more recently with some success.
Surely that's tautological. Of course the people who actually bought the car liked it. Why would you by a $20,000 car you didn't like?
You get no points for nailing your demographic to the tune of 27,000 cars a year at peak sales, when you need to sell 30,000 cars a year just to break even.
I meant in comparison to lots of cars that come out and are panned by both the general public and the people that bought them. The Aztec (and to a large extent the subsequent cars it inspired) were adored by their owners.
Full disclosure: I was until very recently an owner of a Honda Element and loved it.
I suppose people could like a car when they buy it and then get disgusted with it over time.
I wonder if there's a paradoxical filter effect at play. If a car is really obviously bad (for most people) then they won't buy it. But if a car is bad in a more subtle way, maybe people are more likely to buy it and then hate it later. Thus, one might expect overall terrible cars (in the eyes of the general population, at least) to have a fanatical following, since they're the only ones who would buy it.
What's interesting is that the more successful later cars you mention are much boxier and utilitarian-looking. I recall the reaction to the Element being outright revulsion, but plenty of people bought it and other cars like it.
These days, I'd honestly rather look at (or be in) one of those boxy models than the ubiquitous "melted soap bar" of the late '90s/early '00s. At the very least, those cars are clear about the owner's interest in prioritizing function over perceived form. It's possible that the Aztek's "neither hot nor cold" aesthetic is part of what doomed it.
Being an Australian, I'd never heard of the Aztek.
It seems that the Leyland P76 has a similar history; what was actually a decent vehicle is now remembered as a complete failure for a variety of reasons.
My coworker (Optics Ph.d.) is still driving a 2000 Aztek that he purchased while in graduate school. Its electrical system and chassis components might not survive its 15th northern winter. He has not been able to identify a comparable replacement with his favorite feature: the cargo capacity with the rear seat removed. I've been trying to help him figure out which current model can adequately replace what he has always called "the ugly car".
I am in a similar sitation with a 2000 Honda CRV. It has a rear hatch with a swing open hinge and rear tire mount, perfect for hauling bikes. Unfortually I can't find a new vehicle with the same setup, everything now has "minivan" style hinges that open from the top.
If he's serious about that stuff, he should look at a minivan.
Or here's a wildcard. It's similar to the Aztek, the GMC Envoy XUV. The Aztek gets about 94 cubic ft of cargo room, the XUV is 95.5. You won't find one new, but so long as you get the V8 4wd model it will last a long, long time with many replaceable parts.
Your coworker should look into a minivan with fold-flat seats. I rent them when I needed to move equipment. They have great cargo carrying ability with the flat floor, plenty of anchor points, and not having to worry about where to stash the seats is really convenient.
Including a good review from Car and Driver...
http://www.edmunds.com/pontiac/aztek/2001/consumer-reviews.h...
http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/pontiac-aztek-gt-road-te...