The Pontiac Aztek and its unique design was 20 years ahead of its time
At the time, the Pontiac Aztek was ridiculed and judged harshly for its coupe-like SUV physique but flash forward 20 years and it is the hottest Bodystyle going.What do you get when a multi-national automaker keen to crack the Gen X market in the '90s ask a focus group what kind of car they would like and end up blending a Chevrolet Camaro with an S10 pickup together? Something cool you'd assume...Well, actually it gives you the 1999 Pontiac Aztek crossover vehicle.
While it was never sold down under, its controversial styling has left a lasting legacy worldwide.
The designer of the Aztek, Tom Peters who is also responsible for the Chevrolet Camaro and Corvette told MotorTrend back in 2014 that the original idea for the Pontiac Aztek started back in the mid-'90s when the team asked themselves "What would happen if we put a Camaro and an S10 in a blender?" The result was what the team christened the Pontiac Bearclaw.
Then the usual corporate games of keeping costs down and finding a marketing hook took hold. GM requested the Bearclaw to be built on the minivan platform while GM's many committees got a hold of it and decided it had to be "best-in-class," another decided it had to be covered in plastic body cladding.
The Bear Claw idea was meant to combine the practicality and off-road capability of an SUV and the performance and excitement of a sports sedan. Market research and development and marketing teams have always been at different ends of the spectrum when it comes to what consumers really want and what they are willing to spend their hard-earned cash on.
The Aztek did pick up a few accolades in its time including number one spots on the 100 ugliest cars of all time, 100 Worst Cars of All Time, 50 worst cars of all time and 50 worst inventions of all time. Just a little bit harsh on this trailblazer.
While the late '90s and early 2000s were not apparently ready for the hunchback SUV crossover coupe, it appears those of us living in the 2020s are more than happy to get on board with this design.
Flash forward to today and the Gen X customers GM were gunning for all those years ago are now actually buying hunchback SUVs by the thousands. Here are nine cars that take the Aztecs hunchback styling and run with it.
BMW X6 and X4
Launched in 2009, the BMW X6 was touted as the world's first Sports Activity Coupé (SAC) 'which offers features and abilities not available in a comparable combination in any other car the world over.' BMW said that its design of the X6 combined the sporting elegance of a large BMW Coupé with the powerful presence of a BMW X model.
Arriving in 2014, the X4 miniaturised the X6's formula and continued to push the SAC experiment. As more and more of BMW's sales were going towards its X range, BMW made every effort to cover every size and style of SUV possible, beating many of its rivals to these newly created segments.
Mercedes-Benz GLC Coupe and GLE Coupe
In 2014 Mercedes-Benz revealed its intentions to enter the hunchback SUV race with the GLC coupe following BMW's approach to coupe-ify the main wagon-style SUV.
In 2014 the MLC became the GLE Coupe and has battled the BMW X6 ever since. Over time the larger hunchback SUV segment was seen bigger performance and engine outputs making these some of the most powerful passenger vehicles in the world.
Renault Arkana
In 2018, Renault unveiled their Arkana show car with the head of corporate design, Laurens Van Den Acker saying “The Arkana show car is a distinctive coupé-crossover, striking balance between the elegance of a sedan and the powerful stance of an SUV. We have dialled in specific Renault cues, with a strong design, strength and sensuality with a French touch.” He wasn't wrong.
Ssangyong Actyon
In 2006, SsangYong brought the Actyon SUV to showrooms and a few of them found a home. A potential reason for the hunchback SUV styling may have been due to the fact that the vehicle was based on the same platform as a ute (which it shares its name with, the Actyon Sports).
Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross
Introduced in 2017, the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross SUV carries many of the motifs of the Aztek including the split rear window and hunchback coupe-style rear end. The one thing the Ecplise Cross eclipses the Aztek on is its ability to be a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle.
Citroen C4
First revealed in June 2020, the new Citroen C4 moves away from being a hatch or a Cactus and into a hunchback SUV-esque vehicle. The new C4 brings with it a new design language for the French brand, which is designed to meet the expectations of Citroen customers and according to Citroen “has all the qualities needed to shake up the standards of its [small SUV] segment”.
Genesis GV60
The new Genesis GV60 electric SUV will arrive in Australia in the first half of 2022 wearing the Sao Paulo Lime, the new signature colour for the brand’s EV performance models (looks very Pontiac Aztek to us).
Related: The car brands who have changed their logo in 2021
Related: Five cars that look like deliciously drivable ice creams
Related: Five cars that look like they're smiling you can buy on carsales
Tags
Please see our Editorial Guidelines & Code of Ethics (including for more information about sponsored content and paid events). The information published on this website is of a general nature only and doesn’t consider your particular circumstances or needs.
If the price does not contain the notation that it is "Drive Away", the price may not include additional costs, such as stamp duty and other government charges.
