Remember the nerdy girl at your high school who no one wanted to date? A few of her peers may have admired her superior intellect, work ethic, or moral values, but to most, she was just odd. The Pontiac is little bit like her. Strange on the outside, but interesting even cool, in a nerdy sort of way. For 2002, Pontiac has given its corporate wall flower a cosmetic makeover, plus more standard features and a variety of choices. For starters, last year’s Aztek GT model is gone, replaced instead by two models: the front wheel drive Aztek and Aztek Versatrak all wheel drive. Versatrak operates in 2wd until slippage is detected, at which point the system directs torque to the rear wheels for added traction. Both models receive a monotone exterior, a sporty rear spoiler and jazzier alloy wheels; the fwd model gets 16-in. wheels, while the Versatrak model is fitted with 17s. The standard 185bhp 3.4 liter V6 and 4T65-E 4-speed automatic transmission combination is unchanged from last year. The Aztek’s McPhersonstrut front suspension is fitted with 4 stage valving, while the rear end of the awd version employs an unequal length A-arm independent suspension designed specifically for the application.
The fwd model uses a trailing twist-beam axle with integral anti-roll bar and coil springs in the rear. Four option packages make it easy to outfit the Aztek almost any way you want. Package ISA is the starting point, and includes tilt steering wheel, convenience net, rear wipers, power door locks, windows and deck-lid release, air conditioning and an AM/FM with CD player, graphic equalizer and 6 speaker stereo system.
