Good vehicle with SUV advantages but not always kid friendly

Author's Rating:

Pros: Gas mileage, handling, winter handling, stereo, trunk space, size when parking/merging

Cons: Lack of space between front and rear seats, rear hatch lift problems, visibility

The Bottom Line: 
I would recommend this car overall. People with small children need to make sure it has enough room. Great winter handling and gas mileage

Author's Review
I purchased a 2005 Pontiac Aztec new from a new car dealer. This was my 6th new car purchase so I had a pretty thorough list of features I was looking for. This car attracted my attention because I wanted the height and visibility of an SUV but the gas mileage, and price range, of a sedan. Another important factor was snow and ice handling since I live in Alaska and we drive on snow/ice about 5 months out of the year. Because I wanted seat warmers I ended up with a deluxe package that included the leather seats, seat warmers, back seat DVD player with cordless headphones, etc. Overall we have been pleased with the vehicle and would recommend it as long as you are ok with its size and some of the quirks I have found.

Size:

The Aztec is a small car, which has its advantages in parking lots, merging in traffic, etc. I have noticed though that it is a bit too small for my comfort for two children in the back seat still in car seats. We have a booster seat and a Britax installed in the rear and both of my children have only about 2 inches of space between their shins and the back of the driver, and passenger, seat. I usually drive with the passenger seat all the way forward when I am alone so my youngest daughter doesn’t spend the whole time kicking the seat. When my husband rides in the front passenger seat he is a bit more forward then he would normally chose to be just to ensure that the child behind him has enough room to sit comfortably in the car seat. This would be a great vehicle for couples without children or children that sit with a regular seat belt and not car seats. The room in the backseats is decent and 3 can fit comfortably across the back. The middle shoulder belt in the rear comes down from the ceiling and attaches to the lap belt and I have had reports that it is very uncomfortable for shorter adults and most children. The trunk is very spacious and easily fit a full size stroller, plus groceries, plus other accessories. I can’t imagine exceeding the capacity of this trunk during every day family purchasing and traveling. Another nice element size wise is that you can easily reach all of the controls from the drivers seat. You do not have to reach uncomfortably for anything.

“Driveability”

Ok I know that isn’t really a word but that is what I think of when I think of the car’s overall performance. Performance wise I have been very pleased with my Aztec. It drives well, has very nice shocks, and feels like a nice sedan instead of some of the other SUV type cars we test drove. It drives smooth, has good get up and go, and handles surprisingly well in snow and ice. Because it is a heavier car it pushes though snow with no problems! The under car height enough to not get high centered on burms either. I have had no winter driving complaints about this vehicle. It handles so well that we have not had to put studs on either winter.

Features

DVD/Stereo

My kids love the built in DVD player but unfortunately there are no volume controls on the headphones for smaller children. There is no way to lock the volume in place so my toddler is continually turning the headphones up way too loud. This has become a point of argument in our car so much so that we tend to just listen to it through the overall stereo. The cordless headphones, while nice, are also not attached to anything so needless to say they fall out of the car often when children are getting in and out of the vehicle. I have already backed over a pair and had to replace them! My only complaint with the DVD system is that you cannot see the controls from the front of the vehicle. You have a remote control but it is not labeled well at ALL and it is difficult to tell what button does what until you memorize them. There are no words on the remote so you just have to know that three horizontal lines are menu, etc. That can be more confusing than I would like while also trying to drive! If Pontiac people read these reviews please please just put “menu”, etc. on the remote for us parents. The DVD system works well even when cold and has a pretty good quality picture. You have the option of using the headphones or not so that is also an advantage if you have 3 people in the rear but only two headphones.

The stereo is very nice and comparable to some of my other higher end stereo systems in past vehicles. The sound quality is good and the speakers in the very back of the car, for tailgating parties, add to the surround sound feel. There are also additional stereo controls from the rear of the vehicle for when you are having a tailgate party. I have to admit that I have only used those once but when I did it was nice to be able to adjust the volume, etc. from the back of the car.

Seats

The seats are very comfortable but we have had to replace the seat warmer once already. The seat warmers, when fixed and working, warm up the rear end part and a bit up the back of the seat which is a nice feature on cold days. The rear seats are contoured a bit and made it difficult for our Graco car seat to fit in it so beware again if you are going to put little kids in this car. Our other brand seats got a great fit but certainly try it out before you buy. The rear seats are a 60/40 split and the 60 part does not lay all the way flat which is a disadvantage I believe.

Visibility

The visibility of this vehicle is certainly one of its quirks and takes some getting use to. The rear hatch blocks a good portion of your blind spots but I have learned to rely on my mirrors more and just be more careful. The rear hatch also has a spoiler “ish” area that cuts the rear window in half. That also obstructs your vision. I would say these visibility issues would become problems if you lived in a high traffic area where you were merging and changing lanes a lot. In Anchorage our traffic is pretty light compared to some big cities so I can simply be a bit more careful and this isn’t a problem. Honestly I wouldn’t purchase this car again though if I lived in a high traffic area. The visibility is compromised and is such that there really is no way around it by adjusting mirrors, etc.

Others

Ok the important things…..it has great cup holders! It can fit two huge big gulp size cups and it has a removable liner for cleaning. The center console thing is really just a mini cooler that locks into place, which is convenient if you were using the car for traveling but mostly just a pain in the rear for every day travel. I just stuff things in there that I wont need to get to often and use the top tray portion for change, pens, etc. It has two cigarette lighters reachable from the drivers seat so that is a nice feature if you have a cell phone and an MP3 player for example. The glove box is not very large but sufficient to hold registration, manual, and emergency tissues. I get about 23 miles to the gallon which is pretty good for this kind of car and this kind of SUV height.

Problems

Ok so we have had a few small problems. The one that stands out to me and makes me crazy is the rear hatch. I have taken it in about 10 times for service because the hydraulic lifts are just not strong enough to lift it up. The back hatch is VERY heavy so it just goes up really slowly at best. In the winter the hydraulics get cold and just don’t work at all. They replaced some things as a recall but overall they have just said that is the way it is when it is cold. It is a major pain. When you click the hatch from the inside it doesn’t lift off the hook part fully so you get out, go back there, and it is popped open a bit but still caught on the latch. So you have to go back into the car and pop it again and hope it come all the way open. The only way to resolve this is to turn off the engine, take your keychain clicker, and go back there and click the release at the same time you pull up. Needless to say with it being cold 5 months out of the year I spend a lot of time swearing at the rear hatch. If you live in a warm place you will probably never experience this problem. You will have to wait a bit for it to lift the hatch but it will eventually open. If you live in the cold though I would consider how often you will need to get in and out of the hatch. Again if you are a couple with no children that will only access it occasionally this wouldn’t rank high as a problem. When you have to get a stroller in and out multiple times a day however it becomes very annoying. They say they don’t put stronger lifts in because they don’t want the hatch flying up and hitting you in the chin or something. Who know…but beware.

The other problem we had was a strange one. There was an electrical short that caused my OnStar to come on when I made hard right hand turns. It was quickly fixed and I haven’t heard of this in other people’s reviews so I am guessing it was just a fluke.

Another issue I have found is that hardly anyone carries accessories for it. I can not find a gate to separate the trunk area from the back seats, custom floor mats, window shields, etc. I have found that most SUV catalogs dont include it and most sedan sections dont either. I think it is stuck in the middle and is forgotten accessory wise.

Overall I would recommend this for someone who wants something like an SUV but that gets better gas mileage and a smoother ride. I am still happy with my purchase but I can’t wait until my children get a bit older and some of my issues are resolved. If you have young children just make sure some of these things mentioned wont turn you off. If you don’t have small children go for it. I think it is a great little car and has handled well.