This is topic Ugliest car in production in DECADES in forum Film-Yak at Film-Tech Forum ARCHIVE.


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Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 09-11-2003, 01:13 AM:
 
The Pontiac Aztek. Beyond belief. I am not what you call style conscious, & have been philosophical about ungainly, bulbous cars from the 40s & 50s, & weird messes from the 60s & 70s like the Pacer, Gremlin, etc. But this thing is the all-time winner.

Indescribably ugly, beyond what the photos can convey.





There is an assumption that there is likely some distortion in the photos, & the car cannot look like that, but it does.

Since the first time I saw one, each appearance of one on the road makes me feel like I'm gonna puke.

WHY ARE PEOPLE BUYING THIS BUTT-UGLY CHUNK? HOW CHEAP CAN IT BE?
 

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Posted by Jon Miller (Member # 163) on 09-11-2003, 01:39 AM:
 
The Aztek's not alone...

(Scroll down to the bottom of that Web page for another General Motors offering worthy of the distinction.)
 

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Posted by Aaron Sisemore (Member # 145) on 09-11-2003, 02:21 AM:
 
I agree that the Aztek is pretty fuggly. But there is one that beats even it:



The Scion (a car named for a donor twig for grafting trees??) Xb.

Looks like someone took a Chrysler PT Cruiser and placed it in a crusher and just crushed it a little bit. Even Volvo isn't making cars that look like boxes anymore!

-Aaron
 

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Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 09-11-2003, 02:38 AM:
 
You've obviously never seen the Fiat Multipla

http://www.carsfromitaly.com/fiat/index.html
 

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Posted by Mark Lensenmayer (Member # 134) on 09-11-2003, 06:48 AM:
 
The New York Times did a brief review of the AZTEK, and the reviewer said that children were laughing and pointing at the thing as he drove down the street.

The worst AZTEK is the bright yellow one.
 

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Posted by Paul Trimboli (Member # 1509) on 09-11-2003, 07:41 AM:
 
Bah the Fiat Multipla is not that bad, maybe the orginal model is not the best. But Fiat have and still do make some of the best cars!!!!!
 

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Posted by Michael Barry (Member # 237) on 09-11-2003, 08:09 AM:
 
I think that the Mercedes A series (160?) is incredibly fugly.

The tag line for the ad went, 'Some people just don't get it'.

I am unashamed to admit that I am one of them.
 

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Posted by Ken Layton (Member # 133) on 09-11-2003, 09:00 AM:
 
Generally IMO any car made after 1964 is ugly.
 

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Posted by Jason Burroughs (Member # 68) on 09-11-2003, 09:07 AM:
 
The Honda Element is pretty fugly too. Looks like a shoebox on wheels.
 

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Posted by David Stambaugh (Member # 1102) on 09-11-2003, 10:45 AM:
 
I can't believe the Aztek went through any genuine focus testing before it was released. The question they probably forgot to ask is "OK, so you think it's neat, but would you ever actually drive one?"
 

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Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 09-11-2003, 12:18 PM:
 
I believe I have an affinity for the ugly car. Personally I lust after the Mercedes A-Class and the Honda Element. One of my criteria for a car is its usefulness. A box is useful, therefore I drive a box.

Although I agree that the Pontiac Aztek is a poor excuse for an automobile, I must admit that it looks its best in that beige color in the photograph. Besides the ugly nose, one of the biggest sins that Pontiac made was sloping the rear hatch. If you want utility why crowd the hatch area? This is a mistake that many cars make like the Nissan Mirano and the Pontiac Vibe.

As far as the Fiat Multipa is concerned, I hear that they sell a bunch of them and that it is Fiat's most successful car.

Most of the cars that people find beautiful are too low and I can't fit in them.
 

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Posted by Ron Lacheur (Member # 1126) on 09-11-2003, 03:30 PM:
 
There's a tent thing that pops out of the back of the Aztek.
 

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Posted by Randy Stankey (Member # 64) on 09-11-2003, 03:37 PM:
 
The 1980 Cadillac Seville Fastback was a FUGLY car!

I don't know how people could stand to be seen in a car that looks like that! To top it all off, they strut around like they are wearing the Emporer's New Clothes!
 

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Posted by Dan Lyons (Member # 1454) on 09-11-2003, 04:46 PM:
 
ewww! I've seen a ton of those UGLY SQUARE BOXY THINGS on the roads of LA and OC recently. I've seen Honda, Mercedes, and one other maker I can't remember.

What the hell? I guess "aerodynamic" is no longer in fashion, a strong wind would tip these boxes over!

Danny
 

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Posted by Jeff Stricker (Member # 224) on 09-11-2003, 04:48 PM:
 
How about a Cooper?
 

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Posted by Ron Yost (Member # 1850) on 09-11-2003, 05:46 PM:
 
Square seems 'in' in California, for sure. Fugly Elements all over the place, driven by what appear to be perfectly normal middle-aged white guy geeks. Obviously an alien invasion of some kind is taking place.

I think I saw two tiny things sticking out of the neck of one of the owners. I'm checking it further. If you don't hear from me I'm .......... 9 0 'k88 *(
 

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Posted by Ian Price (Member # 14) on 09-11-2003, 05:46 PM:
 
Make mine a MINI Cooper S
 

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Posted by Charles Everett (Member # 889) on 09-11-2003, 06:50 PM:
 
Have any Film-Techers ever owned an Edsel?
 

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Posted by Bobby Henderson (Member # 840) on 09-11-2003, 10:58 PM:
 
I can't stand the Pontiac Aztek either. It makes me think of some kind of kitchen appliance that sharpens knives or stores them. Or maybe it squeezes orange juice. I don't know. It doesn't look like a proper car or even a traditional station wagon.
 

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Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 09-12-2003, 02:47 AM:
 
Paul Trimboli said:

quote:

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Bah the Fiat Multipla is not that bad, maybe the orginal model is not the best. But Fiat have and still do make some of the best cars!!!!!

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Sorry but it looks butt ugly to me .
It 's the duck billed platypus of the automobile world
 

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Posted by Scott Norwood (Member # 30) on 09-12-2003, 06:39 AM:
 
The Aztek is indeed fugly. Supposedly it was intended to appeal to the under-30 crowd, yet I don't know anyone my age (26) who thinks that it's anything but ugly.

But, then, what do I know about automobile aesthetics? I drive a Volvo station wagon.
 

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Posted by Phil Hill (Member # 371) on 09-12-2003, 07:10 AM:
 
A Volvo? Gosh Scott, I didn't know you were a 40-something in the body of a 26 Y/O! No Wait! A station wagon? Make that a old fart in a 26 y/o body!

Also Dick, a duck-billed platypus is a really cool animal!

>>> Phil
 

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Posted by Dick Vaughan (Member # 540) on 09-12-2003, 07:53 AM:
 
Phil

You're right perhaps I should have worded my reply better.

Like the Multipla the DBP looks as though it's been put together from all the parts left over from previous models
 

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Posted by Gracia L. Babbidge (Member # 582) on 09-12-2003, 07:59 AM:
 


As the driver of a beat up Citation II, I shouldn't say too much about vehicles being fugly ... but dayum! The sight of the Aztek makes me cringe. Thankfully, my car runs much better than it looks... then again, what do you want for free?

There are many times when I miss driving the '79 Volvo I used to drive - that sucker was mustard yellow.
 

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Posted by David Rigby (Member # 1301) on 09-12-2003, 10:04 AM:
 
What is it with car designers these days? I thought things had taken a turn for the worst with that godawful PT Cruiser thing, but these new models are just unbelievable! (Every time I see a PT Cruiser I really have to fight the urge to kick it) It seems like we've come full circle in some ways - the Aztek reminds me of some of the horrible 70's Citren bodyshells. Everyone used to laugh at them then - and that was in the 70s!!!

David
 

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Posted by Robert E. Allen (Member # 1351) on 09-13-2003, 04:32 PM:
 
The PT Cruiser gets my vote for ugliest car. I miss the days of being able to go the the showrooms each new model year and checking out the really new cars. Today they all seem to look alike from year to year and manufacturer to manufacturer. I can't tell a Ford from a Chevy or Chrysler or Honda or whatever. Maybe the designers have run out of ideas.
 

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Posted by John Walsh (Member # 168) on 09-14-2003, 09:35 AM:
 
To me, a PT Cruiser looks like a hearse.

I had a Fiat X-1/9 which looks good, until a few years go by. Then, like all Fiats, it turns back into iron ore and looks ugly.
 

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Posted by Don E. Nelson (Member # 1049) on 09-15-2003, 02:59 PM:
 
not as ugly as an Austin Bantam, the original cirus clown car.
 

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Posted by Evans A Criswell (Member # 381) on 09-15-2003, 03:15 PM:
 
I remember the AMC Pacer from the 70s as being an ugly car. People said it looked "like a pregnant egg". When I first saw a PT Cruiser, I thought someone had restored a 1940s era car. I've seen several Azteks and it's a wonder people buy them. I knew one guy that bought one and he told us, "I'm about to buy the ugliest vehicle ever made" but he said he really liked some of the features it had.
 

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Posted by Scott Jentsch (Member # 1681) on 09-15-2003, 05:10 PM:
 
Anyone who has seen "Wrong Turn" will realize what a bad idea that tent on the back of an Aztek is...

My vote for ugliest car is the Toyota Echo:

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/2004/echo/exterior.html

Sure, there are others, but this is the most recent I've seen.
 

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Posted by William Hooper (Member # 71) on 09-16-2003, 01:32 AM:
 

quote:

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There's a tent thing that pops out of the back of the Aztek.

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