Pontiac Aztek proves looks can be deceiving

"It's hideous, Dad. That's the weirdest looking car I have ever seen." My daughter Natalie had never reacted to an automobile with such vehemence.

Although the incident took place nine years ago, I remember following her gaze down the street to an approaching green Pontiac Aztek. When it passed, her head pivoted while she squirmed to keep it fixed in her gaze for the longest possible time.

My response was to wax on about the "Beauty and the Beast," the movie "Shrek" and other parables where a book should not be judged by its cover.

"You know, your favorite relative -- me -- might not be beautiful," I looked at my grizzled face in the rearview mirror, scrambling to make a point about first impressions. "But they may be the one that plays with you the most, listens to your problems and makes you laugh."

"Imagine you bringing one of those home, Dad!" She had one of those "don't, but do" looks on her face.

Sometimes a vehicle hits the market with looks that are an immediate hit. The 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe is an instant darling. The same is true with Chrysler's cute little Fiat 500 and, of course, the awesome Audi R8 sports car.

But every now and then, a vehicle arrives to mixed -- or mostly negative -- styling reviews. Remember the Pacer, the Gremlin and the Mustang II? And more recently the influence of BMW's designer Chris Bangle whose controversial rear-end treatment on some of the company's products became known as the "Bangle Butt."

When I was a teenager, the personification of ugly was the 1961 Plymouth, a bathtub on wheels with taillights that looked like a couple of red flashers bolted to the rear quarter panels. Those cars got a cool reaction from a public that either could not accept their looks or saw through the styling guise manufacturers were trying to get them to embrace. The funny thing is many of those cars are now high on my would-like-to-have roster, with the exception of the Mustang II that will always remain near the top of my loath list.

A week after the Aztek attitude from Natalie, I needed a rental car and since the local Avis shop had a special on the Aztek, I went for it. When I pulled into the driveway, my three daughters staged a revolution of sorts.

"Get it out of here!" My then 17-year-old daughter Lucy theatrically refused to get into it in case she was spotted by one of her friends. I could however detect a coy interest.

"What's it like inside Dad?" She hovered around it like a cat toying with a mouse for a while and then asked, "Can you take some of my friends out for a drive?"

Giggles and smiles became the order of the day as I chauffeured my daughters and their friends on an endless parade of errands.

A few months later I had another Aztek opportunity, this time to use an all-wheel-drive bright yellow 2002 model on a 2,500-mile road trip. With redesigned cladding color coordinated with the rest of the body, all-wheel-drive, four-wheel disc brakes and a full load of options, it proved to be well-balanced, comfortable and exceptionally practical.

This time when I pulled into our driveway there was a scramble of excitement. "How long do you have it for? Does this one have the radio controls back by the tailgate? Can we sleep in it?" Unlike before, there were no calls for its eviction from the driveway. The "hideous" word never surfaced.

"What about a drive to the dance tonight?" My youngest Layla, who loved the color, wanted to know how many friends she could fit in. "Can you put the tailgate down and crank the tunes when we get there?"

Pulling up to the school that night, the Aztek was full of giddies as Abba's "Dancing Queen" blasted on the CD player.

Blow the horn. Don't blow the horn. Park here. Park there. Show them how the center console is really a cooler. The Aztek, like Shrek, had obviously worked its way into their hearts.

Personally, aside from all the jokes and unfavorable public reaction to its looks, I always liked the Aztek and can see one in my eclectic fleet someday. But then again, I wouldn't mind an old Gremlin, Pacer or even a no-frills 1961 Plymouth Belvedere sedan.

But as far as BMW's "Bangle Butt" goes, I'll wait awhile longer to warm up to it and put it on my bucket list.

Garry Sowerby, author of "Sowerby's Road: Adventures of a Driven Mind," is a four-time Guinness World Record holder for long-distance driving. His exploits, good, bad and just plain harrowing, are the subject of World Odyssey, produced in conjunction with Wheelbase Media. You can send Garry a note online at www.wheelbase.ws/media using the contact link. Wheelbase Media is a worldwide provider of automotive news and features stories.