I distinctly remember the first time I sighted the now-retired Aztek. I was checking out the Pontiac website on the G6 when I saw a pic of the SUV. WTF, I thought as I clicked on the image. I looked at the vehicle, read its stats, then returned to the site’s homepage. It wasn’t for me.

However, I never found the vehicle repulsive or foul enough to warrant telling lame jokes. (“Is your mother-in-law in a wheelchair or is that a Pontiac Aztek?”) But that’s what I encountered when I delved deeper into the automotive community. Bottom line: the Aztek is the standard which all other vehicles, from SUVs to even cars–are based on how ugly they are.

I admit don’t fully understand the dislike. Is it the Pontiac’s angular lines? Take a look at the Cadillac CTS or Chrysler 300 or, of course, the Element or xB. It took a long time for me to…appreciate…their aesthetic properties. Proportions wrong? Take a look at the old Infiniti M. That one still hurts my eyes. Or is it a jumble of the two? One word: Jeep.

I do have an issue with the Aztek’s hood. While I understand the function of hood vents, it’s misplaced for the SUV’s V6, 185 horsepower engine.

I think much of the public’s reaction to the Aztek boils down to timing. Look at all the glowing reviews of the Element’s “practical” shape or the xB’s “youthful” design. Or look at any Jeep or, heaven help us, a Hummer. Not exactly flowing in the wind, eh? I now wonder, would the Aztek have succeeded if it had been released a few years later? There are a few reviews that described the Aztek’s design as daring. But we’ll never know with GM pulling the plug on its development.

I’ve seen a few Azteks on the road since I first saw its pic on-line and it does draw my eye. Ugly? No. Check out my comment on the old M above. Unique? Maybe. At least, in a world of increasingly lookalike vehicles, the Aztek was an off-beat surprise.