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C6 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, October 18, 2000 Pontiac A ztek w ill definitely attract attention E veryone had an opinion about the Pontiac Aztek when it was revealed last January at the Detroit Auto Show and the debate con tinues. It was rolled out amidst a flurry of young dancers dressed up as uni J IM versity students, giving the obvi ous impression that Aztek is for the young, but perhaps not the young at heart. No question Aztek caught everyone's atten Road W orthy tion. Let's get right to the looks. Like single malt scotch or pickled herring, the Aztek is definitely an acquired taste. After a week with the Aztek the responses on my street ranged from one guy who laughed at it to a woman who said she loved the looks and admired the space utilization. My bus driver neighbor marvelled at the ways the interior could be config ured but said he simply couldn't make up his mind whether he liked or dis liked the looks. One thing for sure, everyone I talked to had an opinion. General Motors did not become the biggest company in the word by being capricious. Hundreds of focus group hours must have been spent before it was ever allowed to be shown. There is also that time-honored truism: Beauty is as beauty does. Time, and consumers, will tell the tale. Looks aside, the Aztek offers a lot for the asking price of $32,995 as test ed here. Under the skin is the chassis and running gear of the Pontiac Montana minivan. Therefore stoutly built and bug-free, it is powered by the trusty 3.4-liter overhead valve V6 that is a stalwart of the GM line. In the Aztek it produces 185 hp and 210 ft/lb of torque. The standard version of the Aztek has front-wheel-drive with all speed traction control. Transport Canada tests show the Aztek returns 12.3L/100 km (23 mpg) city and 8.3L/100 km (34 mpg) highway for an annual estimated operating cost of $1,155 on regular grade gasoline. ROBINSON The 2001 Pontiac Aztek very definitely doesn't look like anything else on the road. Available is GM's VersaTrak all wheel-drive system. Not intended for off-roading, VersaTrak senses when wheels are starting to slip and routes power to those with the best grip. In terms of overall safety in Canadian conditions, VersaTrak is worth consid ering. There is a base version and the GT as tested here. The only way to tell from the outside you're driving the GT are the alloy wheels and a stylized "A" on the "c" pillar. Inside, however, the difference is clear. At $32,995 the Aztek GT comes with power on the locks, windows and mirrors with a Pass-Key security sys tem. All windows are deep tinted and the steering wheel is nicely leatherwrapped. There is one of those handy overhead consoles for sunglasses and garage door openers and dual zone air conditioning is part of the package. The GT also comes with 16-inch tires, City of Mississauga 300 City Centre Drive Mississauga ON L5B 3C1 F o r inform ation: 896-5000 w w w city.m ississauga.on.ca m ille n n iu m which on a Montana, would look quite large. Somehow, they look too small for the Aztek's wheel wells. Because the vehicle is tall and narrow, it adds to the overall effect. I can imagine some buyer is going to fit a set of aftermarket 18-inch wheels and tires. In my humble opinion, that's all it will take to turn the Aztek into a very potent appearing street machine. Class-leading describes what Pontiac has done in terms of utility. The rear cargo area comes with a four-sided mesh net that can change the cargo area into as many as 22 different configura tions. They can be used as two double sided bags, or they can hold down errant hockey bags. Another clever idea is the cargo floor sliding tray that can help in loading and unloading. It can also be removed. It is equipped with a set of wheels like airline luggage so you can roll it into your garage. The back seat, three-person bench is a 50/50 flip fold combination. Each seat weighs 45 lb (21 kg) so they are easy to remove. You can even get waterproof seat covers. Captain's chairs are also available. With the rear cargo gate up, the back tail gate flips flat and is attached by two very heavy gauge wires. That's because the tailgate has two sculptedout seats so a pair of big guys or gals can have a perch for their tailgate party. On top of that, a separate set of audio controls and a power point are built into the rear cargo area in easy reach and perfect for providing tunes for any tailgate bash. It gets better. An option called the Camping Package includes a tent that fits over the back end. Also included is a custom-fitted rubber air mattress that can- be inflated from a pump inside the Aztek. Overall, Aztek offers 45.4 cu. ft. of rear cargo area with the rear sets up and 93.5 cu. ft. (2,618 litres) with them removed. That's a lot of space no mat ter how you cut it. Up front, the centre console is actu ally a removable cooler. Each front door pocket has a zippered carrying bag that can be slung over the shoulder. In terms of controls, everything is very Pontiac and that means large, leg ible instruments and big knobs and switches that are easy to find in the dark. There is an optional heads-up dis play that projects information like speed onto the windshield. Pontiac has stuck to the use of red illumination that makes it easier for eyes to adjust to out side conditions at night. In terms of ride, the Aztek certainly goes well, in fact, like a Montana minivan which is as good as any on the market. The fairly large engine and all that torque are routed through one of GM's faultless four-speed electronic automatics. The seating position (I think) is about the same as the Montana, but the 66.7-inch (1,694 mm) high body makes it feel like you're sitting higher up. There is some body lean, but it is well controlled, again about the same as the Montana. The big glass liftgate offers a sur prising amount of rearward vision. This really helps when backing up into a tight space like my garage. With minivans, I can never tell how close I am to the wall or where the kids' bikes have been splayed on the garage floor. Minivan makers take note, make your liftgate windows lower. It's a lot cheap er than sonar systems I see now. In the past three decades, General Motors has come out of the blue with controversial styling exercises that have been superb, like the waterfall grille Buicks and the bustle-back Cadillac Biarritz. They've also had some duds like the X-cars and the Aero-back Oldsmobiles. Pontiac's brochure talks about Aztek engineers who are "loathe to accept the status quo -- just like the people who'll drive it." I have to admit that in terms of its mechanicals, it's great. And in terms of utility, it's bril liant. Let's just hope that this ugly duck ling grows into a trumpeting swan of a sales success for Pontiac. L ea d in g to d a y fo r to m o rro w FORM 1 B Y -L A W N O T IC E PLANNING ACT NOTICE OF THE PASSING OF ZONING BY-LAWS BY THE CORPORATION OF THE CITY OF MISSISSAUGA TAKE NOTICE that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Mississauga passed By-laws 0484-2000, 04852000 and 0486-2000 on the 11* day of October, 2000, under Section 34 of the Planning Act R.S.O., 1990, c.P.13, as amended. AND TAKE NOTICE that any person or agency may appeal to the Ontario Municipal Board in respect o f the By laws by filing with the Clerk of the City of Mississauga not later than the 7th day of November, 2000, a notice of appeal setting out the objection to the By-law and the reasons in support of the objection, together with a cheque in the amount of $125.00 payable to the Minister o f Finance for each of the By-laws. Only individuals, corporations and public bodies may appeal a Zoning By-law to the Ontario Municipal Board. A notice of appeal may not be filed by an unincorporated association or group. However, a notice o f appeal may be filed in the name of an individual who is a member of the association or group on its behalf. O T M H 5QBIRTHDAY CELEBRATION In Support o f 31 new acute care beds at the Oakville-Trafalgar Memorial Hospital E x p la n a tio n o f th e p u rp o s e a n d e ffe c t o f th e b y -law s: B y -la w 0 4 8 4 - 2 0 0 0 to a m e n d Z o n in g B y -la w 5500 (fo rm e r Tow n of M is s is s a u g a ), By la w 0 4 8 5 -2 0 0 0 to am end Z o n in g B y -la w 1 2 2 7 (fo rm e r T o w n o f P o rt C re d it) a n d B y la w 0 4 8 6 -2 0 0 0 to am end Z o n in g B y -la w 6 5 -3 0 (fo rm e r Tow n of S t r e e ts v ille ) p e r t a in in g to a c c e s s o ry b u ild in g s and s tru c tu re s ( in c l u s iv e of a tta c h e d and d e ta c h e d p r iv a te g a ra g e s ) and p la y e q u ip m e n t o n re s id e n tia l lo ts u s e d fo r a d e ta c h e d , s e m i -d e ta c h e d or s tre e t ro w d w ellin g s , by: · , · fu rth e r reg u la te the heig ht, s iz e an d p la c e m e n t of a c c e s s o ry b u ild in g s an d s tru c tu re s ( in c l u d i n g a tta c h e d and d e ta c h e d p rivate g a ra g e s ) on res id e n tia l lots. In s o m e c a s e s , th e z o n e provisions v a ry based on th e a re a o f th e host res id e n tia l lot. The OTMH C h a r it a b l e C o r p o r a t io n invites you to ^ 9 , 0 0 1 ) F u rth er in form atio n re g ard in g th e s e B y-law s m a y b e o b tain e d from D avid H arro ld (9 0 5 ) 8 9 6 -5 8 5 1 or C aro l-A n n e M u n ro e (9 0 5 ) 8 9 6 5733 of th e P la n n in g and B u il d in g D e p a rtm e n t. D a te d at M is s is s a u g a O c to b e r, 2 0 0 0 . A rth u r D . G ra n n u m OTM H GALA · this 1 8th day of B id on the Spectacular Silent & Live Auction d e fin in g th e te rm s a c c e s s o ry building, a c c e s s o ry bu ilding h e ig h t, fla t ro o f an d p la y e q u ip m e n t; 114397 C ity C le rk Saturday, Novem ber 11 th, 2 0 0 0 6:30 p.m. Burlington C onvention Centre 1120 Burloak Drive $ 2 3 0 .0 0 per person Black Tie Preferred (Charitable tax receipt provided for the donation portion or the ticket) i · Paul M cCulloch Q uartet "To the M oon " Dance B and [H ZUH M ich elin A rc tic A lpin. G ets you a n y w h e re in w inter. The Best in Engineering! The tread design on the Michelin Arctic Alpin is radically different from typi cal knobby winter tires. It simply doesn't look like it would grip ice and snow better than any other tire in its class, but, that's exactly what it does, thanks to its high-contact tread design, compliant rubber com pound, torque-locking zig-zag sipes, and self-clean ing arrowhead grooves. · For Further Information Call 9 0 5 3 3 8 -4 6 4 2 Presented by M ore C o n tact. M ore Traction. Michelin engineers discovered that a tire's per formance on ice and hard-packed snow is similar to that on dry pavement. The more rub ber on the road, the more traction the tire deliv ers. So our engineers eliminated the noisy, knobby tread blocks that reduce the rubber contact area of other winter tires, and created a high-contact tread design and expanded contact patch that put more rubber on the road when you need it most: on ice, snow, and slush. As a bonus, the Arctic Alpin delivers a remarkably smooth, quiet ride. 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