I saw a Pontiac Aztek in the wrecking yard a while ago. Decades later and the built-in tent trailer still never caught on. Photo from autoevolution.
July 16, 2023
Years later, I see all sorts of SUVs and crossover’s with the hatch up and a tent or canopy mounted to it, but the Aztek just never grabbed the market. Honestly, I saw like five Aztek’s on the road total and was amazed when I saw one sitting along the fence at the wrecker when I went by.
In the ’70s, if you wanted to go on tour but didn’t have the money for a motor home, you bought a van. Vans were great. Cooler, quieter, and virtually zero set-up required. The tents are awful. They’re hot, they’re wet, they’re susceptible to wind and wildlife, and they’re not secure or private at all. Toyota designed a concept once, the RV-2, and much like the Aztek, it was a tent trailer with a car attached to it.
This thing has a real Barris Kustom look to it, but it was actually a legitimate Toyota concept car in 1972. It was small and fuel efficient, but it transformed into a camper of sorts. The rear roof split up the middle and folded out like a bear trap, and a tent assembled in all the open spots. The seats folded flat, and there you have it, a place for four people to sleep in close proximity and likely a decent feeling of discomfort.
In all honesty, I do still think it’s incredibly cool. I love the wedge-shaped lines, and the mag wheels are the perfect fit, making it look tough, especially for a wagon. Honestly, it was kind of tough. For what it was, anyways.
Under the hood was a 2.6 litre SOHC inline six-cylinder packed with 130 stampeding horses and backed by a five-speed stick. There’s no kitchen, no washroom, and you can’t stand up inside. There’s supposedly a table, though I can’t seem to find a picture of it anywhere. Is it cool? Absolutely. Would it have sold? Unlikely. I mean, sure, a few would have, but at what cost? With the whole van thing right there in North America, you could have a Dodge, Ford, Chevy, or Volkswagen fairly easily, so the RV-2 would have had to be cheap. You could stand up better, set up less, be more secure, and worry about rust a little bit less in a van.
Not a lot less, just a little bit less. Those fibreglass fender flares hid more than just big tires.
