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With your first glance at the 2001 Pontiac Aztek, you are going to fall into a deep swoon or get sick.

You are going to love it or hate it, and whatever the choice, you are going to do it with a passion. Pontiac calls it polarization, but we call it taking a risk and if ever an automaker needed to take a risk, it’s General Motors.

About time someone other than DaimlerChrysler unveiled a vehicle that has people stop, stare and offer their opinion, favorable or otherwise.

For too long GM has taken the conservative approach. Don’t stretch the envelope too far. Don’t offend. And don’t hesitate to slap an incentive on it after it’s sat invisible in the showroom for six months.

Aztek has different personalities. Upfront the hood, grille and bumper design is bold and dynamic and, hmm, if you look long enough, you realize it’s more than a close approximation of the front end on the GMC Terradyne concept truck on this year’s auto-show circuit. Not totally surprising since the same folks who build and sell Pontiacs build and sell GMC’s. And Terradyne’s front end looked too good to waste.

Step around back and the look is equally bold and dynamic, with a generous portion of “oh my gosh” thrown in for good measure. It’s the Aztek rear end that motivates swoon or hurl.

Two problems in back: 1) taillights are too narrow and it seems you get delayed visual notice when the brake lights go on, and 2) the huge curved glass hatch lid is divided at the crease with a thick rubber strip that will annoy the hell out of the driver because it’s always in his field of vision. Worse, the large creased glass rules out a rear window wiper. First option after purchase better be a sponge applicator with a really long handle and a plastic bucket filled with window cleaner.

“We didn’t want it to look like a mini-van or the Rendezvous,” said Don Butler, Aztek brand manager, in justifying the design. Rendezvous is the new sport-utility hybrid coming from Buick next spring that, along with Aztek, is built off the GM mini-van platform.

“We share common components (such as engine and transmission) with the mini-van and Rendezvous, but all have a different look,” Butler said.

Aztek and Rendezvous differ not only from the mini-van, but also from one another– enough to erase memories of the days of GM badge engineering, when only nameplates separated a Pontiac from a Buick from an Oldsmobile from a Chevrolet.

Why did Pontiac come up on the short end of the styling stick when it comes to the back end of Aztek? Pontiac rushed Aztek to market to take advantage of the popularity of SUVs, and exterior design took the proverbial back seat in the rush.

Aztek was converted from concept to production in only 26 months, fastest GM ever moved in bringing an idea to reality. That didn’t allow a lot of time to coddle or cuddle the exterior. Insiders say now that Aztek has reached production, rear-end design will get a second look.

Inside, Aztek takes on yet another personality, a sporty adventurer that caters to youth and those starting a family. To further separate Aztek and Rendezvous, Aztek seats five in two rows, Rendezvous seven in three rows. “Aztek is meant to haul more gear and stuff, Rendezvous more people,” Butl er said.

Aztek is offered in base and the version we tested, the top-of-the-line GT. Both are powered by a 3.4-liter, 185-horsepower V-6, which we fully expected to be an underpowered slouch but which held its own rather well. No qualms about scooting into the passing lane, but at a time when SUVs are being rapped for mileage, a 19-m.p.g. city/26-m.p.g. highway rating (same as the smaller 4-cylinder Chrysler PT Cruiser) probably is more luring than kicking up the energy by 15 h.p.–at least for now.

If lots of time is going to be spent climbing steep grades or hauling the family ship, you might start to wonder whether Aztek will someday be blessed with GM’s new 4.2-liter, in-line 6 that generates more than 250 h.p. that will power the next-generation Chevy Blazer for 2002.

Aztek adopted Pontiac’s wide-track, wheels-out-to-the-corners philosophy for a wider stance and better road grip, which was appreciated in corners and turns taken at speed. It helps that while Aztek borrowed the mini-van platform, it borrowed the Grand Prix suspension tuning. At no time do you feel like you are maneuvering a mini-van.

Aztek focuses on sporty handling, Rendezvous on luxury ride provided by a 4-inch longer wheelbase and an independent rear suspension to promote sedan-like cushioning.

Aztek is offered only in front-wheel-drive and comes with four-wheel anti-lock brakes and traction control as standard. All-wheel-drive will be added early next year, the same system that will be shared with the Rendezvous. The GM mini-vans get the same AWD in the 2002 model year (Transportation, April 30).

Aztek stands apart from other SUVs in how the cabin has been outfitted. Kudos for being so unconventional. For example, the center console in most vehicles is the garbage dump. If it rolls around, toss it in the center console, which gets emptied only when bacteria starts to form.

In the Aztek GT, the standard center console is a large plastic covered container with handle that doubles as a removable cooler. It holds 12 pop cans and ice cubes to serve all available cupholders and cupholdees.

If you have to travel with medicine that needs to be kept cold, the cooler becomes a portable medicine chest. It will hold baby bottles as well, suggesting the next gimmick Pontiac should explore is a microwave to warm those bottles and take advantage of as many power plugs in the cabin as there are cupholders.

In back, an optional sliding/removable cargo tray rests on the floor. It comes with two compartments. Lift the cover on the left and neatly stow such items as jumper cables, first-aid kit, wet swimsuits or valuables you want hidden. Lift the cover on the right and pull up the dividers and you can hold your groceries without the bags being tossed about. Or stock both sides with grub, lift and slide the tray out of the cargo hold, put it down on its wheels and take it to the picnic table for lunch. Have one of the kids bring the console/cooler filled with drinks. The tray was one item in a $910 package in the GT.

Then there are the standard utility packs–you might call them back packs–in the front door panels. Lift ’em out, strap ’em on and take ’em with you.

When the sliding cargo tray is removed, flip and fold the second-row seats to hold camping gear or sporting equipment. The large rear glass hatchback lifts up, the rear truck-like tailgate pulls down. The tailgate has two seat indents in the plastic cover and a pair of cupholders for a tailgate party. You can opt for a set of audio system controls (also part of the $910 package) in the rear side wall to add music to the party.

The large tailgate cover is hollow. Pontiac is exploring ways to use that space. Would make a nice location for a mini microwave or refrigerator, especially since a power plug is nearby.

If into the outdoors, a nylon tent that fastens ov er the raised rea r hatchlid on top and tailgate to convert Aztek into a mini camper is available for $200. An air compressor in the cargo hold allows you to inflate a rubber mattress.

The base Aztek starts at $21,995, the GT we tested starts at $24,995, both include $550 freight. Aztek will compete against the likes of the smaller Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V and roughly same size Jeep Cherokee.

Standard equipment in the GT we tested includes power door locks/mirrors/windows; 16-inch, all-season, radial tires; driver/passenger front and side air bags; dual zone air conditioning; AM/FM stereo with CD player and clock; and rear window defogger. A power sunroof will run $140 to $650, depending on the option package in which it’s included. No prices yet, but head up display in the windshield, and OnStar emergency communications system will be available options.

One problem for the swooners. Aztek is being shipped to the West Coast first starting this month for the so-called trendsetters. It will work its way east, so don’t expect it in the Midwest for two to three months, Pontiac says.

Pontiac expects to sell 25,000 Azteks in its first year and 70,000 to 75,000 after that.