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Monday, June 13, 2011
As more consumers look to get out of large, gas-swilling SUVs, they're realizing that compact and midsize crossovers strike an appealing compromise between practicality and fuel efficiency. The 2011 Pontiac Torrent is a good example of this burgeoning crossover breed. Like its twin, the Chevrolet Equinox, the Pontiac is aimed at buyers who want the rugged look of an SUV but the drivability and smaller footprint of a car. The Torrent neatly splits the difference between "cute utes" and traditional trucks, boasting decent cargo and passenger space along with superior maneuverability.
Although the Pontiac Torrent looks as if it could tackle the wilderness, this car-based crossover is much more adept on pavement than it is off the beaten path, thanks to its light-duty all-wheel-drive system and minimal ground clearance. Still, the Torrent offers plenty of utility. Its versatile interior offers an adjustable, split-rear-seat design, and there is also a choice of two V6 engines under the hood. The GXP's 3.6-liter engine, in particular, puts the Torrent at the top of the segment in terms of acceleration, and the available all-wheel-drive system provides sure-footed traction in foul weather.
Of course, the Torrent faces a number of solid competitors in the mid-$20,000 range. The Hyundai Santa Fe, Mitsubishi Outlander and Toyota RAV4, for example, all offer optional V6 power as well as a third-row seat (though the actual usefulness of this feature is debatable on these compact vehicles). Customers should also think about the Saturn Vue and Honda's perennially popular CR-V. Overall, the Torrent doesn't quite match up to the all-stars in this segment due to its interior faults, but it's still worth including in your small and midsize crossover search.
Getting in the Pontiac Torrent is easy. The door openings are wide, and you need neither climb up nor stoop down to get in the seats. Simply slide in. The seats are comfortable, though we'd prefer more side bolstering in the base model.
The cabin looks nice, though the materials vary in quality. The standard cloth upholstery on the seats and door trim is attractive. One of our test vehicles came in light-colored cloth and with a matching roof liner this gave the cabin an airy feeling. The available leather seats are also nice. The plastic used for the dash and other trim is at best average for the class, however.
The optional leather-wrapped steering wheel comes with stylish but bulky stitching that felt rough to our hands. We found the instruments uncluttered and easy to read. The Pontiac-trademark red lighting doesn't improve legibility but might help with night vision. The dashboard is low, affording good forward visibility. Big side mirrors improve rearward visibility. The inside door handles are easy to operate. The switchgear works well, with one exception: The power window buttons are awkwardly located on the center console, not on the driver's door, so you'll have to look down to find them; and lowering the window at toll booths demands a shift of hands on the steering wheel, to toss coins or take a ticket.
The center console flips up and out of the way, making space between the front seats for a tote bag or purse that would otherwise flop around in the passenger's footwell. On the floor is a single cupholder that works well for cans and water bottles; just aft of this on the floor are slots for CDs angled forward for easy access. Flipping the center console back into place provides an armrest and a small amount of storage, though the storage cubby is located far enough rearward as to be awkward to access. A pair of cupholders can be popped out of the end of the console, but they're flimsy and obstruct the floor-mounted handbrake lever; we avoided using them, preferring the floor-mounted cupholder. Your passenger will just have to hold his or her drink. The door pockets are narrow, though there are map pockets on the sides of the center tunnel.
The optional Pioneer sound system is deep and rich, something we discovered while listening to XM Satellite Radio's Cinemagic station, which features movie soundtracks. When ordered, Bluetooth capability is integrated with the standard OnStar system. This wireless technology enables hands-free phone calls for safer, more convenient connections.
The rear seat slides forward or back eight inches, a nice feature. Sliding it forward adds five cubic feet of cargo space. Sliding it back offers rear passengers more legroom. The rear seat is split 60/40 for cargo versatility, and the seatbacks recline, so passengers back there can really lie back.
The front passenger seat folds flat, turning it into a tray or work space or for allowing long items, like a surfboard, to stretch from the tailgate to dashboard. It's a nice setup, but you have to get out of the car and walk around to flip the front-passenger seat back into position because the release lever is only on the right side; it'd be much more convenient if a redundant lever was on the left side so the driver could reach it. If you really need cargo space, the passenger and/or rear seats can be deleted for commercial and fleet applications.
We found the cargo bay quite generous and it easily handled a big box we put back there. A clever polycarbonate tray is available that pulls out of the floor and can be slotted into one of three height levels, so it can be used for different things, including concealment. It allows two levels of grocery boxes or bags, for example. It's an interesting feature, though we've wondered how many people use shelving systems on other vehicles. The tailgate lifts high enough that all but the tallest owners can stand fully upright beneath it.
The Pontiac Torrent is relatively large for the class, with a wheelbase that's 9.4 inches longer than that of the Ford Escape. The Torrent is based on a car platform, and shares its basic structure with the Chevy Equinox.
Torrent shares its shape with the Equinox, but a twin-nostril grille with arrowhead divider announces it's a Pontiac, and gives Torrent some distinction, though it still looks similar to most other compact SUVs.
Overall, the Torrent has a pleasing, subtle design, with clean lines and a forward wedge shape to its sides. The trapezoidal twin-beam headlamps look strong (reminiscent of the previous-generation Saab 9-3), and so do the silver-colored pseudo-skid plates that wrap up onto the front and rear fascias, coming from under the car. The B-pillar is flat black, so it's barely visible between the tinted glass of the front and rear doors. This accentuates the thick, body-color C-pillar, and the pleasantly tall, arcing shape of the rear side window.
Thick aluminum roof rails are suggestive of those on the Nissan Xterra and help give this car-based SUV a more rugged appearance. The outside door handles are of the big grab variety, making it easy to open the doors and climb in without breaking fingernails.
You'll need a sharp eye to distinguish the GXP from the standard Torrent, but the front hood, grille, and front and rear fascias are all different. Most noticeable is the absence of the base model's ersatz skid plates; instead, the rear bumper is clean, and up front the GXP wraps a protruding lip of body-color plastic around its lower air intake, vaguely suggesting an oil cooler on a race car. Above that, the GXP's grille nostrils are deeper and lined with more brightwork. To achieve that effect, the fascia around them has to stand out a bit more, which requires a slight exaggeration of the central bulge in the engine hood for it all to flow together.
From the side, you might notice that even though both models roll on five-spoke alloy wheels, the spokes on the GXP's wheels taper outward instead of inward, for a more pleasing effect. The GXP hunkers one inch closer to the road, and buyers can leave off the roof rails to further emphasize the look of sport over utility.
Kelley Blue Book says the standard 3.4-liter powerplant "has more than enough horsepower and torque to provide a nice balance between good acceleration and reasonable fuel economy." MSN Autos vouches that the Chinese-built engine is “as reliable as sunrise, but also call this pushrod engine a yawner.” The base Torrent is equipped with a 3.4-liter V-6 with 185 horsepower and 210 pound-feet of torque. Edmunds notes that "though the output of GM's familiar 3400 V6 is uninspiring, it offers adequate low and midrange torque for most situations."
The 3.6-liter V-6 engine powering the GXP delivers 264 hp and 250 pound-feet of torque. Edmunds calls the engine “powerful,” and Pontiac reports the front-drive GXP Torrent hits 60 mph in about 6.9 seconds. All-wheel-drive versions are maybe a tenth of a second or so slower. Either way, this is a huge improvement over the 3.4-liter Torrent, which needs closer to 10 seconds to make the same run. ConsumerGuide says "the 3.6-liter V6 engine provides very good power delivery from a stop and for highway passing and merging."
Where the GXP gets a six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift control, the base Torrent only has a five-speed automatic. In their testing, ConsumerGuide observes the Pontiac Torrent GPX’s six-speed transmission has a "tendency to hunt between gears at highway speeds." Kelley Blue Book notes that "Pontiac's adaptive five-speed automatic transmission delivers near-seamless shifts and its fifth gear helps maximize fuel consumption at highway speeds." Edmunds adds it offers “manual shift control.”
Kelley Blue Book recommends that "those seeking more performance should look to the 3.6-liter engine, which features variable valve timing for better fuel economy." Cars.com notes, surprisingly, "the more-powerful engine has nearly the same mileage ratings as the smaller one." The slight difference in fuel economy has a lot to do with the transmissions and the fact that the 3.6-liter engine is more modern and refined. The Pontiac Torrent has EPA-estimated fuel economy that is identical for both front- and all-wheel-drive versions: 17 mpg city, 24 highway for the 3.4-liter engine and 16/24 mpg for the 3.6-liter V-6.
In regard to handling, although the GXP edition is the sportier of the two 2009 Torrent models, its handling leans more toward comfort than nimbleness. According to Kelley Blue Book, "the quiet-running Torrent is easy to drive, stays on course easily and body lean through curves is less than for some of its competitors." ConsumerGuide tests only the GXP model and declares that "despite the aggressive suspensions and tire combination, the GXP's handling isn't what we would call sporty." They notice that the tracking and straight-line stability are good, as are the braking control and overall grip, but "there is quite a bit of body lean in turns," and the steering feels "numb." Edmunds believes that the GXP's "performance-tuned chassis is calibrated to handle more power and offers greater potential for speed." Edmunds notes "most small SUV shoppers will find the Pontiac Torrent's ride and handling balance reasonably carlike and quite acceptable." They note the Torrent’s body roll while cornering, as well as the power steering's lack of "responsiveness."
Antilock disc brakes, traction control, side curtain airbags, OnStar telematics and stability control with trailer-sway-mitigating technology are all standard on the 2009 Pontiac Torrent. Front-seat side airbags (for torso protection) are not available. In government crash tests, the Pontiac Torrent earned a top five-star rating for the protection of front occupants in a frontal impact, as well as five stars for front and rear occupant protection in side impacts. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety tests, the Torrent scored the highest possible "Good" rating in frontal offset testing.
reference:www.edmunds.com,www.thecarconnection.com,autos.aol.com
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