CP's Torrent "extended test drive" *MANY PICS*

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 10:02 am

When the transmission died on the Vibe, I had dad come and haul it off to the dealer with his truck and trailer... I needed wheels, as I have nothing else but that Vibe which won't shift anymore, so I inquired about getting a loaner car from the dealer.Sure enough, they pulled one out for me, and it was a brand new Torrent. A wee bit over 300 miles on it and I'm the third person who they have rented it out to. I thought that was cool, I get to drive not only a brand new car, but a brand new model too. This is an excellent opportunity for me to dig a little deeper into the car for you guys who may or may not be interested. BUT, let me say this: I DESPISE SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES. So in a way, I was kinda like "ugh, can't I have that Grand AM I had every other time?" But those were gone, and they've swapped out their entire loaner fleet with these things. Go figure. Seems like a pricey vehicle to use for such a thing, but they did it. The Torrent was the basic FWD model, and has a lengthy standard feature list... I found that this one has the "Preferred package" as well... Cargo net, floor mats, deep tinted glass, automatic dimming mirror w/ compass and outside temperature, roof rail cross bars, power driver's seat, upgraded upholstery, cruise, leather wrapped wheel with touch controls...Under the hood was the familiar 3.4L V6 and a really darn smooth shifting 5-speed automatic. I LOVE the smoothness of this powertrain! At idle, it can not be heard or felt. The engine continues to be quiet even on the highway, where at 70 MPH it is only pulling 2500 RPM or so. And that transmission, oh yes! And I'm not just giving it props because it shifts whereas my Vibe's doesn't at the moment. It's a very nice gearbox. Plenty of pep too, at first I thought "yikes, this thing is SLOOOW!" until I looked down at the speedometer and found I was doing 40 right after I took off. Very deceiving, this thing. It steers very lightly in parking lots, very easy to get around. The assist is high during slow speeds and it stiffens up once you get up to speed. I don't know if this thing has electronic power steering or not, but whatever it is, it is very nice. It drives great out on the highway. Handles pretty good too, not anything like I had expected. Feels reasonably stable, although I didn't even come close to pushing it.It's so quiet too, not much road noise even on the interstate at 70 MPH. I didn't expect that in some SUV-ish type thing. Very little wind noise too.Under the hood:There are some cool touches under the hood like the hood insulation so you won't forget what you're working on. And the hood is held up by a strut, we don't need no steenkin' prop rod! Onto the interior, and WOW. Very comfortable, very roomy, and nice materials throughout. The gauges are easy to read and look pretty sweet. The needles themselves are lit whenever the ignition is on and chrome surrounds the gauges.The steering wheel contains smallish controls for cruise on the left and on the right, controls for the radio (track up/down, volume up/down, and a preset button.) Yes, they are backlit. The center stack is nicely designed... I like the grippy rubber stuff surrounding the shifter, it holds things in place, like my ancient cell phone. The climate controls are pretty well designed and easy to figure out initially. The gear indicator is right below the climate control knobs and the lighting for the gear is easy to see. Power window switches are here instead of the doors as well, but they are easy to get to. Unfortunately, the only one that is lit is the driver's where it says AUTO (sound familiar? *gasp!) but it's much easier to see than what is barely lit on ours. The power driver's seat is quite comfy but it IS a lot harder than what we have in the Vibe. I didn't seem to mind it that much. The material is going to be very sturdy, possibly even moreso than what we have in the Vibe. Getting into and out of this thing is very easy... Even the parents commented on that when we went out to grab a bite to eat after I took temporary possession of this beast.Forward visibility is very good, and if I had to guess, I think the Torrent's blind spots are more manageable than what we have with our cars. Straight back out the rear window is good too, and the wiper clears off a very large percentage of the glass. Now on to what has to be my favorite part of this thing: The center console! The armrest is padded nicely, none of that hard plastic like we have. The whole exploration of the console made me think I was in an infomercial. I kept finding feature after feature, it was kinda like "but wait, that's not all, there's more!!!...." Flip up the lid and you've got storage for plenty of assorted items and a little clippy thing...The bottom of th
e armrest has a pretty deep storage area and a coin holder.Flip the whole armrest up and man, that's a long way to the bottom! Storage areas are there for CD's, a cup holder, and the 12V outlet. How's the weather down there? I can't get over how high this thing sits and how far it takes to get to the bottom of the console. One thing I was complaining about initially was the fact that there was ONE cup holder. That sucks! But upon advice from Kari, I checked and found another cup holder that pulls out of the arm rest. Woo hoo, that brings the total up to 3. The rear of the console has cup holders similar to what we have, plus another 12V outlet below which is hidden in this view... For storing stuff (or trash if you're me ) there is plenty of room behind the rear seats as well. And the hatch is easy to close, there are places on either side to grab hold.Blah, I've taken up enough of your time. Let me just say, as an avid SUV hater, the Torrent has impressed me. I've really NOT found much about it that I think "they should have done different." The only gripe of that nature turned out to be the one single cup holder before I knew about the other two. It drives nice, it's very roomy, quiet, and has a lot of thoughtful features. Build quality is top notch, not a sqeak, creak, or rattle to be found. Downside is the gas mileage though. But 24 highway isn't too bad for a vehicle of this nature, I guess. Less than I would prefer, however. If the price tag were in the range I could afford, I would actually consider one of these despite my issues with the whole SUV thing. It's that good! I didn't think I would like it, but it ain't half bad. BTW, more pics can be found here.Update: Took it for a drive at night to see what it looked like inside... Way cool. Gotta love Pontiac and that RED!

mcgusto82 · Post by **mcgusto82** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:26 am

that looks nice. like a grown up vibe.i miss steering wheel mounted controls.

scherry2 · Post by **scherry2** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:31 am

sounds like you almost talked yourself into one.

tangerine · Post by **tangerine** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:33 am

I still can't beleive GM went on with production of those things...They are gross and wth is up with a FWD SUV? Figured they would learn their lesson after the Aztec.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:38 am

Quote, originally posted by scherry2 Â»sounds like you almost talked yourself into one. It would appear so. And I really have no explanation. A week ago, I said I wouldn't consider one. I won't buy one though, they're well beyond what I currently could afford.

Kari · Post by **Kari** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:38 am

Um, they make lots of SUVs in FWD...most are available in both FWD and AWD I believe. At least most GM ones, if not all.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 11:44 am

Quote, originally posted by tangerine Â»I still can't beleive GM went on with production of those things...They are gross and wth is up with a FWD SUV? Figured they would learn their lesson after the Aztec. I think they did it for the exact reason why I posted all that crap about it... It's a hell of a vehicle, if it can take someone like me who absolutely dislikes SUV's and make me enjoy driving it, that's a pretty good formula. I now see that I could actually find myself giving a front wheel drive SUV a chance. It really is a nice vehicle... The view from the outside, I'm still not 100% sold on but inside looks great and it's so nice behind the wheel...

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 12:07 pm

And you wondered WHY they gave you one for a 'loaner'? They're trying to keep you as a customer... Their repair shop could well go out of business if you get rid of Sir Knocksalot!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 12:14 pm

Yeah really... Who says that they don't make anything from warranty repairs. They do off mine. I can't thank 'em enough for the nice ride, it really made my day. I just hope I don't have to turn around and pay for it.

cohocarl · Post by **cohocarl** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 8:29 pm

Thanks for the write-up Colonel, One of the sore spots on the Vue is the center console. They changed it in 06 to the same console that's in the Equinox and Torrent (I think). The center console that's in the 05 and prior Vues is a waste of good plastic. Thanks for the pics.

21Rouge · Post by **21Rouge** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 9:02 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»and a really darn smooth shifting 5-speed automatic. Are *5* speed automatics reliable?Is the torrent available with a 5 speed manual transmission?

cohocarl · Post by **cohocarl** » Sat Dec 10, 2005 10:18 pm

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover Â»Is the torrent available with a 5 speed manual transmission?Negative. G.M. says you don't want it.

AzFusionGT · Post by **AzFusionGT** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 2:27 am

Wow, CP! What an amazing write-up. I have liked the Torrent from the get-go, but never did look at or drive one because I like it so much. Great work. Thanks for sharing your insights.

21Rouge · Post by **21Rouge** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 5:40 am

Quote, originally posted by AzFusionGT Â»I have liked the Torrent from the get-go, I much prefer the front of the Equinox over the Torrent.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 6:03 am

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover Â»I much prefer the front of the Equinox over the Torrent.I still haven't figured out which one I like better on the outside. The Torrent, unfortunately, does look a lot like those GM minivans. But, I will say that the Pontiac interior blows the Equinox away. I really dislike that often-too-loud upholstery that Chevrolet likes to use in everything with all those funky patterns that just scream out at you... And the Torrent's gauges look a lot better. The fuel gauge on this thing appears to be Mr. Doom and Gloom, kinda like the guy who is driving it at the moment. Filled it up yesterday, and by today I had about 50 miles on it and the fuel gauge was already just a hair above 3/4. Yikes, and this is a 16.6 gallon tank. I figured I would go ahead and fill it up again today since it appeared to eat a lot of fuel but it only took 2.6 gallons to get it back to full. Which that is somewhere around 19 MPG, but only after 50 miles, I would throw that calculation out the window and wait for the next one with more miles on the tank. It doesn't seem to be using much gas at all when I fill the tank but the gauge sure makes it seem like it does. Yesterday when I first filled it up, I noticed the same.. It was between 3/4 and 1/2, but I only had to put somewhere around 4.5 gallons in it. The low fuel light must come on when it has what, 6 gallons left?

Sputnik · Post by **Sputnik** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 6:10 am

Thats a great write up! So great, that now I want to try a Torrent! However the hubby wont let me because he says, we're buying the Vibe in August when the lease is up. Hmmph, I just wanted to test drive it!!

nortsr · Post by **nortsr** » Sun Dec 11, 2005 11:37 pm

That V6 engine is the 250hp Honda engine.

michaelgt · Post by **michaelgt** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 1:26 am

The V6 engine in the Equinox and Torrent is not the 250 hp Honda engine. It is the 3.4L GM engine manufactured in China.The Honda V6 is only in the Saturn Vue.

ToolGuy · Post by **ToolGuy** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 4:20 am

I do like the Torrent myself. My friend has an Equinox and absolutely loves it! I like it too... My friends only gripe is the paint on the door panel grabs comes off if hit by say hand rings. Just like all trim now, it is painted and not color through. I told him we can make some door handle grabs to cover it one day. I always felt if we outgrew the Vibe it would be a Nox or Torrent, FWD. No need for the AWD where I drive and after 2 4X4's in my past and using the 4x4 maybe five times, it is not worth the money. In fact the one 4x4 controller broke and really disappointed me!Going to stop by the Pont dealer tonight because I melted the washer fluid bottle cap with my drop light (if I can get a new one that is) and while I am there for one of those "Survivor TV show Scrolls" mentioned last night to see if I won a new Torrent! Have to log onto a GM site after the dealer to check...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 7:51 am

Quote, originally posted by MiVibe-ToolGuy Â»No need for the AWD where I drive and after 2 4X4's in my past and using the 4x4 maybe five times, it is not worth the money. In fact the one 4x4 controller broke and really disappointed me!I would certainly find an AWD pointless here after driving this thing... I'm surprised at how great the traction is up front. It's been driven over lots of slushy and rainy roads, and I have yet to activate the ABS or traction control. It simply plants itself to the road, it feels very stable and secure. And the brakes are great too, stops quick and has a nice firm pedal, I like it a lot better than the softer pedal feel of my Vibe's brakes. I'd say with the abundance of ground clearance, the grippy tires, traction control and ABS, it should do fine for most of what winter throws at it in many localities. Plus from a reliability standpoint, I don't want the extra hardware back there, because knowing my luck, that stuff WILL fail. And it's senseless for me to add the cost of that hardware that I probably will rarely ever use and suffer in fuel economy.I'm still enjoying this thing immensely. So smooth, so quiet, so comfy. And I don't think I have mentioned it yet, but the stereo is terrific. It's the first factory system I've heard where I couldn't turn the bass all the way up because it just gets to be too much. It has some boomin' bass and crystal clear highs, me likey.I really don't know when my Vibe comes back, other than it probably won't be anytime soon. But I'm definitely not suffering, despite the fact that I'm driving *gasp* some suv. hehehe

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 9:14 am

Quote, originally posted by silverawd26 Â»MSRP on this thing is up to $30,000 dollars and that is a lot of money for sure! I thought the Torrent I'm driving was expensive. $22,127 red tag price, $24-something MSRP. That really isn't a bad deal but unfortunately, tis several thousand above what I can realistically spend on the next car so that makes it look that much worse. Forget about $30K, I won't be able to afford such a thing as that for at least another decade.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:32 am

Yeppers, I that Hyundai. I can get one for $17,500 after rebates, tempting. The HHR is pretty nice too, and yes I have considered it. Lots of goodies for the money, even heated leather for $20K. Not too shabby! (As I'm sure everyone can tell, I'm not quite interested in one particular class of car, I'm mainly shopping for price.) But yes, to go back on topic...Maybe next time I can end up with something like this Torrent... Until then, I'll just be diggin' the ride for a little bit longer and have to forget all about it once it goes back. But that's ok too, things will work out in the long run... Like has been mentioned umpteen times thus far, it is a heckuva Vibe replacement.

nortsr · Post by **nortsr** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 9:21 pm

You are correct, I mistook the torrent to replace the Vue, not the Equinox. My mistake.

Baltovibe · Post by **Baltovibe** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 10:08 pm

Quote, originally posted by Boxgrover Â»I much prefer the front of the Equinox over the Torrent.http://forums.genvibe.com/zero...30998

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 8:51 am

Once again, the fuel gauge brought upon dreadful thoughts. It sucked down 1/4 of a tank pretty darn quick and then got between 3/4 and half (needle was closer to the 3/4 mark than half) by the time I filled it up. It *does* seem to move slower once it gets to 3/4. It must be the inverse of the Vibe fuel gauge, staying on full forever then down at E before you know it. Does the Equinox do that, for anyone who has driven one?The fears brought on by the fuel gauge were once again unfounded. 23 MPG going back and forth to work the last two days. Of course that's still only 120 miles or so on 5.2 gallons so still not a good indicator of what a full tank would bring. With this thing, I would prefer not having to spend a (removed) load of cash in one lump sum for fueling this monster, I'd rather nickle-and-dime it. I know it will all work out the same in the end, my brain just works funny.

cohocarl · Post by **cohocarl** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 10:43 am

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»The fears brought on by the fuel gauge were once again unfounded. 23 MPG going back and forth to work the last two days.The V6, 250hp Vue owners are getting around 22-26mpg.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 10:56 am

Wow, that's quite good, especially considering the output.

cohocarl · Post by **cohocarl** » Tue Dec 13, 2005 5:57 pm

Quote, originally posted by ColonelPanic Â»Wow, that's quite good, especially considering the output. Yup. The 2.2L Ecotec 4 cyl's are getting a few more mpg, but not much more than the 250hp Honda powered ones. Too bad they don't put in a 5-speed manual with the V6......

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 8:29 am

I found my first thing that bugs me. Nothing major, but it is slightly annoying. The "flash to pass" feature on the headlights leaves a lot to be desired.The stalk operates in the more typical GM fashion, pull toward you and *click* high beams are on, pull toward you again and *click* they're back to low beams, in contrast to our push it forward/pull it back setup. I don't mind that part of it a bit, but some of the older GM stuff I've driven that had such a dimmer, you could pull it back and before it clicks, the brights would be on for the flash to pass deal. With this thing, if you want to flash a few times, you have to pull the dimmer all the way back... *click* to highs, *click* to lows, *click* to highs. *click* back to lows... Slows down the process of me giving someone a quick flash of the lights to let them know it's ok to get in front of me or whatever. Which I guess really the only folks who understand what that means are truckers, people in cars just sit there "duh! oh, this guy has slowed down and keeps flashing his lights at me, I guess he means that he doesn't want me to come over." Oh well. If that's all I have to gripe about, this is a good vehicle.

kostby · Post by **kostby** » Wed Dec 14, 2005 10:46 pm

Yeah, the Torrent front is not as good-looking as it COULD have been...

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 9:15 am

Quote, originally posted by cohocarl Â»Yup. The 2.2L Ecotec 4 cyl's are getting a few more mpg, but not much more than the 250hp Honda powered ones. The local Saturn dealer had a Vue in the paper today, 39 MPG! Oops! They better fix that ad soon or they'll be slammed by angry would-be customers who found themselves disappointed that Saturn had not unlocked the as-old-as-the-automobile mystery and found the solution that allows both mass and incredible fuel mileage. I'm 150 miles into this tank and I'm at 1/2 right now... I guess I'll ride it out until it gets low and see what kind of numbers I end up with... The Torrent hit 600 miles yesterday.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 6:00 am

*sigh* It is with utmost regret that I have to announce that the Torrent has returned to its rightful owner. It was fun while it lasted. Almost 400 miles worth of fun.I'm really having issues trying to get adjusted to this car again. The Torrent has been wonderful and as sad as it may sound, it made me realize one thing: Man, I hate driving my Vibe. The Vibe's rough and noisy engine, the road noise, the fact that I feel like I'm sitting on the ground now, yada yada yada... It's like I've been thrown back into an econobox! Which yes, I do believe I have been. lol! The only thing I won't miss is the gas mileage, which I got around 20 last time. Oh well, farewell Torrent. I'll miss you dearly!

mcgusto82 · Post by **mcgusto82** » Sun Dec 18, 2005 2:31 am

a tear.

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 11:38 am

All it needs is a foreign engine and it's set!

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 12:17 pm

Quote, originally posted by Petrucci914 Â»All it needs is a foreign engine and it's set!That 3.4 in those things is made in China, does that count?

Petrucci914 · Post by **Petrucci914** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 12:51 pm

China? Are they really? I try to stick with Japanese engines only.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 12:59 pm

Quote, originally posted by Petrucci914 Â»China? Are they really? I try to stick with Japanese engines only.Yeah, China. Guess it's cheaper to build it there than elsewhere nowadays....It's far from an Asian design though, so I was trying to be funny there. lol! tis the same 60-degree pushrod six that made its debut in the Citation/various other X cars 20-something years ago and has been bumped up in displacement ever since.

CP's Torrent "extended test drive" MANY PICS

CP's Torrent "extended test drive" MANY PICS

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