The Torrent offers good handling for the class without any sign of harshness to the ride. The longest wheelbase and widest track in the class surely add to this capability. The ride was good, including over some rough gravel roads, and. It's not hard to spin the front wheels when taking off quickly, and the front-drive Torrent comes standard with traction control to mitigate that. We haven't driven an all-wheel-drive version. Our experience with all-wheel-drive versions of the similar Saturn Vue are that the rear wheels are only driven when the fronts start to slip. This works okay for getting through snow, but doesn't significantly improve handling on wet roads.
We'd prefer the Torrent had disc brakes on all four wheels, but it comes with drum brakes in the rear, which are less costly. Four-wheel ABS is standard, but no Electronic Brake-force Distribution is available. We made one panic stop from 70 miles per hour, and were satisfied with the feel of the pedal and stopping distance. Next Page