2006 Pontiac Torrent

Everyone's got to have an SUV these days--even Pontiac, which made do with the misconceived, misshapen Aztek until just last year, when executives at GM's excitement brand were wise enough to give it a date with the guillotine. SUV-less heading toward the 2006 model year, Pontiac quickly turned to its sibling, Chevrolet, from which it nabbed the handsome Equinox, then promptly rebadged it Torrent. Besides the obvious exterior alterations and the inappropriate name--really, can anything with 185 horsepower deliver anything torrential?--this Pontiac 'ute is a Chevrolet, which is to say, a well-equipped five-passenger small SUV built in Canada. The Torrent's standard equipment list is plentiful and includes a 3.4-liter V-6, a five-speed automatic transmission, automatic climate control, ABS, sport suspension, remote keyless entry, and an AM/FM/CD radio--all for a reasonable $24,890. Add the options, however, and that price can fly north quicker than Canada geese in the spring. Case in point: Our AWD tester, which, loaded with side-curtain airbags, OnStar, cruise control, a power driver's seat, and 17-inch alloy wheels, rang up the register to $29,125. Not exorbitant considering the level of equipment, but not a deal considering the sub-par driving dynamics.

For a vehicle meant to generate excitement, the Torrent accomplished the opposite among our judges, drawing criticism for its coarse V-6, unrefined automatic, sloppy handling, and numb steering, the last a result of more play at the helm than in the Queen Mary. Driving dynamics aside, the Torrent doesn't look or feel like a near-$30,000 SUV--drum brakes reside behind the rear wheels, "premium" cloth seats fail to match the richness of leather, and the interior plastics are aesthetically inferior to those in the Koreans. Off-road, the Torrent survived, rather than conquered, our course. In the end, the Torrent comes across more as a marketing afterthought than a well-planned sport/utility.