2008 Pontiac Torrent GT AWD review from North America

Nothing yet, though it is still pretty new.

Great vehicle for a small family.

We bought this vehicle to suit our growing family, which now stands at 2 young kids and a large dog. It's a perfect family vehicle. It has just the right amount of room thanks to the sliding rear seat. With kids you can push the seat forward a bit to get extra cargo room for strollers etc. The flat rear floor means the dog can lay between the front and rear seat without problems.

Safety is also very good on the Torrent, with lots of active safety features (4 channel ABS, 4 wheel disk brakes, Electronic Stability Control, traction control) and good crash test results.

The Torrent's interior is thoughtfully done and comfortable. It also looks younger and sportier than most compact SUVs. Although it classifies as a compact SUV from a price standpoint, in interior volume it is comparable to a Honda Pilot or Nissan Pathfinder, ie midsize SUV. Road and engine noise is low at all normal driving speeds, the ergonomics are good (my only complaint would be the operation of the rear wipers), and the seats are decently comfortable. The heating and defrost features work great. The built-in remote starter is great for cold winter days.

It performs flawlessy on snowy or icy roads with Winter tires, thanks to the AWD and Electronic Stability control which can do things the driver cannot like activate one or 2 of the brakes to compensate for a slide. We went down a size to 215/70/16 tires for the winter, and there are lots of inexpensive choices in that size.

The engine/transmission combo works well. The 5 speed with overdrive shifts smoothly and has a useful Intermediate mode when driving in more demanding circumstances. There is plenty of power to move the vehicle smoothly and merge/pass safely. The 3.4L is not overly powerful at 185hp for this size of vehicle, but it has generous low-end torque that works great in normal driving, or when climbing hills. I'm also happy to see that GM modified the intake manifold on this version, since the older 3.4L had a reputation to blow intake gaskets. The 160 000KM powertrain warranty is also a plus.

Fuel economy is surprisingly good. We get roughly 13L/100KM in the city and 10L/100KM on the highway. This is at 120KM/H.

Last thing I want to mention is that I would never have paid the asking price for a new model, but since these depreciate a lot, they are great value when slightly used, especially considering the long and transferable powertrain warranty.