After thorough browsing websites and classifieds, my wife and I decided on purchasing a 2006 Pontiac Torrent from a local used car dealer.

My wife and I don't have any kids yet, but when we do, we know that we will need something that handles the 'extras' that come along with a kid. However, we do have a dog and cat, so that takes quite a bit of room when we are traveling to and from places. My wife wanted a truck really bad. I wanted to see if we could get one that fit our needs now and for the near future should we have kids. Unfortunately, we figured out that it was going to cost us a lot more than expected to carry our animals and items on our trips. We found out that the best fit for us would be a quad-cab truck and most that we had found online were anywhere from $20k to $28k used. Being that we didn't want something with high miles, we were stuck with quad-cab trucks closer to the $25k and up range.

After multiple discussions with my wife about how a truck really won't be the best for our budget, we decided to give the SUV market a try. A local used Jeep dealer had quite a few Jeep Liberty SUVs for sale that were off-lease with decent mileage and decent prices. We really liked what we saw, but it wasn't the right time for us, so we decided to pass on the situation and wait around and see what else was out there.

Only about three weeks ago, we went to the local used Pontiac dealer in town to browse their vehicles. Amazingly, my wife and I saw a sweet looking new SUV by Pontiac named the "Torrent." It looked much sportier than Chevy's sister model, the Equinox. We liked this SUV so much more because of the sporty look and the price on the windshield also lured us more. This vehicle was also noted as having only 13,655 miles on it, which was nearly brand new! We knew that we would be back the next day since it was after hours when we were viewing the vehicle.


The next day, we test drove it and loved it. It handled like my Grand Am GT I used to own, but on a SUV ride. The 3.4L, 185 horsepower V6 engine had plenty of power and handled really well. Being that the vehicle was powered by front wheel drive, the mileage in the city conditions was to be at 18mpg and highway would be at about 24mpg. The color of the vehicle was something else as well. It was noted that it was 'safari red' and we loved it as well.

Two other 'bonus' features of the Torrent include the adjustable and reclining back seat and the front seat folding forward. These are options many folks won't find on many SUVs in the market. There is a TON of space for leg room in the back of the SUV. Plus, if someone wants to be more comfortable and lay back a bit, it is an option where most SUVs don't offer it. As for the front seat folding forward, it allows something up to 9 foot long to be hauled in the vehicle from the rear. Since the back end only opens up in one piece, this gives the vehicle a bit more versatility.

As one may or may not know, the Torrent was to replace the Aztek since it didn't overpower many critics because of its design and so forth. My wife and I also checked out a 2004 Aztek on the lot where we were shopping. Pontiac did a great job integrating some of the 'quirks' of the style of the Aztek but improving overall satisfaction with the vehicle. The appeal of the exterior image is much better on the Torrent since the Aztek is a bit too much. Also, it appears that the Aztek doesn't move too well on used lots, so more dealers are willing to negotiate on them. We were really happy on passing on the past 'sister' of the Torrent.

We didn't purchase it immediately, since we had some thinking to do and was going to be one of the most expensive vehicles we have purchased ever. However, after much thought, we ended up trading in our 2001 Malibu and only needing to come up with a little bit of money down and we only financed the new SUV for 36 months.

The Malibu was another vehicle which I also did a review on the site and one can find it here at
http://www.epinions.com/content_193204293252.

The best part of the purchase had to be that not only we got a good deal, but we also purchased it as a "GM Certified Used Vehicle," which allowed for more incentives yet. We qualified for excellent financing options first. Then, GM also included another 3 months and 3,000 miles on the warranty, making the bumper-to-bumper warranty 39 months and 39,000 miles. Lastly, the dealer puts the vehicle through their extensive GM Certified 109-point inspections to prove that the vehicle is road-ready.

Now we have owned it for about two weeks. We just finished on taking it on a 400 mile road trip and it did great. The vehicle handled well on the road and the seats were very comfortable. Typically, my legs will go numb from riding at least 3 hours or more, but they did not in this vehicle since the seats were elevated quite a bit. Another plus to the vehicle included the lumbar support in the back. This was another added benefit to the ride for any type of road trips to make it more comfortable. As for the trip and mileage, the vehicle averaged about 24 miles per gallon as advertised, which I was very happy about. The 16-gallon tank is something that won't break the wallet when filling it up.

Owning our Torrent has been great and we wouldn't change the decision we made. Since we both hold higher profile positions, we have had many positive comments on the vehicle and questions where we had purchased it.

As a most recent update, we ended up ordering some sweet floor mats for the SUV from the dealer. Unfortunately, the price of the floor mats is insane. They were wanting to charge us $95 for them and I negotiated that I would only pay 50% of that price. Basically, most places will cut a deal to keep a customer happy on a vehicle they purchased from them. The floor mats we decided to purchase were full rubber and very heavy duty. The front mats fitted perfectly in the front and included the "Torrent" name on them to give them a 'sporty' look. The rear floor mat was very interesting. Instead of getting two separate floor mats for the rear, Pontiac developed a one-piece floor mat to fit the exact shape of the floor. It is simply amazing and was well worth the price of $47.50!

Recent update (7/3/07): The Torrent has been very reliable and we only have 21500 miles on it now. There are a few design flaws with it, which I will detail next.

Unless you actually fill one up while test-driving it, you won't know until you get it home. If you are a person who tips up the handle a bit from filling up the vehicle, it may cause paint chips in the area around the opening. Another flaw would be the rear tailgate. In most SUVs, the rear glass opens up to allow ease of carry of certain items. The Torrent's rear hatch is all fixed and doesn't allow for the glass part to open up.
Amount Paid (US$): 16850
Condition: Used
Model Year: 2006
Model and Options: FWD