During my test week the Torrent didn't only handle corners well in
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| It may be FWD, but the Torrent has enough grip to deal with winter unless pushed into deep snow. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
dry conditions, while tracking confidently at higher speeds, but the front-wheel drive version even managed slippery West Coast snow and icy patches without any concern. My long-term front-wheel drive Sonata GLS V6 was turned back at the base of our local ski resort while transporting my son to Tiny Tots ski classes, forcing me to call Jennifer, my wife, for those of you who don't read the long-term updates, to see if she could swap vehicles with me. She just happened to be a few blocks away driving into the local shopping centre, and brought the Torrent up the road to meet me. We swapped child seats, and when I pulled up to the "judges" at the base of the hill, they had no trouble letting me by. Of course, they didn't ask whether or not the "SUV" was equipped with four-wheel drive, but just assumed it would be. It wasn't, although on the Torrent's side were better mud and snow rated all-season tires and optional traction control. While the Sonata, which doesn't have traction control in the trim level Hyundai gave me, might have experienced no difficulty getting up the mountain, the Torrent drove up without putting a wheel sideways.
At
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| Plenty of rear-seat room in the back of Torrent, for kids and adults alike. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
the top, however, while tracking through slightly deeper snow in the parking lot, I almost got stuck. I purposely drove slowly through some of the white stuff while trying to get into an empty parking spot, and it quickly bogged down, the traction control system slipping and then completely shutting down power to the front wheels. Fortunately I was able to reverse out. I suppose, if it were my Torrent I'd have already opted for all-wheel drive and be done with it. No doubt this would have made a big difference.
Going down, the Torrent's optional ABS brakes, included on my tester, came in handy. I chose to go a little faster than would have otherwise been prudent, and then slammed on the brakes to test their capability. This is a good exercise for anyone to do, by the way, just so that you get a feel for how ABS brakes work and by so doing learn what to expect if an emergency arises. As anticipated, after multiple attempts to skid out of control, the brakes stopped me in my tracks; even turning the Torrent in the direction the wheels were pointed.
Only the front wheels feature disc brakes, incidentally, the rear's getting drums. And while I don't have anything against drums for trucks and 4x4s, as they can pose advantages, for a car-like crossover there's no reason to not even offer them. C'mon Pontiac, this is supposed to be a "performance" SUV. Why can't I get rear discs even when the price hedges close to $38K?
On that note I've got a few additional beefs about the Torrent, but
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| Instrumentation hints more at performance than at off-roading. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press) |
just the same I haven't finished telling you about its many positive attributes yet either. I'll get to the negatives in a minute, after I tell you why it rides and handles so well. The Equinox features a traditional MacPherson strut front suspension matched up to an independent four-link, coil sprung rear setup. While not as off-road biased as the old Tracker, which used a solid rear axle, a configuration that's actually preferred by 4x4 purists, an independent suspension is much more enjoyable, and for that matter much safer when driving on pavement, where the Torrent, like most crossover-style SUVs, will spend the majority of its time.
