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2007 Pontiac Torrent Sport AWD Road Test

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Kevin ''Crash'' Corrigan
When I first heard the name of this vehicle, my mind conjured up visions of being soaked to the skin. After all, coming from mainland England, I've seen enough torrents of rain to last me a lifetime. Over there, you never know what to expect. In fact, they have a saying, "if you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it'll change"!

The new Torrent and its twin, the Chevrolet Equinox, are very popular.

I wondered why on earth GM would name a vehicle after, what is in effect, a rather damp and all-round pretty lousy experience. I decided to look up the word, as I was sure that there had to be some deeper meaning to it.

I discovered that the word could be used in a number of ways.

A: A turbulent, swift flowing stream. (Naming a vehicle after a small river doesn't make much sense to me either).

B: A heavy downpour. (Well, we've already been there).

C: A heavy, uncontrolled outpouring, such as: A torrent of insults.

So, will I be hurling a torrent of abuse towards the 2007 Pontiac Torrent Sport in my review, or could it be more along the lines of a "torrent of praise"? Let's have a closer look!

Well, they certainly seem to be popular, because you see a fair number of them on the roads nowadays. That's possibly because they're of good all-round size, and tend to meet most buyers needs, whilst still maintaining reasonable running costs.

From the outside, the lines of the vehicle are quite eye-catching, and the alloy wheels which the Sport model carries, are suitably sized, and certainly add to the overall look.

Upon opening the door, the Torrent appears, in many ways, more minivan-like than some of its competitors. From the seating to the high-mounted gear lever, it all has a familiar feel to it. This could be a plus point for the Torrent as many minivan owners are now switching to crossover vehicles, and this similar feel could well be a deciding factor.

There isn't really anything torrential about the Torrent.
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