A Torrent of criticism for Pontiac's new SUV

0 Comments | USA TODAY, February, 2006 | by James R. Healey

This won't be one that wows 'em with General Motors' new dedication to premium presentation.

Torrent, Pontiac's version of the crude Chevrolet Equinox crossover SUV, seems cheap and clumsy -- like the Equinox (Test Drive, June 18, 2004). The front-wheel-drive test vehicle's plastic parts were yester-tech; brittle and flimsy. The automatic transmission gearshift lever slopped, clackety-clack, through its positions. The back of the front seat feels as if it's throwing you forward off the seat. The markings on the wiggly, imprecise climate control knobs are almost impossible to see in daylight (though easier when illuminated at night).

Using the turn-signal lever -- as a designer at a rival company once said about his own flop -- feels like breaking a chicken's leg....