The red instrument panel is the main reason I have never had a Pontiac.

 

Your neighbor must have the standard Equinox. I agree with him; they are garbage. Only the sport versions (which just came out) measure up in my book

 

It's an LT, but don't know exactly what "model" he has. He says it bad when his 2500 Dodge crew with the Cummings gets better mileage.

 

The problem with the standard Equinox/Torrent is the engine/transmission combo.

The transmission is one of those that doesn't allow the vehicle to roll/coast like others do. One of the mods on GMI has one and complained about that a lot. I think he has since dumped it due to other more significant reliability issues.

 

Yeah, that's a standard Equinox with the 3.4. The new Equinox Sport / Torrent GXP has the 3.6 (not to mention all of the other performance enhancements) and gets fuel economy not far south of the new HHR SS (24 MPG vs. 27 MPG highway).

 

Just an FYI; I got a call from the dealer about the build date. She'll be rollin' down the line the week of November 12th; I should have it by the end of November. Woo hoo!

By the way, here is one of the first reviews I have found of the 2008 Pontiac Torrent GXP (and the test car is EXACTLY like what I ordered): http://www.carbuzzard.com/review.php?id=20531

 

looks like a fun ride. it's everything a guy from Wisconsin could love. a bit too BMWish-looking, I guess for my taste, if that's a bad thing.

 

This is the week my GXP is being built! It's pretty cool to think that a car I ordered is sitting in thousands of pieces and by the end of the week it will be put together. Cool!

The more I think about it, the better I feel about my decision to pass on the HHR SS. AWD and 3500 lbs towing (while still having 0-60 in 6.9 seconds acceleration) is going to come in handy in my particular situation here in Wisconsin.

 

It'll be snowing soon and I'll bet you'll be really happy you got the AWD right about then. Then again, wait til you see the first red HHR SS coming your way in traffic and you'll be thinking, "boy that looks cool..." Maybe even line up at a stop light with one.*

Your statement about the thousands of pieces reminded me of the movie Tranformers... those scenes where Optimus Prime changes into the new Camaro were really cool. I can just imagine your pile of parts just sitting there and suddenly they all fly together to form your Torrent GXP. Ready to do battle against the icy cold Wisconsin elements.


*MOTRV8D does not approve, condone, nor promote racing any motor vehicle on public roadways.

 

you are going to regret it! IMO