If ever there was an automotive brand in desperate need of an icon, it's Pontiac. Even now, after various product re-skins and improvements, the updates that keep coming seem to ring hollow. At the 2005 Los Angeles International Auto Show, three relatively important vehicles to the future of Pontiac - the 2006 Pontiac Torrent SUV and the 2006 Pontiac G6 coupe and convertible - wound up strangers at their own ball when the 2006 Solstice roadster showed up and stole the show.

It's not as if the assembled journalists were seeing the pretty metal-blue roadster for the first time. In fact, it may well be the most photographed concept car in the history of concepts. Yet when the Solstice rolled on stage, all heads jerked to it, and it turns out that another photo of the Solstice is worth two of the Torrent, proving that even a familiar car is better than one that leaves a person gasping for imagination. The 2006 Pontiac Torrent is exactly what the Solstice is supposed to cure, and what Pontiac was never, ever supposed to be again - a bland, boring appliance that will sell for not many more reasons beyond the dollar bills stacked high on the hood.

Of course, General Motors would have you believe otherwise. According to Bob Lutz, GM vice chairman and world-renowned car guy, we should compare the Pontiac lineup to what it was five years ago. And he has a point - these are arguably better cars, and with less plastic cladding, too. But what vehicle shoppers ought to do is compare Pontiac with the competition of today - and on that mark, things get a bit messy. Consider the Torrent: a slightly modified version of the Chevrolet Equinox, the Torrent is different in that it offers a "crisper" suspension setup that's designed to provide a feeling of more control. It's the same MacPherson strut front suspension and four-link independent rear suspension offered on the Equinox, just modified for a different ride. So, based on the Pontiac spin, the Torrent is the kind of sporty SUV that is perfect for errands, kid hauling and a Saturday spent dodging cones at the autocross.

Not exactly.
If the Torrent was built for performance, GM surely would have placed the Saturn Vue's more powerful Honda-built engine between the strut towers. Instead, it gets the Equinox's 185-horsepower V6, which is built in China. And while that engine generates a healthy 210 lb.-ft. of torque, one wonders: if Pontiac is for Performance, why not use the better engine?

The reality of the Torrent is that it is probably too close to the Equinox to be much more than a brother SUV in the overall GM lineup. A retuned suspension, a different grille and a restyled exterior - among other small changes - does not make for excitement. But heck, that's not so bad: like the Equinox, the Torrent offers buyers a multipurpose interior with vast amounts of legroom as well as a fore, aft and reclining backseat. There is a sliding rear seat that provides eight inches of travel and increases cargo space behind the rear seat almost five cubic feet when the seat is moved all the way up. The front passenger seat back also folds flat, creating a load area that stretches from the rear of the vehicle to the instrument panel. Total interior volume is 138.6 cubic feet, and, like the Equinox, the rear cargo area has an available innovative Cargo Storage System with storage bins in the floor and wheel wells plus a polycarbonate shelf that can be placed in various positions for differing cargo needs.

The Torrent is available in front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models, and is equipped with a variety of features, including power door locks with remote keyless entry, power windows, air conditioning, rear liftgate with defogger and washer/wiper, CD stereo with six speakers, fog lamps, 16-inch aluminum wheels, four-channel ABS (standard on AWD and available on FWD) and dual-stage driver and front passenger airbags. Optional features for the Torrent include leather-trimmed seats and steering wheel, heated driver and front passenger seats, power-adjustable driver seat, 17-inch aluminum wheels, CD/MP3 stereo with six-disc CD changer and subwoofer, steering-wheel radio controls, power sunroof, multi-tier rear cargo system, OnStar telematics and XM Satellite Radio. Roof-rail side curtain airbags and traction control also are available. (Traction control is not available with AWD.)

Now if they could only find a way to put a little bit of excitement in the thing, maybe even a reason to buy the thing over the Equinox. That would be something, and then maybe people would stop staring at that darn Solstice.

By Brian Chee