What to choose instead of a G8 ST? The Torrent GXP, of course

[Intrepidation]

Remember when the Pontiac G8 ST had just been announced for production and General Motors had not yet chosen a name for its new not-a-camino? A contest was held, a winner was chosen and the Poncho sport truck got the ST suffix officially added to its base G8-derived name. Joseph Warren, the winner of the naming contest, was granted a G8 ST as his prize for picking the right (and seemingly rather obvious) name, but since that particular piece of sport-truckery has now officially been scrapped, he had to pick something else. His choice? A fresh new Pontiac Torrent GXP. Really, we're not making that up. His only direction was that it had to be priced equal to or less than what the ST would have sold for. He could be parking a desirable G8 GT in his driveway, but perhaps the Torrent's CUV bodystyle is a better fit for Mr. Warren's life. Your mileage may vary.

Source: Autoblog

[Satty]

I would've gone with a Solstice GXP, I'd be able to get more out of it when I posted it on eBay when the weather started warming up.

[NOS2006]

lmao What a dumbass! I'd take the G8 GT or something. The Torrent? What a joke.

[Satty]

A Chevrolet with a split grille is EXCITEMENT!

[Robert Hall]

lmao What a dumbass! I'd take the G8 GT or something. The Torrent? What a joke.

Maybe his wife convinced him to get a CUV to haul their 2.5 brats around. Most married men I know are unable to choose a car for themselves, their wives keep them on a very short leash.

[Intrepidation]

Happily, Jessica and I both want a Challenger.

[gm4life]

A Chevrolet with a split grille is EXCITEMENT!

Watch it Satty. I didn't own a Prius or Camry Solara. Like those are really exciting especially the Prius with a 1.5L motor wahoo.

Edited January 16, 2009 by gm4life

[gm4life]

lmao What a dumbass! I'd take the G8 GT or something. The Torrent? What a joke.

I happen to really enjoy mine.

[gm4life]

Maybe his wife convinced him to get a CUV to haul their 2.5 brats around. Most married men I know are unable to choose a car for themselves, their wives keep them on a very short leash.

Yup that happens to many people. Look at me I own one.

[Camino LS6]

What an absolute loser!

In a way I'm glad that he never got his hands on an ST.

[Satty]

Wonder if GM would've parted with the first off the line G3.

[Camino LS6]

Wonder if GM would've parted with the first off the line G3.

Now there's a collectible.

[Sixty8panther]

Wow.... lame, how the hell do you NOT choose

the G8-GT in this scenario... Stupifying.

Maybe his wife convinced him to get a CUV to haul their 2.5 brats around. Most married men I know are unable to choose a car for themselves, their wives keep them on a very short leash.

Like the Metalica song goes: Sad but true.

My wife on the other hand, will be getting

a NEW-TO-HER BMW station wagon soon,

as she's decided the TWO-door hardtop

Mercedes Benz 500SEC I bought for her is

a little shy on space, & egress for a huge

baby-seat...

She rattled off a bunch of cars that she

thought might work well for her and that

she'd like to drive and I pretty much said

"tell ya what, 3rd time's a charm, let's

get you another German car, this time I'll

find oyu EXACTLY what you want, a BMW

station wagon"

----

[Robert Hall]

Wow.... lame, how the hell do you NOT choose

the G8-GT in this scenario... Stupifying.

Like the Metalica song goes: Sad but true.

----

Sometimes I wish things had worked out better w/ me and fiancee #2...we were so compatible as far as cars and money. She bought the cars she wanted with her money (Jeep Wrangler, BMW 328Ci, both manuals), I bought the cars I wanted w/ my money. We had stable careers w/ six figure incomes. Basically, our views were that her money was hers, mine was mine, and if ever bought a house, that would have been a common thing that would have been jointly funded (we owned our own condos). And like me, she loved dogs, travel, cars and had no interest in having kids. Alas, it was not to be.

A BMW wagon, eh? A buddy of mine bought a clean used '07 5-series AWD wagon recently, he and his wife now have two AWD wagons (that and an '04 Volvo XC70), 2 dogs, no kids..

Edited January 16, 2009 by moltar

[Croc]

So let me get this straight...GM has a "Name the G8 ST" contest, and the winner submitted "G8 ST"? And then picks a Torrent? W-O-W what a dumbass.

[Robert Hall]

Wonder if GM would've parted with the first off the line G3.

The FIRST EVER G3! (remember the original G6 ad campaign?)

[Northstar]

There's no way he was really the only one to pick "G8 ST" what a stupid contest.

[§carlet §wordfish]

No, but his entry was the one they drew out of a hat.

Me, I would've chosen a G5 XFE, but only becuase I couldn't afford the gas and insurance for anything else.

Edited January 16, 2009 by §carlet §wordfish

[G. David Felt]

WOW, Some things are mind blowing Wonder what medical research group got his mind?

Edited January 16, 2009 by dfelt

[Intrepidation]

Wow.... lame, how the hell do you NOT choose

the G8-GT in this scenario... Stupifying.

Like the Metalica song goes: Sad but true.

My wife on the other hand, will be getting

a NEW-TO-HER BMW station wagon soon,

as she's decided the TWO-door hardtop

Mercedes Benz 500SEC I bought for her is

a little shy on space, & egress for a huge

baby-seat...

She rattled off a bunch of cars that she

thought might work well for her and that

she'd like to drive and I pretty much said

"tell ya what, 3rd time's a charm, let's

get you another German car, this time I'll

find oyu EXACTLY what you want, a BMW

station wagon"

----

DO you let her pick the car out or just buy it hoping she'll warm up to it? Just curious.

[ZL-1]

So let me get this straight...GM has a "Name the G8 ST" contest, and the winner submitted "G8 ST"? And then picks a Torrent? W-O-W what a dumbass.

It's so ridiculous it becomes funny... couldn't they have given him a G8? At least t would be related to the car he named....

Edited January 16, 2009 by ZL-1

[Gizhost]

WTF.

[hyperv6]

GM marketing blows it again.

They should have forced the G8 DT on the idiot and given him no choice. Or let him choose from the other 3 cars they plan to keep.

It is bad enough he picked the Torrent but to pick a car they ar dumping soon.

It is bad enough for the press on the ST going away but to now do this on top of that.

That is as bad as calling a Cadillac concept a WTF. Oh well I guess it just not a good year to be a GM and Cleveland Browns fan. Err not a good decade is more like it.

Edited January 16, 2009 by hyperv6

[regfootball]

Maybe his wife convinced him to get a CUV to haul their 2.5 brats around. Most married men I know are unable to choose a car for themselves, their wives keep them on a very short leash.

it's called 'paying for sex'.

if you don't get the wife her car of choice you get no sex (this does not apply in my household fortunately)

if you don't get the sex from your wife you have to get it either from yourself (only so much before that gets old) or from another woman. the second option there actually costs you too, in the form of a nasty costly divorce and alimony.

as with most anything in life, it comes back to money, food, shelter, and sex.

[regfootball]

Wonder if GM would've parted with the first off the line G3.

or they could have had the first '333' special edition badges.

[regfootball]

maybe his wife or even the dude didn't want a rwd only car, bad in winter.

[Satty]

or they could have had the first '333' special edition badges.

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Sadly, I wouldn't put a 333 edition past them.

[Camino LS6]

GM marketing blows it again.

They should have forced the G8 DT on the idiot and given him no choice. Or let him choose from the other 3 cars they plan to keep.

It is bad enough he picked the Torrent but to pick a car they ar dumping soon.

It is bad enough for the press on the ST going away but to now do this on top of that.

That is as bad as calling a Cadillac concept a WTF. Oh well I guess it just not a good year to be a GM and Cleveland Browns fan. Err not a good decade is more like it.

Amen!

[ToniCipriani]

Hey... at least it wasn't that overstocked Grand Prix Avis didn't want...

[frogger]

Just plain FAIL all around... What a joke

[regfootball]

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Sadly, I wouldn't put a 333 edition past them.

perhaps they could even do an 'aircraft aluminum' spoiler on the hatch and lots of plastic cladding to appeal to the fast and furious set.

[regfootball]

any truth to the rumor that the next GTO will be G3 based?

[gm4life]

I would have picked a G8 GXP but a trust me he will like his Torrent.

[ToniCipriani]

:rotflmao: :rotflmao:

Sadly, I wouldn't put a 333 edition past them.

If there are at least 333 idiots who buy one...

[ShadowDog]

Everybody has different needs, different wants. Personally, I don't see what it matters. How many people get to pick out a car for free, much less whatever they want from the lot? I know that if my needs outweighed my wants, I'd make a practical decision as well. To each their own folks, to each their own.

[Intrepidation]

Yeah but the thing is, how is the G8 not more practical? Better seating, better interior, better looks, better handling, big trunk, and decent on gas.

[regfootball]

i wonder if i could have convinced him to take the aztek off my hands instead......

[Satty]

i wonder if i could have convinced him to take the aztek off my hands instead......

You could probably put it on the block at Barret-Jackson.

[Camino LS6]

GM is Sooooo lucky I wasn't the winner they had to pay off!

[ShadowDog]

Yeah but the thing is, how is the G8 not more practical? Better seating, better interior, better looks, better handling, big trunk, and decent on gas.

Well, in my experience, we had to choose between a '05 Caravan, SUVs (in fairness, we also looked at many different model SUV's, particularly bigger ones like the Trailblzr), and sedans. The massive convenience of Stow-n-go, underfloor storage, full length roof rack and other additional family conveniences of the van made it a clear winner. My wife drove GMs new vans for customer pickup and delivery at the service center, so she had enough experience in the van to know that it, unfortunately, was just not good enough.

Long story short, one major decision breaker for all sedans was the fact that the rear seats would be filled with baby-car seats, etc. There wasn't much room left in the trunk after the stroller. Entry and egress for kids was difficult in our other car when it came to lifting and lowering into a car seat in a sedan, so that was difficult on my wife. The van had seating for an additional 5 people with the seats installed. An SUV was hardly any better than a sedan for room, so for our travel needs, the van clearly won. Maybe this gentleman was looking at things like this... maybe he's a dolt... who knows, right?

[Intrepidation]

I could see that logic, the only problem in this case is that the Torrent seats 5 with less interior room than the G8, and the G8 has a giant trunk.

[regfootball]

You could probably put it on the block at Barret-Jackson.

I LIKE THAT IDEA!!!!!

[regfootball]

Well, in my experience, we had to choose between a '05 Caravan, SUVs (in fairness, we also looked at many different model SUV's, particularly bigger ones like the Trailblzr), and sedans. The massive convenience of Stow-n-go, underfloor storage, full length roof rack and other additional family conveniences of the van made it a clear winner. My wife drove GMs new vans for customer pickup and delivery at the service center, so she had enough experience in the van to know that it, unfortunately, was just not good enough.

Long story short, one major decision breaker for all sedans was the fact that the rear seats would be filled with baby-car seats, etc. There wasn't much room left in the trunk after the stroller. Entry and egress for kids was difficult in our other car when it came to lifting and lowering into a car seat in a sedan, so that was difficult on my wife. The van had seating for an additional 5 people with the seats installed. An SUV was hardly any better than a sedan for room, so for our travel needs, the van clearly won. Maybe this gentleman was looking at things like this... maybe he's a dolt... who knows, right?

in my mind, baby gear is the definite factor in whether a sedan or suv doesn't cut the mustard.

usually the stroller and pack and play is the make or break items. those two things alone will kill a mid size sedan trunk or crossover cargo area.

for a lot of folks too, bicycles.

the g8's trunk to me looks sizable enough for most folks with 1 to 2 kids, as long as the stroller isn't around. the g8's trunk has large dimensions but isn't very high and the cargo area is not extended much by folding the rear seat. overall though the g8 is one of the better hauling sedans.

my 500 was pretty much the most useful sedan available. huge trunk. you could get baby gear in there and have room for groceries. you could pack for a weekend with the fam and even fit the bicycle and scooter in there. the front and rear seats fold too and really make for a useful ride.

there's not many more sedans that have that kind of functionality.

Honestly not a lot of crossovers or SUV's do either.

the aztek can haul pretty much anything a van will, except it does not have the length or third row in the cargo area. the seats fold and tumble and pull out. the tek would easily swallow the stroller and pack and play and tons of other bags and coolers and you still wouldn't block the rear window.

i laugh at things like the cx-9. put anyone in the third row, and you have no trunk space. what's the point? Get a van......if cargo is a big factor. the taurus x we did not think we would have a need for lots of huge cargo, but to be honest its not near as useful as the aztek is. although the x's flip fold seats in the third row rock.

from what i recall, the equinox has a good sized cargo hold if the second row is moved up far and it doesn't have the space robbing wheel arches with the slots for the tray. the xl7 is a 3 row equinox. truth is, for a three row i don't think its all that useful. but just as a 2 row, its not bad. the xl7 ranks as the vehicle i test drove that i absolutely wanted to get out of right away. i thought it was a terrible. strange, considering how much i liked the vue.

now the gxp torrent might drive a lot better than that xl7. i sure hope it does. and honestly i thought the g8 gt was a nice car. the v6 version did not impress me.

the redndezvoux was probably the best packaged crossover pre lambda that GM had. lots of room in the cargo hold. not a huge hulking vehicle. a way better packaging solution than the equinox, etc.

Edited January 18, 2009 by regfootball

[Satty]

After I bought my son a Radio Flyer, I realized how asinine strollers are.

[prinzSD]

Lame, why not chose the G8 GT which is a much better vehicle than the Torrent.

[prinzSD]

Happily, Jessica and I both want a Challenger.

Happily my wife let me buy my Vette.

Edited January 19, 2009 by prinzSD

[regfootball]

After I bought my son a Radio Flyer, I realized how asinine strollers are.

yeah and because you see so many moms pulling their kids around the mall in radio flyers?

um, deny the mom the stroller and she denies your soldier.

[Satty]

Both my baby's mama and my fiancee prefer the wagon to the stroller. Ever try taking a 2 year old around the zoo in a stroller? Try it with a wagon, a million times easier.

[Intrepidation]

Plus there's room for snacks.

[Satty]

Yep. With a stroller you've got room for a kid, plus whatever you can cram into that little basket underneath, a full diaper bag is pushing it. The wagon (I've got this one) you've got room for a kid to sit, room for a diaper bag plus room to spare.