2002 Buick Rendezvous

Around the dinner table at the Tanque Verde dude ranch outside Tucson, Arizona, where Buick previewed this new Rendezvous sport-utility vehicle, the topic of conversation among the vehicle's development team invariably turned to their children. From this group of predominantly 30-something engineers, that's not surprising, and indeed, it might even account for two of the new vehicle's most significant features. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

First of all, with its low step-in height and tall, highboy roofline, the Rendezvous looks and drives like a minivan. Second, it can genuinely seat seven with its optional folding third-row bench that is both conveniently accessible and tidily stowed. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Okay, the resemblance to a mommy van may not be entirely due to the home-front preoccupations of its development team. After all, the mechanicals are based on GM's minivans. But the third-row seat? You gotta have kids to believe that's important, right? /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Fortunately for Buick, many people do have kids. Equally fortunate, most of these parents are not yet 66 years old, which is the average age of current Buick owners. So Buick's management is hoping the Rendezvous will lower the division's owner demographics before its entire customer base defects to Cadillac. Or worse, dies off. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Thus, to compete with the popular car-based SUVs out there -- Lexus's RX300 and Toyota's forthcoming Highlander, for example -- the Rendezvous wears a low base price somewhere around $28,000. It also brings a couple of neat tricks to the party. One is that third-row seat, which is roomy enough to comfortably accommodate our six-foot-five spaceman, albeit with his hair in contact with the roof. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

The back-row bench is an option on Rendezvous models with standard 50/images/media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpg50 split-bench second-row seating, but it's provided as part of the package when a pair of captain's seats are selected for the second row. An articulating mechanism folds and lowers the third-row seat into a recess, leaving a 55-cubic-foot luggage space in its stead. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

It's also possible to remove the center seats completely, leaving 109 cubic feet of cargo volume on a flat floor that is four feet wide. Reconfigurability is the major asset here, turning the Rendezvous, when needed, from a seven-person people mover into a veritable delivery van. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

That's not all. It will be available with the Versatrak on-demand all-wheel-drive system. This mechanism was developed in cooperation with Steyr-Daimler-Puch, the Austrian off-road specialists, and it uses twin gerotor pumps (one for each rear half-shaft) to supply hydraulic pressure to clutch packs that engage the rear wheels as soon as front-wheel slippage occurs. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

This simple, lightweight Versatrak hardware requires very little space. When used in concert with Buick's compact unequal-length-control-arm rear suspension, intrusion into the vehicle's rear luggage compartment is minimized. That's what makes the third seat possible. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Versatrak is standard on the high-end Rendezvous CXL and optional on the base CX model. However, if you can live without all-wheel drive but perhaps need a little help in winter, the CX also offers optional full-range traction control for about $200. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Motivating all this versatility is the General's 185-hp 3400 V-6 engine driving through a 4T65-E four-speed automatic transmission. With 210 pound-feet of torque at 4000 rpm, the powertrain tows this 4000-plus-pound vehicle around with little evidence of strain, although acceleration with seven aboard is unlikely to be awe-inspiring. Expect new engines and more power before too long, says Buick. /media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Right now, though, there's enough to think about. The list of standard and optional items that can be had with the Rendezvous is impressive. The automatic climate-control system has optional dual-zone temperature controls. There is a choice of four audio entertainment systems, one of which includes optional separate rear-seat controls and headphones; another offers a single-slot, in-dash, six-disc CD changer./media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

There's a trailer package capable of hauling up to 3500 pounds, and a rear-suspension level control with an onboard air compressor, an auxiliary hose, and a pressure gauge. There's GM's latest head-up instrument display, as well as its OnStar communications service. A rear parking-aid system warns when you're too close to objects behind you./media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Some of the standard features are pretty cool, too. There's a center-console box that has a deep well for laptop computer storage, as well as cup holders and a compartment for small incidentals such as cell phones. Plus, it has a pass-through space at floor level for purses, shoes, and other stuff./media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Safety considerations are met by dual-stage frontal airbags and side airbags for the front compartment, and three-point belts for every seating position on board. The driver's-side airbag is large enough to afford both head and thorax protection; the smaller passenger's bag covers only the thorax so as not to pose a safety risk to small children./media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>

Again, there's that concern for children. But it can also be argued that the development team based the Rendezvous project on its own needs. When you ponder the fact that the Rendezvous is a mechanical twin to the Pontiac Aztek, those real-world needs may prove to be its saving grace./media/61/buick-rendezvous-photo-9712-s-inline-image.jpgp>