The Buick Rendezvous is a mid-size crossover SUV sold for the 2002 to 2007 model years. Together with the Pontiac Aztek it was one of GM’s first crossovers, and it brought back passenger and load capacity Buick had lost when the Roadmaster Estate ended in 1996.
Buick Rendezvous at a glance
| Maker | Buick, General Motors |
|---|---|
| Production | 2002–2007 |
| Class | mid-size crossover SUV |
| Debut | Chicago Auto Show, February 2000 |
| Platform | GM U-body, short-wheelbase minivan |
| Engine | 3.4 L V6 |
| Transmission | four-speed automatic |
| Drive | front-wheel drive or Versatrak all-wheel drive |
| Seats | five, six or seven with the third-row bench |
| Wheelbase | 112 in |
| Assembly | Ramos Arizpe, Mexico |
| Replaced by | Buick Enclave |
Based on one source, the English Wikipedia article on the Rendezvous.
History of the Buick Rendezvous
The Rendezvous was shown at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2000 and went on sale in spring 2001 as a 2002 model. It was billed as a blend of three things: the space and seven-seat capacity of a minivan, the ride and refinement of a luxury car and the stance and all-wheel drive of an SUV. It was Buick’s first truck-based vehicle since 1923.
Underneath it used the short-wheelbase version of GM’s second-generation U-platform minivans, with a 112-inch wheelbase shared with the Pontiac Aztek, and both cars were built on the same line at Ramos Arizpe in Mexico. A 3.4-litre V6 drove through a four-speed automatic.
Instead of a conventional four-wheel-drive system, the Rendezvous offered Versatrak, a full-time automatic all-wheel-drive arrangement using hydraulic gerotor pumps and multi-plate clutch packs rather than viscous couplings, supplied by Steyr-Daimler-Puch under licence from McLaren Traction Technologies. All cars had a fully independent rear suspension with aluminium-alloy control arms and rear disc brakes.
Buick used its own Park Avenue sedan as the benchmark for ride and handling, and fitted a watch-style instrument cluster with teal needles on a silver face. The options list was family-oriented: a second-generation head-up display, tyre-pressure monitoring, a driver information centre, rear parking sensors, a rear cargo organiser and rear-seat audio controls with headphones. With the third-row bench it carried seven people, and it could swallow a standard 4-by-8-foot sheet of plywood.
The range grew from CX and CXL in 2002 to CX, CX Plus, CXL and CXL Plus in 2003, in both front- and all-wheel drive. A DVD entertainment system with an LCD screen and wireless headphones became optional on the CXL. The IIHS gave the Rendezvous an Acceptable rating in its frontal offset test and did not perform a side-impact test. The model was replaced by the Enclave for 2008.
Design and features
- Three vehicles in one: minivan space, car comfort and SUV stance.
- Versatrak: automatic all-wheel drive with gerotor pumps and clutch packs.
- Seven seats: a third-row bench that competitors did not yet offer.
- Watch-style instruments: teal needles on a silver face with chrome rings.
Buick Rendezvous versions
- CX: the base trim, front-wheel drive only at first.
- CXL: dual-zone climate control, auto-dimming mirror, head-up display option.
- CX Plus and CXL Plus (2003): added equipment, seven seats standard on the CXL Plus.
- Versatrak: the all-wheel-drive option across the range.
The Rendezvous was replaced by the Enclave, and it shared its showroom with the Rainier and the Terraza. More Buicks are in the Buick collection.
Sources
- Buick Rendezvous, English Wikipedia: platform, Versatrak, equipment, trims, safety
