2002 Buick Rendezvous

The advertising is memorable: Tiger Woods laughing maniacally as he drives away from Frankenstein’s dark and stormy castle in a Buick Rendezvous. The image is at once fierce and fuzzy, funny and reassuring. The message is this is a vehicle that scoffs at challenges, yet retains its style, elegance, its, well, Buickness. What the ad glosses over is the fact Tiger Woods is actually driving a minivan. Imagine that. A minivan disguised as a truck of sorts, a vehicle manufacturers call a “crossover” in an effort to keep both male and female interested. But in terms of driving characteristics and usefulness, this Rendezvous is closer to a minivan than any truck. Like the strange-looking Pontiac Aztek, the first GM crossover venture, the Rendezvous is related to GM’s front-wheel-drive minivan platform and shares many of the same characteristics. That’s really not a bad thing, since most sport utilities spend their lives as minivans anyway. What’s most significant here is the Rendezvous gives Buick its first non-car vehicle and hope for attracting a new set of buyers. Maybe. The Good News
Those looking for a roomy interior, passenger flexibility and minivan convenience will like the Rendezvous. There is a good bit more room inside than your average sport utility, and it offers a third row of seats as an option, bringing passenger count to seven. Lots of storage nooks and cupholders further the minivan theme. The only thing noticeably different is the deep (and very useful) center console between the front seats where most minivans have a walk-through.

Mine being the top-line CLX model, the interior was lathered in light leather and fashionably styled with upscale gadgets. The impression is clearly Buick, not truck. And it looks like a Buick, too, as much as any non-car would. With its signature grille, inset fog lamps and subdued character, there is a certain polish here. Yes, there are not-so-subtle hints of a Lexus RX300 ripoff here, too, but the good news is you would never suspect the funky-looking Pontiac Aztek was the Rendezvous’ closest cousin.

There is no four-wheel-drive shifter in this Rendezvous, not even a nice little button on the dash. Traction help is just that and it is on alert full-time via GM’s Versatrak system. Nor is there the kind of ground clearance one needs for any off-roading. Instead, the seven-inch clearance affords easy step-in height, which most customers would find more useful.

The Bad News
The Rendezvous uses GM’s 3.4-liter pushrod V-6 that pumps 185 horses and 210 foot pounds of torque. The problem is this is a fairly heavy load (about 4200 pounds), so acceleration rolls forth begrudgingly. This forces the four-speed transmission into a constant panic, reacting with a lot upshifting and downshifting. Of course, the minivan faithful probably won’t notice. Buick would argue that this V-6 provides efficiency, but with an EPA rating of 18 mpg city/24 highway, I’m not jumping up and down.

The Rendezvous’ remote steering and sluggish maneuvering also reflect its minivan roots. While it’s pleasant enough to drive, there is nothing crisp about it. Again, the minivan club won’t notice, but smaller sport utility devotees might.

Price
Manufacturer’s base, $27, 452;
Price as tested, $33,737

Is it worth it?
The Rendezvous is often compared to the Acura MDX because the Acura is based on the Honda Odyssey minivan and shares many of the Rendezvous’ attributes in terms of interior room and comforts. The MDX is also a good bit more expensive than the Rendezvous’ base price: about $10,000 fully equipped. That’s a lot, but the MDX is a lot more satisfying in every way. Plus, the Rendezvous’ base price doesn’t include that handy-dandy third seat and some other things you would probably want, things the MDX offers. So rather than viewing the two vehicles as $10,000 apart, $3,500 would be more accurate for comparable equipment.

In any case, the Rendezvous underwhelms me. For those who want minivan convenience and performance in a vehicle your husband wouldn’t be embarrassed to drive (Hey, if Tiger Woods can drive one…), the Rendezvous is an option. But at this price, personally, I’d be looking at a sexy new Chrysler minivan with the automatic hatch.

Beth Stein is a life-long car buff and free-lance journalist living in Nashville. She has reviewed new vehicles in print for 12 years as a weekly columnist for Nashville’s daily newspapers and on television for Road Test Magazine and Motor Trend Television. Currently, her reviews appear nationally on Car And Driver Television.