Buick Rendezvous

The Buick Rendezvous is a mid-size crossover SUV that was marketed by Buick for the 2002–2007 model years. It debuted at the Chicago Auto Show in February 2000,[3] and sales commenced in spring 2001. The Buick Rendezvous and its corporate cousin, the Pontiac Aztek, were GM's first entries into the crossover SUV segment. The Rendezvous featured a four-speed automatic transmission with a V6 engine and optional all-wheel drive (dubbed Versatrak). The SUV used the same platform as GM's short-wheelbase minivans, the Chevrolet Venture and Pontiac Montana. The Rendezvous provided a passenger- and load-carrying capacity not seen in the Buick lineup since the discontinuation of the Buick Roadmaster Estate station wagon in 1996.

Technology and notable features

It was Buick's first truck-based vehicle in its lineup since 1923, and the Rendezvous was billed as a combination of the best attributes of a minivan (large cargo capacity, seating for up to seven), a luxury automobile (ride, handling, smoothness), and a sport utility vehicle (truck styling and available all-wheel drive).

The Rendezvous was produced at General Motors'

Year to year changes

2002

Available in CX and CXL trims; front-wheel drive available on CX only.[6]
Standard five-passenger seating with available seating for six or seven and stowable third-row seat (except on CX AWD).
Standard equipment on all models includes power windows/locks/mirrors, cruise control, CD player, leather-accented steering wheel with radio controls, four 12-volt power outlets (two on first row, one on second row, one on third row), cloth seats (with manual four-way position and lumbar control for front seats and foldable/removable second-row seats), floor mats, traction control (on FWD models), anti-lock brakes, daytime running lamps and fog lamps, roof rack, remote keyless entry, deep-tinted glass (except front doors and windshield), lockable center console and glovebox, 16 × 6.5-inch wheels (steel on CX FWD, brushed aluminum on AWD), cargo net, and cargo privacy cover.
Optional on CX and standard on CXL are a garage door opener, rear cargo mat, driver information center (with tire-pressure monitoring system on later models), rear parking sensors, and except on CX AWD, power seats with six-way adjusters, memory seats, second-row footrests, heated memory mirrors, leather seats with heated first row, and rear-seat audio controls. Cloth-and-leather-trimmed seating is exclusive to CX FWD.
Exclusive to CXL are electronic dual-zone climate control with pollen/odor filter, auto-dimming interior rearview mirror, and optional chrome-clad aluminum wheels and head-up display.

2003

Available models now include CX, CX Plus, CXL, and CXL Plus in both FWD and AWD.[7]
An overhead DVD entertainment system with LCD screen and two pairs of wireless headphones is optional on CXL, but is not available with the sunroof.
Traction control, ABS, and side-mounted airbags are now optional on FWD CX models.
Five-passenger seating is standard on all models except on CXL Plus, where seven-passenger seating is standard. Six-passenger seating is optional on CXL.
A cargo net is now optional on all models.
A trailer hitch/harness is now available in addition to the trailering preparation package; both are available on all models except base CX.
Cross bars for roof rack are now optional on base CX models.
Cloth-and-leather-trimmed seating is now available on all CX models; first row now has one 12-volt power outlet.
A tire-pressure monitoring system is now standard on all CXL models.
A manual dual-zone HVAC system is now standard on CX Plus, CXL, and FWD CXL Plus models. AWD CXL Plus models feature automatic dual-zone climate control, while base CX models still feature single-zone climate control.

2004

Front turn signal/parking lights have been changed to clear from the previously used amber.[8]
The power window and mirror switches are gray instead of black, and later models have chrome accents on the instrument cluster gauges and control knobs for climate and fog lamps.
A touch-screen AM/FM radio with a DVD-based navigation system is now available on CXL models.
Passenger-side door no longer has a keyhole.
A 3.6-liter aluminum-block DOHC V6 with variable valve timing is now available on AWD CXL models.
The Ultra is added as a top-line model, with all comfort options, 17 × 6.5-inch aluminum wheels, leather and ultrasuede seating, leather-wrapped steering wheel with faux woodgrain accents and chrome Buick tri-shield, faux woodgrain interior trim with chrome door handles, 3.6-liter V6, and all-wheel drive standard.

2005

The Ultra is now available in front-wheel drive in addition to all-wheel drive.[9]
The 3.6-liter V6 is now available on FWD CXL models.
Seventeen-inch aluminum wheels are now standard on all models except the base CX, which would later receive 17-inch steel wheels.
A color LCD-based radio with DVD-based navigation system is now available.
Steering wheel now has a chrome Buick tri-shield, and CXL models now feature faux woodgrain accents on the steering wheel and interior trim.
The right front passenger seat now features a passenger sensing system.

2006

CXL Plus replaces Ultra as the top model.[10]
A suite of sound-deadening features called QuietTuning is now standard on all Buick models, including the Rendezvous. QuietTuning consists of laminated front door glass, revised foam sealing for the outside mirrors and door handles, and denser sound-absorbing material inside the hood, on the firewall, and within the instrument panel.
OnStar is now standard on CXL models.
The 3.5-liter V6, which is used in the 2005 U-platform minivans, replaces the 3.4-liter V6.
Grille now has a chrome Buick tri-shield.
A black-faced instrument cluster replaces the all-silver one used in prior years (2005 in some models).

2007

OnStar Direction and Connections with turn-by-turn navigation.[11]
Available only in front-wheel drive with 3.5-liter V6.
Cassette player discontinued.
Last model year for the Buick Rendezvous.

manufacturer	Buick (General Motors)
production	February 2001 – December 2006‡R1R‡
model years	2002–2007
assembly	Ramos Arizpe, Mexico
designer	Jelani Aliyu Elizabeth Wetzel (Interior) (1999)‡R2R‡
class	Mid-size crossover SUV
body style	4-door CUV
platform	U-body/GMT257
related	Pontiac Aztek
layout	Front-engine, front-wheel drive / all-wheel drive
engine	3.4 L LA1 V6 3.5 L LX9 V6 3.6 L LY7 V6
transmission	4-speed automatic GM 4T65-E
wheelbase	112 in
length	186.5 in
width	73.6 in
height	68.9 in
weight	4024-4272 lb
successor	Buick Enclave

Technology and notable features

Safety

Sales success