Driving Impressions

Despite structural similarities to the wildly styled Pontiac Aztek, Buick's crossover model has a personality of its own. Automatic-transmission responses are quick and easy. Acceleration is good, if not exactly inspiring. The Rendezvous runs very quietly and offers plenty of versatile space. The gauges are notable in appearance, but they're not the easiest to read at a glance.

The Rendezvous delivers a generally soft ride, but its suspension hits some bumps rather hard. Handling is reasonably precise with good steering feel and feedback, very much like what drivers might expect from a minivan.

    See also:

    Rear Seat Audio (RSA)
    This feature allows rear seat passengers to listen to any of the sources: radio, cassette tapes, CDs, or DVDs. However, the rear seat passengers can only control the sources that the front seat pa ...

    Immobilizer Operation (Key Access)
    This vehicle has a passive theft-deterrent system. The system does not have to be manually armed or disarmed. The vehicle is automatically immobilized when the key is removed from the ignition. The ...

    Rear Climate Control System
    The lower buttons on the rear seat audio are used to adjust the rear seat climate controls. The temperature of the air coming through the rear outlets is determined by the front passenger’s temp ...