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2003 Buick Rendezvous Mid-Size, 5-door, SUV
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Rendezvous is the first SUV from Buick, long a bastion of cushy sedans, and it was designed to replace truck-like traits of a typical SUV in favor of car-like characteristics for operation on paved highways and urban streets.
It's easy to enter, effortless to operate, smooth in suspension and entirely pleasant for passengers.
Further, the cabin contains flexible seats that flip and fold or pop out quickly to vary the balance between seats and cargo space.
Although Rendezvous debuted in 2001 at the onset of Buick's 2002 line, models for 2003 provide more equipment options to create more sure-footed and comfy variations.
The 2003 editions offer all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction, third-row bench seats and optional captain's chairs on the second row instead of a bench seat.
New features for convenience and security on 2003 Rendezvous models range from a head-up display of the vehicle's speed projected on the windshield to a new electronic release mechanism for the rear liftgate, a Rear Park Assist (RPA) guidance system, optional OnStar telecommunications link and a DVD-based video entertainment system for viewing by riders in rear seats as well as the subscription-based XM satellite radio service with superior sound quality and coast-to-coast reception through a hundred digital radio channels.
The RPA system sets four ultrasonic sensors in the wagon's rear fascia to locate an object behind the vehicle and determine its proximity to the bumper. Chimes sound and light-emitting diodes (LED) flash as warnings when an object is detected, and these signals increase in frequency as Rendezvous approaches it in reverse.
The optional video entertainment system installs a flip-down video screen in the ceiling centered above front seatbacks for viewing of DVD movies by rear-seat passengers using wireless headsets and a wireless remote control unit.
A conventional Rendezvous drivetrain operates constantly in front-wheel-drive (FWD) format, but the optional new on-demand AWD system called Versatrak is available now to help the wagon maintain traction on wet or slippery pavement.
