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The Rendezvous, Buick’s first truck in some 80 years, has the tall, boxy shape of an SUV, but on the road it feels and acts more like a minivan than an SUV. That’s not a bad thing, but it is important to understand that the Rendezvous was created for hauling people, not clambering through the outback.

The Rendezvous is technically a truck because it is built on a chassis platform derived from the Pontiac Montana and shared with the Pontiac Aztek, but it meets all car safety and emission requirements. Acura chose a similar path by building its MDX atop a revised minivan chassis. There are two Rendezvous trim levels, CX and CXL, with front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Prices start at $25,499 for front-wheel drive and $28,027 for all-wheel drive. The test vehicle was a CXL with all-wheel drive.

The heart of the Rendezvous is its interior. It can be configured with a second-row bench seat or two captain’s chairs. The third-row bench seat stows in the floor when not needed. If you haul cargo frequently, opt for the second-row bench seat because it yields a flatter floor when folded. The captain’s chairs, on the other hand, are better for carrying people, but their folded seatbacks aren’t good for transporting large items. The cargo area is 48 inches wide, another benefit of being built on a minivan chassis.

The third-row bench accommodates only two people because it is fairly narrow, plus it has a plastic cupholder built into the center. Access to the third-row seat is not great, but then it rarely is in vehicles like this.

The Rendezvous’ base seats have leather edges and cloth inserts. They are styled like a Louis Vuitton bag and look handsome. The test vehicle, a top-line CXL, had two-tone leather that was soft and comfortable. Slightly longer bottom seat cushions would give more under-thigh support, and my rear-seat passengers said they felt as if their seats were located too close to the rear doors. The CXL gets rear-seat audio controls, headphone jacks and small, fold-up footrests. From the driverÕs seat, the dash looks deep, and wide, like a minivanÕs. The instrument panelÕs gauges have concave, brushed-aluminum faces like a designer watch. I thought the speedometer was hard to read accurately at a glance because the large hash marks between numbers were bigger than the numerals. I would have made the numbers larger than the hash marks.

Attention to detail and function is evident in the center console’s design. In addition to two cupholders, it has a compartment for a cell phone, including power outlet, and a large center section that can accommodate a laptop computer. An open space, with elastic net sides, is ideal for a purse, camera or lunch sack.

An aluminum subframe with a wishbone design holds the entire independent rear suspension, including the Versatrak drive unit in all-wheel-drive versions. This uses coil springs and is mounted to the body with four rubberized mounts that keep noise and vibration out of the cabin. The independent suspension smoothes the ride and enhances handling.

The Versatrak system uses two Geromatic hydraulic pumps in the rear axle, and when one wheel spins, drive is transferred to the rear wheel with the most traction. This system shines when accelerating with two wheels on ice or sand and two wheels on pavement.

The Rendezvous’s 3.4-liter, overhead valve V-6 is rated at 185 horsepower, which is less than most of its competitors in this segment. In the real world, this engine makes good mid-range power, so it drives with reasonable performance, but it lacks the power and refinement found in the overhead-cam, four-valve-per-cylinder engines of competitors from overseas. Gas mileage numbers are 19 miles per gallon in the city, 26 on the highway, for front-wheel drive, and 18 city and 24 highway for all-wheel drive.

The Rendezvous marks a significant change in course for Buick as it attempts to reconfigure the model lineup with more youthful prod ts. It offers SUV functionality without feeling like a truck, and that is a characteristic that many will like.

Price
The test vehicle had a base price of $28,027. The CXL package, at $5,015, added six-way power driver’s seat, memory seats, leather upholstery, heated seats, chrome wheels, rear audio controls, head-up display, AM/FM/CD player with eight speakers, overhead console, rear footrests and dual-zone heating and cooling.

With the third-row seat, the sticker price was $34,042.

Warranty
Three years or 36,000 miles.

Point:
The Rendezvous combines the usefulness of a minivan with the look of an SUV. It holds six, or seven, people, has a fold-down third seat and all-wheel-drive.

Counterpoint:
The feeling is more minivan than SUV, the engine could use more power and second-row captainÕs chairs are not the best arrangement for carrying cargo.

SPECIFICATIONS:
Engine: 3.4-liter, 185-hp V-6
Transmission: automatic All-wheel drive
Wheelbase:112.2 inches
Curb weight: 4,024 lbs.
Base price: $28,027
As driven: $34,042
Mpg rating: 18 city, 24 hwy.
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