2004 BUICK RAINIER WAGON

BUICK Brand Reviews:    • RAINIER    • RENDEZVOUS    • PARK AVENUE    • LeSABRE    • REGAL    • CENTURY    2004 BUICK RAINIER WAGON:    Description:    Mid-size 4-door SUV wagon    Model options:    Rainier    Wheelbase:    113.0 inches    Overall length:    191.6 inches    Engine size:    DOHC 4.2-L I6    OHV 5.3-L V8    Transmissions/speeds:     Auto/4 4L60-E    Rear/front drive:     2WD Rear     AWD    Steering:    Power rack and pinion    Braking:    Power 4-disc/     ABS/ETC    Air bags:    2 (front)+ opt. 2 (side)    EPA mileage est. city/hwy:    4.2-L 2WD: 16/21 mpg    4.2-L 4WD: 15/20 mpg    5.3-L 2WD: 16/20 mpg    5.3-L 4WD: 15/18 mpg    Maximum GVWR:    2WD: 5550 pounds    4WD: 5750 pounds    Maximum trailer towing:    2WD: 6300 pounds    4WD: 6200 pounds    Price range est.    4.2-L 2WD: $ 35,295    5.3-L 4WD: $ 38,745   Read Feature Story   Read New Car News   Read Brand Reviews   Read Car-Truck Test Reviews   Return to Guide's Homepage

BUICK BUILDS A NEW LUXURY SUV

Buick, now a year beyond the centennial mark as the venerable car line at General Motors, scores a new sport-utility vehicle to join a cluster of four plush sedans plus another SUV that drives like a car. Buick's newest SUV -- Rainier -- is based on GM's mid-size SUV architecture that also underpins Chevrolet's Trailblazer and GMC Envoy. It comes with a V6 or V8 powertrain and rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction for forays on slick pavement or gravel. Rainier skews toward the luxury side of motoring with deluxe appointments including rich perforated leather upholstery. And inside the five-place cabin, it reveals an impressive quality of quietness. Efforts to reduce noise, vibration and harshness (NVH) within Rainier represent a sense of refinement more akin to a luxury car than a SUV riding on the chassis of a truck. The other Buick SUV -- Rendezvous -- also has a spacious passenger compartment with room for all in the family while delivering a ride quality that seems as refined as what you'd expect from a big sedan. For 2004, a luxurious new monochromatic version of Rendezvous called Ultra emerges with appointments that elevate it beyond CX and CXL trims. It also gets a new 3.6-liter V6 engine with variable valve timing (VVT) and produces up to 245 hp. Buick's sedans in 2004 extend from the full-size Park Avenue and a supercharged Park Avenue Ultra flagship to full-size LeSabre with special Celebration commemorative edition in limited numbers, the sporty mid-size Regal with optional supercharging and a mid-size Century available in three new bargain-priced packages.

RAINIER: This SUV looks big but refined and decidedly like a Buick, due to a rounded prow that prominently displays the Buick signature of an oval grille in chrome inset with vertical bars and Buick's tri-shield insignia. Rainier's agile nature and smooth ride quality are the result of a rigid ladder-frame chassis with one-piece steel rails running the length of the wagon. For locomotion, Rainier presents V6 and V8 engine choices. Standard is the 4.6-liter in-line-six with 275 hp. Optional is a 5.3-liter V8 that runs to 290 hp. In the cabin, a luxurious environment in monochromatic hues has personal comfort as the theme. A pair of bucket seats in front stands beside a central console with multiple functions. Legroom for the rear three-person bench is ample. The seatback splits into sections and folds down to fashion a flat floor in the cargo bay with double the space at 85 cubic feet. Rainier comes with a high content of standard equipment like power windows and locks and mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate system, OnStar telecommunications with a DVD-based navigation system, and perforated leather upholstery with front seats adding armrests and power controls plus memory settings.

RENDEZVOUS: Buick's smaller SUV feels good -- it's easy to enter, effortless to operate, smooth in suspension and entirely pleasant for passengers. For 2004, Rendezvous adds the Ultra edition in front-wheel-drive (FWD) format and charged with power from a new V6 VVT engine that rips to 245 hp. Rendezvous Ultra is trimmed in monochromatic style outside, and the cabin's lined in premium appointments with leather captain's chairs and chrome and wood trim accents.

PARK AVENUE: Buick's flagship sedans for 2004 get a new monochromatic ornament standing on the hood. Park Avenue Ultra ripples with energy due to a mechanical supercharger used to extract more-than-normal power from a six-cylinder engine. Without the supercharger, Buick's 3.8-liter V6 for base Park Avenue musters 205 hp. Then apply the supercharger and the booster makes 240 hp. New cluster graphics line the instrument panel in a posh cabin, with new colors evident like Light Cashmere with Dark Birdseye Maple woodgrain trim.

LeSABRE: Buick's full-size sedan for 2004 divides into two trims, Custom and Limited, yet the latter serves as foundation for a Celebration series. It emerged last year to mark the centennial anniversary of Buick and repeats in 2004 with all features of LeSabre Limited plus body-color lower fascia and rocker moldings, a monochrome badge up front and the oval grille displaying blacked-out bars inside a chrome ring. Celebration comes in three new paints -- Platinum Metallic, Glacier Blue Metallic and Steelmist Metallic. LeSabre surges from a 3.8-liter V6 which reaches 205 hp and ties to a smooth four-speed automatic transaxle. Standard LeSabre seating consists of a 55/45 split bench in front, but a 45/45 design with console is optional.

REGAL: Buick's mid-size sedan divides in two trims with base LS stocking GM's 3.8-liter V6 for 200 hp or sporty GS applying a supercharger boost for 240 hp. The cabin pitches twin buckets up front (and, unlike other Buick sedans, there's no option for a front bench), with space for up to three on the rear bench. Two new optional packages arrive in 2004 -- the Luxury Package or a Leather and Luxury Package. The former brings 16-inch aluminum wheels, Gran Touring sport suspension tuning, radio controls mounted on the steering wheel, assist grips at passenger doors with switch-on reading lamps and color-keyed floor mats. The latter carries these items plus leather seat upholstery, twin zones for the automatic climate system and a rear seatback that slits and folds.

CENTURY: The badge on this sedan traces back to 1936, when Buick first identified its products by easy-to-remember names rather than numbers. Now it's the entry-level Buick in the mid-size class and 2004 editions offer three new packages of appointments and gear ranked by ascending price points. Packages are labeled with familiar Century trim names -- Standard, Custom and Limited. Century Standard with six-place seats brings a remote keyless entry, twin zones for climate control, power door locks and power windows, and an audio kit with CD deck. Century Custom adds six-way power to the driver's seat and cruise control, as the Limited piles on luxury items like leather seats. Century's engine -- a 3.1-liter plant -- registers at 175 hp.