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Buick Rendezvous

4283 messages,  Last post on May 21, 2013 at 7:05 PM

You are in the Buick Rendezvous Forum.

What is this discussion about? Buick Rendezvous, SUV

Messages Page 315 of 429

#3136 of 4283 Engines by lswaidz

Dec 31, 2002 (12:58 am)

As far as I can tell it's going to be a complete refit of the entire GM V6 series. GM has been using the same V6 design since, I think, the 60's. Overhead valves are going to be a thing of the past coming about 2006 fot GM which will be a good thing. Buick will also be introducing a minivan in 2007 since the Olds van will be history. Signs are pointing to a Rendezvous phase out sometime after 2007. With the Rainier in it's 3rd year of production and the new small SUV coming out in 2006, it seems the minivan will take the place of the RDV which doesn't really surprise since I don't think GM was very happy with the market penetration of the RDV. They had hoped a lot of people would opt for a RDV over a minivan but I think a lot of people found that the RDV just wasn't what it should have been so it seems the sliding doors will be the future of the RDV platform. Oh well, hopefully by the time the 2007 RDV comes out I'll be driving a Porsche by then anyway
 
~Lance
 
ps - happy new years!

#3137 of 4283 lswaidz by dindak

Dec 31, 2002 (6:35 am)

I have seen nothing to suggest the Rendezvous will be phased out. The vehicle has attracted a lot of people who would not have bought a Buick/GM also. I highly doubt GM will get rid of it, sales numbers have been very good.

#3138 of 4283 Traction and Engine by cwjacobsen

Dec 31, 2002 (7:33 am)

It's great to see that so many other Rendezvous owners have duplicated my foul weather experiences with Gamera. The vehicle is simply very very well behaved in the snow and and other forms of yuck. In fact, It's a real eye opener and not a little bit disconcerting when I'm sure-footedly tooling along and then see some other SUV "lose it."
 
I don't have any real reason to complain about Gamera's powerplant, but for those who measure life in terms of horsepower, a new engine would remove the one "legitimate" complaint that the critics have been able to throw against the Rendezvous. Then what will they say.
 
CWJ

#3139 of 4283 Rendezvous by artgpo

Dec 31, 2002 (7:42 am)

My son and daughter-in-law have a brand new 2003 RDV. It is very comfortable in all rows. I am 6'2" and specifically sat in row 3 just for a test. It was quiet and comfortable back there but I did have the second row moved forward.
 
They have had two problems: a bad sensor for detecting a loose gas cap caused the check engine light to come on. He had it back the day after delivery and apparently all the dealer did was reset the code. This past weekend it happened again. The RDV is at the dealer as we speak waiting for a new sensor to be delivered this morning. I caulk that up to a minor problem. I know of three people, two of whom own Mazdas with the same problem and the third was in a 2002 Jetta.
 
The second problem is an infestation of very small ants in the right windshield "A" pillar. That might have happened at the dealer since the RDV had been there a couple of months.

#3140 of 4283 Phaseout unlikely by montreid

Dec 31, 2002 (8:23 am)

The new releases that I've read state that the RDV is doing expected, and they're happy with the increased sales since year one. They mention minor changes in '04 (engine and interior touch-ups), and a refit in '07. The Rainier won't replace because of the truck base and just expands the Trailblazer line into Buick.
 
I believe that the crossover segment is here to stay. A large portion doesn't want the soccer mom image of the mini, and want the sedan ride, but truck look....thus crossover and success of all these types of vehicles.....
 
CW, I agree that the current engine does well enough for the job...except 45-65 acceleration onto the freeway. Whether the entire value engine (that's what GM is dubbing the old OHV engines) is going out vs an option stepup, I believe that those "critics" won't stop until it becomes standard. Thus, I hope that Buick (hey, you admin people!) realizes that people read C/D, Edmunds, and the likes.

#3141 of 4283 Hi Steven - You're right about 45-65 by cwjacobsen

Dec 31, 2002 (9:53 am)

I think that's the weakest segment of the Rendezvous' peformance, and as I've noticed in several discussions here and elsewhere in T/H, it's a MPH range to which many enthusiasts (and car mags) are sensitized. So it doesn't surprise me that the vehicle gets dinged as harshly as it does. However, it's not hard to compensate for this weakness when you know its there. In fact, in doing so, I'm more likely to end up running up the Butt of cars on the on-ramps here and throttling back than I am to be caught slow running out of space. (Kansas City is the only place I've lived where many people actually treat that number by the side of the road as a speed LIMIT, rather than as a #+5 minimum.)
 
OTOH, Gamera gets away from a light and tools around town as well as anything short of squeeling tires, and the vehicle has surprisingly good passing response from highway speed as I found numerous times getting around semi's on two lane state and US routes back in Indiana and Ohio.
 
Plus, we just got back from a trip to Colorado and found no problems keeping up speed and power making the 2500 foot vertical pull up out of Denver west on I70. Indeed, we had not even realized we had climbed that high that fast until our hosts pointed it out to us. In fact, tooling around the ski resorts at 9,000 feet didn't seem to phase Gamera at all.
 
CWJ

#3142 of 4283 lswaidz, good info by cfocfo

Dec 31, 2002 (10:40 am)

Thanks for the info about the future of the RDV. Sorry to hear it may have a short life cycle. I still have not found a better ride and funtional interior that the RDV. The center console is second to none and because I am more into MPG than "jumping" onto the hwy ramp, I didn't have a problem with the power of the engine. But I would imagine there will be a price drop on the 2003s when the new V6s roll out.
 
I still may buy one in spite of it's future.
 
BTW, any guesses on the state of the rebate next week ? The 2003s are currently at $ 3,000 or the 0% financing. Is $4,000 probable or down to $ 2,000 or down to ZERO ?

#3143 of 4283 Price and changes by lswaidz

Dec 31, 2002 (12:40 pm)

I don't really know if the RDV is going to phased out or not, it was just a bit of insight on my part. I doubt Buick would have two vehicles built off the same platform with the only sifference being whether or not the doors slide open or swing open. CHances are with the redesign in 06-07, Buick will try and aim the RDV at a younger crowd, giving it more aggressive styling, larger wheels and tires, the higher-horsepower engine and possible more "infotainment" which the younger group tends to like (i would know, I'm one of them).
 
The mini-SUV will probably appeal to the new "Dorm Room" demographic which Honda is positioning their new Element towards. The Rainier will... well, be the Rainier... How many SUV's does GM have on that GMT-360 platform now? The Envoy, Trailblazer, Bravada, Rainier, Caddy SVX, that one Isuzu thing... geez, that's a little overkill especially since when it comes down to it they're all pretty much similar.
 
As far as price goes, I have a feeling it should stay pretty similar except for the standard GM 3-5% increase per year. I believe that's the "inflation surcharge." With the new engine actually costing GM less money to manufacture since it's a global engine and they'll be selling more units, chances are the new power will not come at a premium, but it will probably run on premium gas since it's a DOHC 4-valve engine and those types are engines like at least 89 octane gas to fire correctly.
 
By the way, one of you was talking about acceleration from 45-65 MPH on the highway. I had that problem, if you could call it a problem too. So I went out and bought a K&N Air Filter (FilterCharger) for the RDV. After installing it (gee that was fun...) I noticed a pretty good improvment on mid-range 2nd and 3rd gear power. It seems a little extra air into the mixture really makes a difference w/ these cars. Those filter kits have been known to see as much at 15 or 20 extra HP in small application engines so you guys might want to look into that for a little extra umph.
 
~Lance

#3144 of 4283 Driving speeds by montreid

Dec 31, 2002 (12:44 pm)

CW, I thought those speed numbers were max RPM limits Seriously, out here in Central Cali, the posted is 65, but quite literally 70 is the middle lane with 75-85 in the far right. The entrance ramps aren't the ones like back in Michigan (were we had 1/4 miles), but more like the Boston entrance ones (1/8 mile). Nerve racking at times when I'm fully loaded, the semi can't move over because the middle is occupied, and I'm running out of room.
 
Our RDV climbs fairly well too, though it does drop a gear to keep at 75MPH while coming up the nearby pass. I really love the transmission. It shifts very smoothly, and I have to concentrate to notice the downshift. Hope the new engines are like taht. Totally true about the local driving. No drag racing needed, but the gripe on the 45-65 is my only one. Heck, used to driving rocket pocket 4-cyclinders (Sentra SE-R, Volvo 40).
 
cfocfo, take the dive! Buy...we've been waiting for awhile now You can't beat the center console. We're looking to mount a GPS/Nav on the underside of the center console.....

#3145 of 4283 Roger that on the Transmission by cwjacobsen

Dec 31, 2002 (1:43 pm)

Again I agree. It's very smooth and picks its gears wisely. Some people ding the Rendezvous for downshifting on the hills (as if it was not supposed to), when I think you and I just see a well matched transmission efficiently doing its job and making the most of the ponies that the 3.4 has to give.
 
CWJ

Messages Page 315 of 429

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