2004 Buick Rendezvous Ultra Road Test

On the safety front Buick installs dual stage, driver and front passenger airbags along with driver and front-passenger,

Buick has not equipped the Rendezvous with curtain airbags for rear seat passengers. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

seat mounted side-impact airbags in all of its AWD Rendezvous' as standard equipment. Base front-wheel drive models receive only the frontal airbags as standard fare. Unfortunately passengers unworthy of a front seat are also unworthy of a curtain airbag. Buick has not equipped the Rendezvous with this important life-saving technology, which is a shame given the family hauling potential of the Rendezvous.

When all the numbers are tallied, however, and not just the airbag numbers, the Rendezvous Ultra secures a respectable positioning on my ratings chart. This is a very comfortable vehicle - especially in the Ultra configuration - bound to provide many miles of enjoyable touring. An advantage offered by the Rendezvous is its wide-ranging choice of trim levels and the allotment of both front-wheel and all-wheel drive configurations. This array of possibilities opens the Rendezvous up to a broad spectrum of purchasers. The base

At more than $50,000 fully loaded, does the Ultra model live up to its lofty price tag? I guess it depends on what you're looking for in an SUV. (Photo: Rob Rothwell, Canadian Auto Press)

Rendezvous CX FWD can be removed legally from a dealer's lot for $32,440 ($26,220 US). In base form this sled is nicely equipped and powered by a V6.

The ladder up to the Ultra plateau is a long one with many stops along the way, including CX, CX-Plus, CXL and CXL-Plus trim levels. I question, though, whether the Ultra configuration lives up to the "ouch" in its price tag. My heavily optioned AWD tester rang the bell at more than $50K ($29,370 US) before taxes and destination charges were added.

Financial considerations forsaken, whether the midsize SUV a person seeks is positioned at the low end of the luxury spectrum or the high end, they owe it to their astute automotive acumen to checkout the full range of Buick's Rendezvous line.