2004 Buick Rainier - Refined Manners, Tough Attributes
Guess what? There's another SUV on the horizon and it's coming to a Buick showroom near you. The Rainier will be the fifth variation to be built on GM's full-frame midsize SUV architecture that started with the GMC Envoy, Chevy Trailblazer and Oldsmobile Bravada and most recently includes the Isuzu Ascender. The Bravada is to be dropped for 2004 along with the entire Oldsmobile brand making room for Buick to have its very own off-road capable SUV.
But wait. Doesn't Buick already have the Rendezvous? You're right. But while the minivan based Rendezvous does offer all-wheel drive, it hasn't been designed for anything near strenuous off-road duty.
And that's where the Rainier enters the picture. Despite the Buick's refined good looks, it can actually hold its own in the world of crag strewn mountain roads and mucky mud. If ordered with 4WD - 2WD is standard - the Rainier can manage a class III trail, or in lay terms an unpaved, two-track road or comparable off-road conditions. That doesn't mean it will zip past a Land Rover Discovery on its way up Corkscrew Pass in Colorado's San Juan Mountains or out-jostle a Jeep Grand Cherokee for its place on the Rubicon Trail, but its 203 mm (8.0 in) of ground clearance should give Buick customers the confidence to leave the pavement once in a while.