Buick's smaller SUV combines attributes of a wagon and minivan. The cabin is that of a luxury vehicle stocking as many as three tiers of seats for six or seven passengers plus room in the rear for cargo. Trim designations change for 2006 as the CXL Plus replaces Ultra as top model stocking luxurious appointments beyond CX and CXL trims.

Rendezvous CXL Plus uses a 3.6-liter V6 engine with VVT to make 242 hp. The CX and CXL models score a new 3.5-liter V6 that nets 201 hp. A conventional Rendezvous drivetrain operates constantly in FWD format, while an available AWD system for top trims helps the wagon maintain traction on wet or slippery pavement.

New standard features for all trims include OnStar and URPA, with options for captain's chairs in place of the second-row bench and a DVD video entertainment system.

Buick's five-door SUV tips toward luxury with deluxe appointments like leather upholstery. Rainier's face for 2006 shows a revised grille design and revised paint colors like Dark Garnet Metallic. In the cabin, front bucket seats flank a central console. Seatback on the rear bench splits and folds to add room in the cargo bay.

It supplies a six-cylinder or V8 powertrain and rear-wheel-drive (RWD) or AWD traction. Rainier's standard engine is a 4.6-liter in-line-six that nets 291 hp. A 5.3-liter V8 gains GM's Displacement on Demand (DOD) technology to pare the number of cylinders engaged in the combustion process when boosted power is not needed. The V8 produces 300 hp.

Rainier has a high level of standard equipment like StabiliTrak, OnStar and a DVD-based navigation system. Options range from heated seats to adjustable floor pedals and a Bose audio system with CD changer.

This big new four-door sedan with front-wheel-drive (FWD) traction replaces LeSabre in Buick's line and brings luxurious appointments and high-tech mechanical components like GM's Magnetic Ride Control (MRC) suspension and StabiliTrak skid controls. It stocks a V6 or V8 engine, seats for five or six and innovations for safety and security.

Styling is smooth with ripe lines and a bold face with chrome-rimmed grille. The cabin, engineered with Buick's QuietTuning measures for noise damping, contains fancy gear like heated/cooled front seats, rain-sensing windshield wipers, a remote starter and Ultrasonic Rear Parking Assist (URPA), plus a Harman Kardon stereo audio with nine speakers and six-disc CD/MP3 player.

Powertrains include a 3.8-liter V6 rated at 197 hp or a 4.6-liter V8 with 275 hp. Trims begin with Lucerne CX stocking the V6 and continue with uplevel CXL offering the V8 but culminate at deluxe CXS with the V8 standard.