Shhhhh...
Buick puts the quiet in its off-road-worthy Rainier sport ute

by Martha Hindes

"Cashmere" and "pewter" for colors. "Dark burled walnut woodgrain" in the "soft-touch" interior with luminous gauges, and perforated leather. Such tactile feel descriptions help set the stage for the first truck-based utility to come out of GM's upmarket Buick Division.

Slightly larger, with a fraction longer wheelbase, the Rainier is vastly different in intent than the Rendezvous crossover vehicle, which proved Buick could be successful with a truck-type vehicle in its lineup. But unlike the minivan-based Rendezvous, the Rainier fills Buick's need for a gutsy, midsize "body-on-frame" utility in the more traditional genre.

In concert with its interior names, Buick refers to the Rainier as a "forward looking design," with "silky street and highway performance" in keeping with longstanding Buick tradition of pure creature comfort in its ride. But that doesn't limit its purpose. Unlike car-based crossovers, Rainier was designed as a truck, to go where crossover competitors wouldn't attempt to travel.

More than an off-pavement forager, the Rainier is "capable of bounding over an unpaved two-track trail or tackling any number of off-road conditions..," according to Buick, while doing it all in style. (Remember, there's a formidable mountain with the same name. Call that capability by association.)

Mate that ability with the underpinnings of a finely tuned suspension and, the folks at Buick say, you have another version of Nirvana on wheels that matches the division's reputation for making vehicles with a smooth ride. The result: A tough performer with the gusto of an explorer (catch the competitive nuance), while its "best-in-class" body stiffness, electronically controlled rear air suspension, independent front suspension, special window glass and widespread use of sound conditioning isolate those jarring road vibrations and noise that could ruin an otherwise luxurious ride.

Buick claims a 25 percent quieter interior in some cases than its head-to-head competition. It even claims to match or exceed the hushed sound conditions of some luxury automobiles, where pin-drop interiors can be expected, even at highway speeds.

The Rainier is built to hold five adults like other vehicles in the short wheelbase, midsize segment, but boasts superior interior room. Its design is less experimental than the Rendezvous and more typical of competitive truck-based sport utilities over in Ford or Dodge or Nissan country for example, but includes an expansive, wraparound rear window effect. Buick adds what it calls an "aerodynamic side profile" to keep the vehicle stable in crosswinds, without really explaining how that's achieved. And it puts the Rainier on standard 17-inch wheels with premium Michelin tires, then pampers its customers by making anti-lock braking, locking rear differential, plus traction assist for two-wheel models standard items as well.

The rear drive or all-wheel drive Rainier is secure in varied driving conditions, according to Buick. The AWD system includes an automatic, on-demand feature to keep trouble at bay in less than optimum driving conditions.

Breaking again with the old tradition of being GM's one-time six cylinder division, Buick's Rainier promises additional punch. It is powered by a standard Vortec 4200 inline 6 cylinder engine, or the aluminum head, 290 horsepower Vortec 5300 V-8 that ratchets up performance and boosts towing capability to 6,700 pounds, the only use of that GM engine in a short wheelbase utility. Both powerplants use the same four-speed automatic transmission.

Who is Buick marketing this vehicle to? The upscale woman executive, with a need or desire to travel the backroad at times while enjoying the fruits of a successful career might be one. (Think of towing a sailboat to the local yacht club, or following a trail through a meadow to find the ideal spot by a stream for a picnic of wine and cheeses.)

You might even say this is the kind of premium utility vehicle designed to appeal to those whose lust for door adventure might include time to browse a quaint little mountain village or enjoy a pampering stopover at a resort's famous spa, instead of a dip in the old swimming hole.

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