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I'll discuss the topic with my co-host Steve and see about reopening it. We may consider moving it to the Aftermarket & Accessories board since it is probably more appropriate there.
Thanks,
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
This morning, I lowered the middle and third row seats and went to Dunn Lumber for two 11 foot long 2 X 12 cedar planks (we are having the house painted...pictures with RDV to follow soon). The RDV carried the wood like a champ. I couldn't close the tailgate but it came within 4 inches so I secured it with string. Hooks on the rear hatch and under the rear bumper are conspicuously absent, but I found a way to do it. I tied the string around the rear wiper and found some small, prong-like anchors that attach the rear bumper cover to the chasis. It worked, but I was carefull not to put too much stress on that wiper!
Utility truck by day, limosine by night...I still love it!
Thanks for the story and the good news/bad news on the retaining hooks (lack thereof). I'd be really interested in other people's cargo hauling stories. Since the Rendezvous' cargo capacity is one of its differentiating characteristics; i.e. 109 C.F. vs. appoximately 80 C.F. for most of it's competition, this would seem to be an area where real life comparisons would be in order.
For example, Laurie and I were looking for a travel cage for our three ferrets, when we suddenly went "Hey wait, can we fit their home cage into Gamera?" Sure enough, their entire permanent cage fit in the back, and we were able to visit "Grandma" without worrying whether our pets would have enough room or not. Too cool.
Brian, I'm glad you posted because you and I have been the only ones to actively defend the Rendzvous' "power." (If I've forgotten anyone else, my apologies). I also recall that people have given me my lumps on this point, while giving you a pass. Obviously, you're the popular one.
So what's my point. We are also the only ones who have owned Miata's. I think here's where the difference lies. The original Miata was a total dog, UNLESS you kept the the rev's up. The power was there, and if you looked for it you were rewarded. I think the Rendezvous is much the same, except WITHOUT a manual transmission. Both it's HP and torque come on at high rev's (certainly 4k or higher). So there will be no power available unless you're willing to force a downshift. Once you do THAT, you'll find that the power's there. If you drive the vehicle passively the rev's (and the power and torque) will never get anywhere near 3.5K much less 4K to 5K and you'll be happy with the mileage but disappointed with the power. So take the passive mileage and force the power those times when you need it.
So what do you think? Or more importantly, what do other's think? I'm not claiming that power is NOT a problem relative to the competition, I'm just saying that it's not as great a problem as many may believe.
CWJ
Spiritman
Even with all of us inside, from a standstill, the RDV accelerated quite strongly, especially above 3000 RPM. I think power only becomes an issue when you have a full load and hills, and/or are towing. Otherwise, I really think it's pretty peppy...I also LIKE the growl the engine makes at higher revs. I will reiterate that I have driven just about every SUV out there and, IMEO, the RDV has similar performance to the Explorer V6 and ML320. It is certainly quicker than the behemoths (Expedition, Montero, Land Rover, etc.)
Spirit - I still haven't noticed how bright the reverse lights are. I guess I don't really pay attention to them in the well-lit city. I DID make a point of noticing the headlights for you and they are excellent. The beam is bright white (not at all yellow) and has a good, well spread pattern with a definite "flat top". The fog lights also do a good job of lighting the road down low and to the sides (what they are supposed to do). They are NOT driving lights.
This is by far the nicest, most well thought out car I've ever owned. The designers definately had their target customer (us) in mind when they put it on the drawing board.
My gripes? Well, they aren't really gripes, but I'll reach out and describe two things that bug me (no, power is not one of them, I'm perfectly satisfied there). 1) I already mentioned the inability to tie down the rear hatch when hauling long stuff. 2) I have the door locks programmed to automatically unlock when I remove the key from the ignition. The problem is, they only unlock if you turn off the ignition and pause before pulling the key out. I have the "quick turn and pull" move down as a habit and every time I do it, the locks stay locked.
Oh well, I guess I'll keep it anyway.
Brian
P.S. CWJ, do you remember you mentioned that I was a good Cavalry patrol to your circled wagons a little while ago at the Aztek board? You don't know how right you were!
http://members.home.net/fishkin1/images/cav_scout.jpg
In case you're wondering, it is a 10 year old photo, but I'm still a weekend warrior.
btw, my dealer is working on getting a couple of the RDV replicas for my children like cwj was kind enough to give to Ra1der5's son. Incidentally, ra1der5 hasn't been on the radar screen... where's he been???
Brian: I have my auto-unlock set for when I put the car in "park" - - My wife, on the other hand, has hers adjusted like you Brian, when she pulls the key out. It's great the RDV gives us so many choices.
Go 9ers,
John B.
CWJ
It's like watching junior high school wrestling. The wrestlers only know one move and they use it again and again, hoping it might eventually work.
cwj: did you say they're beating up on the RDV? - I'll have to pay them a little visit. See you guys over there.
Also the RDV is so well-thought-out because it was designed by a woman. I hope you don't want to get rid of it after hearing this
P.S. I still don't have anything resolved on my faulty "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" light.
btw, you haven't joined in on the "Owners Forum" yet. As one of the first purchasers of RDV, you should be signed-in over there.
/direct/view/.ef01cd9
You may also want to consider posting your challenge w/ the traction light on the problems/solutions discussion. I'm sure you're situation will be of interest to present & future owners of RDV.
And as for the RDV power issue, I still stand by my assesment of "adequate". While that may not be a glowing endorsement, it does indicate I don't believe its underpowered. I wouldn't say its peppy, but for everyday use, its great, it just might come up lacking for those who want to tow or for those living in more mountainous regions where the are is thinner and the hills steeper. (It reminds me of when I was younger and my Dad tried to drive our old Chevy full-size van to the top of Pikes Peak. We got maybe halfway up, and that old van couldn't go another foot, as the engine was just barely able to keep running. The RDV should handle it much better, but I'd be interested in any stories of anyone taking one up into the mountians and how well it handles up there.)
And in regards to functionality, the RDV is great! We're doing landscaping around our house and have hauled tons of bushes, mulch, rock, etc in the RDV and have always had room for everything. (I think our record was when the wife brought home 16 bushes in the RDV. Looked like a rolling greenhouse!)
Oh, and for the Aztek board, I haven't been over there in ages. Got really tired of all the negativity and hostility and decided to just stop reading it. Its much better over here though, where we all seem to be able to post and converse quite nicely.
C ya!
BY
I've enjoyed your comments w/ the kids on the Aztec board. When's the next bingo game?
Go Raiders!
R5
I feel like the designated driver at a frat party when I read that forum. It can be entertaining, but it gets old fast.
Seriously though, I don't like to see people abuse the system and get away with it (kinda why I chose the career I did), so I back up Exzur sometimes...not because I agree with him, but because he's innocent and I don't like to see others take advantage of him and get away with it.
Brian - How do you keep the interior clean with all that hauling? I'm still tempted to "borrow moms minivan" for dirty work.
BTW, I will change my lock setting, thanks Brian and John.
P.S. I'm leaving for a week in D.C. tomorrow so you'll have to survive without me for a while (I only have broadband on my laptop right now). Keep the faith!
Regards...
Hope you enjoy your D.C. trip. Jump on the computer if you get a chance to say hello.
r5: Where have you been? (lurking???) that's not like you. Tell us how your RDV is doing. Plus, why haven't you signed up at the Owners Forum. Whasup with that?
I mentioned that my wife left for L.A. yesterday. She said the RDV went over the grapevine w/ no problems. (For those of you out of the Calif. area, the Grapevine is a steep, lengthy climb that Interstate 5 takes to get over to L.A.) Unfortunately she said she heard a rock hit the windshield (presumably off a truck's tire). After she cleans all the bugs off the window, she'll be able to assess if there's any cracks/damage; I sure hope not.
Go 9ers,
John B.
Been 1 month since my order and I stopped in the dealer and he says he can find no news on my RDV 's progress......whew...
Anyone want to report how they like their sunroof and if its noisy when closed? I was suprised to see it tracks on top of the roof rather than in it.....wondered if it made wind noise as a result .....also the shade has vents which may be nice for windflow but it doesn't give one the opportunity to soundproof off the sunroof when you want quiet.
Spiritman
It seems to work pretty well, as the last time I vacuumed it out, there really wasn't that much dirt in the vehicle. (You just have to be careful when you take out the bedspread so you don't spill the dirt inside the vehicle).
And for Spritman, I like the sunroof, but I'm a little spoiled by the one in the Bonneville. With that one I can just hit the button once and it will automatically open all the way. The RDV needs two taps, one to lift the bottom up, then one to open it the rest of the way. As for noise from the sunroof, I haven't noticed any (unless, of course, its open).
BY
John325-I'm going over right now to sign up at the Owner's Forum. I had kind of forgotten about it since everyone still seems to be hanging around here. I'm also planning to post my "SERVICE TRACTION CONTROL" light problem over there just haven't gotten around to it.
I'm looking forward to taking our RDV on its first long trip (from South Florida to Atlanta - about 10 hours) in a couple of weeks. My salesman said they had someone purchase an RDV and drive it immediately to Connecticut and was getting 27 MPG. I'm anxious to see what I'll get (I've been getting from 19-21MPG per tank with a good combination of city/highway driving.
Thanks
I have heard that the extra amount one pays to get the full luxury pkg, (SE) is a bit much for what you get. Perhaps cwj here at the forum can tell us more as I believe he has a luxury model w/ Chrome Wheels. Now if you're getting the GM discounts, that would obviously make the higher luxury cost more reasonable.
I got the CXL w/Versatility Pkg. (SD) (w/ 3rd row, & memory seats/mirrors) and we're quite happy w/ it. The ride w/ the Firestone Affinity tires is very comfortable. I assume (hope) that there are no defects on the Affinity tires as were experienced w/ the tires on the Ford Explorers. Only time will tell... I'm sure there are 1 or 2 others at this forum that have the SE Pkg on the CXL.
Good luck on your purchase; I'm sure either way, you can't go wrong.
Here's my question: We have decided if we do purchase a RDV, we would need the captain chairs for the baby seat(s) in order for easy access to the third row. However, I was on another web site where you can "build" your own vehicle and it wouldn't let me choose the captain chairs unless I purchased the luxery package. Has anyone who has the captain chairs run into this? We don't need the luxery package.
Thanks for any input!
I purchased a bike rack from Buick/GM that will hook-up to the tow-hitch (holds 4 bikes).
You can either mount these directly to your cargo floor OR a slick trick is to mount them to a nice piece of plywood or MDF and them simply slide the board into your vehicle when you need to haul bikes. Works like a charm.
I must say you really get around on Edmunds. How many forums do you post to? - Incidentally, you've got to be one of the most knowledgeable/helpful people posting here at Edmunds. Thanks again.
Thanks again!
John325- The cost of the Onstar calling ranges from a low of about .17 per minute. They have a tricky program which really makes you determine how much you use and over what time frame since its a use it or lose it arrangement. For instance I signed up for a 500 minute package for $139.95.
They say this is for a month but you get a one month grace period so in other words you get two months to use the 500 minutes. Whatever you don't use, you lose.
To get down to the .17/minute rate you have to sign up for a 1200 minute plan and use it all in one month for $199. The fee is prepaid on a credit card, and there are no roaming or long distance charges. There also is no brochure or printed information on these plans. You have to call Onstar to get the details verbally. Hope this helps. I really do like the system but it is definitely more expensive than other available plans.
The ad I heard said you can use it in conjunction w/ most cell phone plans. It certainly merits looking into. - - I'm curious if they can somehow tap into the system that is currently in place in the RDV. That would pretty cool. Thanks again for the info.
Has anyone else had any luck with a "hands free" system that uses your existing cell phone?
Spiritman
Spiritman
Spiritman: I thought Drew said they'd re-open the forum you created after you had emailed him & let him know he was mistaken about the Onstar phone system. Perhaps another email or two to him will get him to re-open it. Let's do it! Be prepared Drew... R5 - you email him as well, even if you are in "lurk mode"; hope all is well.
Buzzbo: how's that towhitch working out for you; I'm hoping to get my installed in the next week in time for our Yousemite trip.
Her comments reminded me of what I believe cwj or Tony might have mentioned at one point. You kind of had to push the accelerator down for that extra umphh. In doing so, the RPM's were racing a bit. And then if she let up, the car would lag; so she would repeat the process. She remembers how the Caravan (which we just sold) used to climb seemingly effortlessly over the Grapevine. It had the 3.3 engine & I believe 5 speed trany.
Oh well, the trips to L.A. & Yosemite are not that often. And all we'll be towing are bikes. So, I'm sure for our normal week to week usage, the RDV power will be just fine.
- Seat 7 Comfortably, w/ 3rd row that folds flat
- Has nice amenities such as dual climate control,
Rear Park Assist, On-Star, Upscale Stereo, AWD,
Rear Stereo controls w/ headset jacks, etc...
- Drives comfortably like a luxury car rather
than like a truck
- Gets 24 mpg on hwy
- Looks great, inside and out!
- Provides all the above at a reasonable price
I really doubt that you can. Time will tell who's right. You're entitled to your opionion as am I.
I can also tell you, all of our friends and relatives who have seen our RDV, just love it. In fact my brother's wife who has a 1 year old Expedition likes ours more than her own; another sister-in-law just saw it this past week in the L.A. area. She was considering a Lexus, but instead is now seriously considering the RDV. I guess beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
The windows do not relate well to the body (back window nearly disappears form a front quarter angle), the front does not relate to the back, the utility looks "car".
But it is a Buick- there are Buick and GM lovers that like nothing else (my first car was a Buick).
But the boat was missed in the looks dept. in my opinion.
Spiritman
However, we test drove the Acura MDX, Explorer 2002, Toyota Highlander (way too small) and the Toyota Sienna. We had no allegiance to Buick or GM. However, like most people at this forum, the new Buick Rendezvous was the best choice for our family's needs. As someone else mentioned, there is "no perfect car", but all things considered the Rendezvous is a great one!