New Car Overview of the 2005 Buick Rainier Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle

Description: Mid-Size Sport Utility Vehicle
Base MSRP Range: $35,080 - $36,905
Invoice Price Range: $31,747 - $33,399
Where built: USA

Buick's five-door SUV tips toward luxury mode with two rows of seats in a plush cabin and deluxe appointments including rich leather upholstery.

It carries a 6-cylinder, or V8, powertrain and either rear-wheel-drive (RWD), or AWD, traction for forays on slick pavement or graveled trails. Rainier's standard engine is the 4.6-liter, in-line-6 from GM with 275-hp. A 5.3-liter, V8 pushing 290-hp is optional.

In the cabin, bucket seats in front flank a central console with multiple functions. Seatback on the second-row bench splits and folds to fashion a flat floor in the cargo bay with double the space at 85 cubic feet.

Rainier brings a high content of standard equipment like power windows and locks and mirrors, dual-zone automatic climate system, OnStar telecommunications with a DVD-based navigation system, and perforated leather upholstery with front seats adding armrests and power controls plus memory settings.

Options range from heated seats to adjustable floor pedals, a Bose audio system with CD changer and a DVD-based video entertainment system for backseat riders. Curtain-style side air bags are new on 2005 models, along with a steering wheel with wooden rim.