Overview & Reviews
At its debut, the Buick Rainier added a bit of diversity to the brand's rather uniform lineup. Joining a family of mostly big, softly sprung sedans, this truck-based, midsize SUV became the first Buick in a long time with traditional body-on-frame construction and rear-wheel drive (with optional all-wheel drive), enabling it to carry a considerable amount of cargo (80 cubic feet) and tow heavy loads (up to 6,700 pounds).
Buick sourced the majority of Rainier's design from General Motors' midsize SUV platform. This meant that there wasn't much variation between it and its GM sport-ute brethren like the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, GMC Envoy and Oldsmobile Bravada -- the third of which the Rainier effectively replaced when the Olds division was discontinued.
Of this core SUV grouping, the Buick Rainier was meant to be the most comfortable and upscale. Buick's exclusive rear air spring suspension made the Rainier the most successful at concealing ruts in the road, and the effects of Buick's "QuietTuning" could be heard in its near-silent interior. The Rainier also earned a bit of initial distinction as it was the only regular-length SUV of the bunch to offer an optional V8 engine. (The Rainier was never offered in extended-length seven-passenger form.) Finally, Buick's SUV came with the most standard equipment.
Sadly, all the extra effort didn't cure the Buick Rainier of its deepest family flaws. The combination of a high stance, high weight, a softly tuned suspension and a live rear axle penalized handling on several fronts. Handling was sloppy even by truck-based SUV standards. The Rainier's numb steering needed continual corrections to hold a straight line and its rear end felt loose and unstable in extreme handling situations. It also guzzled more gas than any modern Buick, and its interior was marred by cheap and mismatched materials, illogical controls, a lack of storage space, subpar build quality and fatiguing seats.
The Rainier partly redeemed itself with smooth and strong powertrains, competitive acceleration and a plush, quiet ride. But compared to other competing upscale SUVs, Buick's entry failed to completely deliver in the important categories of refinement, feature content and handling. For consumers shopping used midsize SUVs, we suggest taking a look at more qualified and desirable vehicles such as the Mercury Mountaineer, Toyota 4Runner or Volkswagen Touareg. Another good option is Buick's new large crossover SUV, the Enclave.
Most Recent Buick Rainier
The Rainier debuted for 2004 and received minor changes over its four-year run. Initially it was offered in CXL and CXL Plus trim levels with the six-cylinder engine producing 275 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque and the 290-hp (320 lb-ft) V8 available as an option. Aside from its significant increase in torque, the V8 also featured a cylinder deactivation system that saved a little fuel when cruising. Either way, a four-speed automatic transmission was standard, and both engines were available with rear- or all-wheel drive.
The following year, Buick dropped the Plus trim and the optional front seat-mounted side airbags. In their place, full-length side curtain airbags became available. In 2006, stability control became standard, the inline-6 gained 16 hp for a total of 291 and the V8 was pumped up to 300 hp.
The Buick Rainier midsize SUV was discontinued after 2007, its final model year, to make way for the vastly superior Enclave. At this point there was one well-equipped model, the CXL. Standard equipment included alloy wheels, an auto load-leveling suspension, dual-zone climate control, a CD player, power front seats, leather upholstery, antilock brakes, traction control and stability control. Major options included a navigation system and a rear-seat entertainment system.
If you're shopping for a used Buick Rainier, we'd advise confining your search to the '06 and '07 model years to ensure you get a Rainier with stability control, a feature we consider especially important given this SUV's less-than-ideal handling dynamics.
User Reviews:
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terror on the road - 2004 Buick Rainier
By terror on the road - October 15 - 2:00 amI started having problems a week ago with the check engine light coming on. I took it to the buick daler here in selma, they found no problem. I was advised to go to larry puckett in prattville. I live about 50mins. from prattville.Anyway, halfway there my truck caught on fire from behind,which I was unaware of until I heard a noise like a blown out tire. To my surprise,when I got out with my teenager daughter and a set of twins the rear of the truck was on fire.By te time I picked up the kids and ran, the entire rainier was engulfed in flames.The fire was so intense it consumed the entire under carrage,air stablizer,the complete motor,the stepping bar,and two tires, it could have exploxed
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Problems - 2006 Buick Rainier
By Ken - July 21 - 12:30 pmMy grandmother bought this car used for me. She purchased the v8. Of course mpg is terrible. Great power and acceleration. Not enough storage room inside car though. Have had many problems and it has been in the shop for about 2 weeks with some sort of engine problem. ugh!
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Air conditioning - 2004 Buick Rainier
By tcharles - May 28 - 11:04 pmThe air conditioning just went on me. It actually works but it will not blow out of the top vents. It blows out of the bottom and through the defrost areas. Was told by a dealer that itll cost me over $3000 to repair it because of where the vent is located. Has anyone else had this problem?
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Best Ive ever had - 2004 Buick Rainier
By Gort - March 8 - 11:23 amI have owned a lot of vehicles and this is by far the best. Great performance, I feel like a King driving this. All the options you could ask for. Quite smooth ride. You just cannot beat this SUV. I stumbled upon it by accident and will never buy anything other than a Buick SUV again. People need to stop complaining about the mpg. Its an SUV if you want better than 25 mpg get a geo metro. I get 15-16 in city and 18- 21 highway. So impressed I wish I could write more in this space. Perfect SUV for a family looking for performance, reliability, safety, room, comfort, options, quite smooth ride, good looks inside and out, not to mention you will be driving something that not everyone else drives.
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Bitter Sweet - 2004 Buick Rainier
By Tony1234 - February 22 - 7:52 amThis 2004 AWD Rainier has major ongoing issues. Starting at 80,000 miles its one repair after another. I love the features, style and ride. I dont tow, off road or plow. I just drive like any normal person. All scheduled normal lube maintenance has been practiced as recommended by manufacture manual yet the AWD never seems to work. I replaced the transfer case, transmission, front differential, axles, 4 decoder motors, wiring harness and 2 front wheel sensors($9,000+)and the front wheels still dont work. This whole vehicle should have been recalled in my opinion. Oh! The speedometer is brke
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where are all the rainiers? - 2004 Buick Rainier
By myproshop - November 22 - 2:00 amIve had this car for a month now, and i still have yet to see another Rainier on the road. I dont get it! I thought i saw one parked, but when i went up to it, it was a Bravada. Are people not interested in having a great vehicle? It might be a bit overpriced, but its still an awesome SUV! I was deciding between the Rainier and the Volvo xc90, and for the price, the Rainier is definitely the better bang for the buck!
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Truly useful - 2006 Buick Rainier
By Bill - October 30 - 2:05 pmI purchased this former short-term rental vehicle with 13k miles on it in Dec 06. Now with 65k miles on it, the only thing that has malfunctioned was a headlight relay, quickly replaced under warranty. Its dead reliable, smooth, comfortable, great in snow and good at towing a 4k lbs, 26ft sailboat. Milage average is 19 mpg with mostly highway driving. Quality of materials and assembly is very high - the leather upholstery is actually better than that in my 04 Mercedes.
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Buick Ranier - 2004 Buick Rainier
By cobradriver - October 4 - 2:00 amRide is excellent for and SUV. Very quiet, much quieter than wifes Acura. Passed on the V8 as performance is quite good, V8 only adds 15 HP but more torque. Build quality was very good, as are materials. Terrific seats, and audio system.
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Buick has to do better - 2004 Buick Rainier
By vjd2211 - August 29 - 2:00 amThis is a new packaged Bravada - Buick had to differentiate here between the V6 based design (better fuel economy if possible get to 23mpg hwy) and the V8 based design (towing capacity and performance) - Rainier barely competitive with this SUV market segment even with rebates applied. Spend less for marketing and more for engineering
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The Best Buick Yet - 2004 Buick Rainier
By Ronak - August 22 - 2:00 amThis car/SUV should really give the imports a run for their money. We looked at a LexusRX330 and a Toyota Highlander aling with the Buick Rainier. The overall refinement including its off-road manners really convinced us to buy the Buick. General Motors is getting it right with a lot of neat, high quality products. Watch out Lexus and Toyota!
