The flexibility of the seating configurations is an exercise in automotive origami. The seats fold and tuck and fit into an amazing number of arrangements. Even the second-row seat flips and folds, allowing you to have two people up front and a flat floor behind without leaving anything home in the garage. That's truly neat. For maximum capacity, however, the center row can be removed. (The third-row seat tucks flat into the floor, so it doesn't have to come out.) Hiding places and lockable bins are strategically placed here and there.

Even with seven inches of ground clearance and all-wheel drive, getting in and out of the Rendezvous is more like getting in and out of a sedan than an SUV; small children, arthritic knees and tight-skirts can be grateful for that. All seats are easy to access and quite comfortable.

Access to the third row is far simpler than in most vehicles with three rows of seats. Once back there, the third row is pleasantly suitable for two full-size adults. And the third row is no Siberia: Even from way back there the acoustics allow you to participate in conversations with the front-seat passengers.

The load-height is low, too, reducing back strain when loading or unloading heavy objects. And remember that old 4x8-foot plywood test? Well, the Rendezvous' rear opening is wide enough to take the proverbial building material lying flat. A red flag affixed at back will deal with the length.

The amazing thing about the low stance and flat floor of the Rendezvous is that four-wheel drive and a low, flat floor are supposed to be mutually exclusive. Well, the Buick engineers found a way to do it. Too bad being unobtrusive is a mark of success because this accomplishment needs to stand up and take applause. It's best appreciated when driving with a full load of people and their stuff on a nasty, sleety, darkening afternoon with a slippery glaze on the street.

But all is not sheer delight inside the Rendezvous. The plastic used for the instrument panel looks dowdy compared with the rest of the interior.