Chevrolet Traverse
Jim Meachen, www.car-data.com
It was no surprise that we instantly liked the all-new Chevrolet Traverse. Our first experiencewith the full-sized Chevy crossover came on a flawless autumn day hauling four adults and all thegoodies necessary for a college football game tailgate party. The only downside to brilliantsunshine, moderate temperatures and fun with friends was the home team losing on a last-minutetouchdown.
The Traverse, however, did not lose ‘ it proved a winner. A loss was not expected because theTraverse is the fourth large crossover vehicle to come from the so-called General Motors Lambdaplatform that has earned solid reviews including a thumbs up in this corner. The only surprise isthat it took GM so long to add the Traverse to the large crossover fleet, which includes the SaturnOutlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave.
Giving the General’s largest division a share of the success seemed a no-brainer because Chevy’shuge dealer network will probably push the Traverse to the head of the line.
The tailgaters were delighted to find that the Traverse comes with an immense interior. Spacebehind the second-row seats measures 69 cubic feet, available to haul ‘ in our case ‘ a large icechest, folding chairs, a tailgate tent and food for a week. The second-row passengers commented ontheir stretch-out room. And if all the rear passenger space is needed for cargo, the seats foldflat in a one-hand motion ‘ headrests folding out of the way ‘ revealing an 118-cubic-foot area.
If three rows are needed for passengers, there is still a healthy 24 cubic feet of storage wayback. To put it in perspective that’s more interior space than the full- sized truck-based ChevyTahoe.
Our passengers expressed pleasure with a compliant ride while at the same time we were forming afavorable opinion of the big crossover’s handling traits and good on-center feel. The interiorsolitude was also a brief topic of interest on the trip to the game. Discussion of the merits ofthe Chevrolet took a back-seat to football talk on the return trip ‘ Saturday night quarterbacking,if you will.
But the Traverse was a good place for spirited talk, never having to raise a voice in thecrossover’s quiet environment.
The overall shape of the Traverse naturally mimics the look of its siblings, but the new modelspeaks loudly of Chevrolet, particularly its distinctive split mesh grille used to great success bythe Malibu.
The taillight treatment also has Chevrolet traits with partially circular covers.
Inside, the dash has been revised with two rectangular pods housing the gauges. It also gets ahint of the Malibu’s dual-cowl theme and its two-tone layout.
The center stack comes straight from the General Motors parts bin, but that being said, it’s asolid, handsome, easy-to-use design.
We think General Motors has come up with a good compromise between horsepower and gas mileageconsidering it takes a significant number of horses to propel 4,700 pounds of automobile.
The only engine available is a 3.6-liter V-6 that produces 281 horsepower and 253 pound-feet oftorque. If you opt for the top-of-the- line LTZ trim level, horsepower increases to 288 and torqueto 270 pound-feet thanks to a dual-outlet exhaust and direct fuel injection. Performance asmeasured by 0-to-60 times is excellent, 7.6 seconds for the all-wheel drive model. The measuredstopping distance from 60 wasn’t quite as noteworthy at 135 feet, but certainly in the acceptablerange. Gas mileage, while not stellar, is certainly acceptable at 17 city, 24 highway forfront-wheel drive and 16/23 for all-wheel drive on regular gas. That matches up well with itsdirect competitors such as the Mazda CX-9, Ford Flex and Toyota Highlander, especially when youconsider the Traverse has the most cargo and passenger space in the segment.
If you need seven-passenger space, the Traverse makes sense considering a horsepower-comparableTahoe and a Ford Expedition get 20 percent and 35 percent less mileage respectively.
The Traverse comes in three trim levels and in either two-wheel or all- wheel drive starting at$29,725 including destination charge for the base LS. The LT starts at $31,545 and the LTZ beginsat $39,810. Figure about $2,000 for all-wheel drive.
Standard equipment is abundant and particularly noteworthy is Chevy’s standard safety package.The base price brings antilock brakes, traction and stability control, front-seat side-impactairbags, full- length side-curtain airbags and tire-pressure monitoring. Also standard is one yearof GM’s OnStar system including turn-by-turn navigation.
We applaud Chevy for those features, and to Chevrolet’s credit the Traverse earned the NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration’s top five star rating for passenger protection in head-onand side- impact crashes.
Our LT1 test vehicle came with such standard features as full power accessories, 18-inchmachined aluminum wheels, front and rear air conditioning, steering wheel controls, cruise control,audio system with CD player and XM satellite radio, and tilt and telescoping steering wheel.
Such modern goodies that more and more people favor including navigation, rear entertainment,leather seating, heated and cooled seats and 20-inch wheels can be purchased as options. Most ofthose things come standard on the LTZ package, but rear entertainment, dual skyscape sunroof and asecond-row console are optional on all trim levels.
Despite the Chevy’s size and weight (all-wheel drive adds 200 pounds), we were impressed withits ability to navigate the crowded stadium parking lot and its overall agility.
We were also impressed with the vehicle’s 5,200-pound tow rating, which should give familieswith boats and other recreational goodies plenty of towing capacity for weekend activities.
We do wish the Traverse had come in a bit less on the porky side ‘ the nearly same sizeall-wheel drive Mazda CX-9, for instance, is 300 pounds slimmer ‘ but we were impressed with theoverall package. If you need the room and the towing capacity, the Traverse must be on yourshopping list.
The only thing we’d change is the final score of the football game.
