2009 Chevrolet Traverse
by Jim Prueter -01/2009

Traverse joins trio of GM crossover SUVs

Chevrolet Traverse (pronounced Tra-VERSE not TRA-verse as I had thought) is the latest badge-engineering vehicle from GM. It joins GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave, which were all introduced over the past two years.

“Badge engineering” is a term used when a manufacturer puts different names on virtually the same vehicle rather than making a completely new one. All manufacturers do it. Some examples of these twin (or triplet) vehicles include Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute/Mercury Mariner, Nissan Frontier/Suzuki Equator, Chrysler Sebring/Dodge Avenger, Toyota Camry/Lexus ES 350, Chevy Cobalt/Pontiac G5. You get the picture.

Traverse is built on the same Lambda platform as its GM siblings. We’ve tested all but the Enclave and they are basically pretty good vehicles. We’re not sure why Chevy waited two years after the introduction of the Outlook and Acadia, perhaps to fill product holes left by the departed Uplander minivan and Trailblazer SUV.

Like its siblings, Traverse is big — three inches longer and with more cargo space than a full-size Chevy Tahoe. Although, Chevy calls Traverse a mid-sized vehicle.

Traverse is offered in three trim levels — LS, LT and LTZ — with front- or all-wheel drive. We tested a fully loaded, top-of-the-line LTZ with all-wheel drive. There weren’t any exterior markings to designate all-wheel drive but it’s the only version that gets dual exhausts. Chevy says they will correct the badging oversight.

Visually, Traverse is distinguished by the split grille featured on almost all Chevy products — like the Malibu with its prominent gold bow tie and body-colored split grille. But we think Traverse most closely resembles the Enclave, with nearly identical rear quarter windows, fender kink and pinched rear liftgate.

Inside the Malibu influence continues with the “dual-cockpit” dashboard. We found the look to be very attractive with decent fit and finish. We were a bit surprised by all the hard plastic with few areas of “soft-touch.”

Perhaps the best feature is interior passenger and cargo room. Traverse holds up to eight adults in three rows, plus luggage and gear. Unlike in the Tahoe, there’s actually room behind the third row plus a compartment under the floor. Second- and third-row seats fold flat to yield a huge amount of room.

Our tester came with second-row captain’s chairs, reducing passenger seating to seven. While I had plenty leg, hip, shoulder and headroom behind the steering wheel, I found the seat to be flat and uncomfortable with too much bulky lumbar support in the small of my back.

Second-row captain’s chairs felt better and also offered plenty of room. Third-row seats don’t provide as much space and sit close to the floor, but were comfortable and especially roomy, unusual for vehicles in this class. Our LTZ tester came with a power tailgate, but a power-folding third-row isn’t offered.

All three Traverse trim levels come equipped with the same 3.6-liter 280-plus horsepower V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission with manual shift mode. The all-wheel drive versions get a few more horsepower, but the base engine is more than enough to move the Traverse — plus it runs on regular unleaded. But the Traverse is a heavy vehicle, weighing just under 5000 lbs., and it shows up in fuel economy where we averaged just over 16 mpg in a mix of city/highway driving.

Traverse’s ride is similar to that of its GM siblings, comfortable with predictable handling, more like a sedan than a truck. Acceleration and braking are both excellent. The vehicle is free of squeaks and rattles, with no quivering or shimmies.

Standard safety gear on our LTZ tester included a back-up camera (available with or without a navigation system and mounted inside the rearview mirror), front and rear parking sensors, stability and traction control with roll mitigation control, six airbags, anti-lock brakes and brake assist. Traverse earned the government’s highest rating (five stars) in front and side crash tests, and the highest rating (Good) from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Other things we liked about the Traverse: loads of cup holders, huge center console, easy to read and use gauges and controls and towing capacity up to 5200 pounds.

Some things we didn’t like: poor rear visibility, fussy transmission shifts, blind spot rearview mirrors are very confusing and impossible to trust and it’s pretty expensive when compared to similar product offerings including Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander.

Overall, Traverse is a pretty good vehicle and excellent addition to the Chevy lineup.