Overview & Reviews

Many Americans have a real need for vehicles big enough to lug Joe Six-pack, his wife, their kids and their kids' teammates on the hockey squad. A minivan would seem like an obvious choice, but these people haulers are anathema for many parents. To fill this need, manufacturers have come up with large crossovers like the Chevrolet Traverse that offer the best of both worlds: a minivan's passenger and cargo capacity along with an SUV's sheet metal.

The eight-passenger Traverse shares its platform with two other current GM vehicles -- the Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia -- but it distinguishes itself by being the least expensive of the bunch. This Chevy isn't the quickest or most refined pick in the larger crossover segment, but it excels when it comes to roominess and ride quality. If these attributes are important to you, the Chevrolet Traverse may be an ideal companion.

Current Chevrolet Traverse
The Chevrolet Traverse is a full-size crossover SUV that comes in three main trim levels: LS, LT and LTZ. Base LS models are pretty nicely equipped, with OnStar telematics, Bluetooth, a rearview camera and an audio system with a USB input and satellite radio. The LT trim is actually comprised of two sub-trims (LT1 and LT2) that add more amenities such as a power liftgate, triple-zone climate control and the MyLink infotainment interface. Springing for the LTZ adds upgrades like 20-inch alloy wheels, leather upholstery and ventilated front seats. Options include dual sunroofs, navigation and a rear-seat entertainment system.

Under the hood is a 3.6-liter V6 wedded to a six-speed automatic with manual shift control. LS and LT trims make 281 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque. The LTZ features a dual-outlet exhaust that boosts output to 288 hp and 270 lb-ft. Both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models are available.

Inside, the Traverse features a stylish two-tone color scheme with, depending on the trim, wood-tone and metallic accents. Seating in the first two rows is comfy, and the split-folding third row -- which tends to be pitifully cramped in many crossovers -- is easy to access and spacious enough for adults. We have a few minor quibbles, such as the compromised rearward visibility. But overall we find this Chevrolet to be a strong choice for those seeking a truly roomy hauler.

Used Chevrolet Traverse Models
The Chevrolet Traverse debuted for the 2009 model year. Not much changed for the next few years. These 2009-'12 models will lack some of the updates introduced for 2013, however. These changes included an exterior styling refresh, upgraded cabin materials and the new MyLink electronics interface.

User Reviews:

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  2ndRowMidSeatUnusable - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By mcspat - July 11 - 1:49 am

  Purchased this car in order to carry a crowd. The middle seat of the second row is unusable for more than a few blocks unless a small child is using it. Even a thin person will have the seat belt boring into their hip very uncomfortably. I have had it in to the dealer and they said that it was a design flaw and nothing could be done-- their words exactly. I just went and sat in the 2010 and it is the same way.

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  I hate my Traverse, never buy gm again - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By I HATE MY TRAVERSE!! - May 9 - 10:08 pm

  Very disgraceful gm, Chevrolet and dealership customer service, servicing, corporate office, deceptive dealer, 4019 miles dead no start, very poor 12.5 mpg, transmission issues, engine noises whistle knocking, brake squeals, poor visibility front bumper and backing, interior light stayed on 2 hours battery save feature malfunctioned, XM annoying calls, gm owner for 25 yrs and Im done, will never buy gm again. Should of bought Honda/Hyundai. Stay away. Driver side under doors a small bar to protect plastic gas tanks on impact, hope it works? Driver window shimmy off track, dealer did not do detailing ripped me off $398. Gm/Chevy customer service no support claim dealers independently owned and cant help me.

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  Unreliable - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By rod howard - May 5 - 1:36 am

  Ran great for 1500 miles and then the check engine light came on, 2 days in the shop for repairs. A month later the Traverse starts to jerk when accelerating causing transmission to fail, 4 days in the shop. Got it back and it ran great for 6 month it starts again. Trade for Lexus RX450h

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  Broke down with less than 4K miles! - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By recker - December 16 - 8:42 pm

  You would think that after making a 30K purchase, it would be reliable. GM dropped the ball. After owning for 4-5 months and less than 4000 miles our traverse has an "intermittent electrical issue", and will not start. The service department had to call GMs engineer dept to find out how to fix the issue. The fact that the service dept had to call GM on how to fix the problem is a scary thought. Never again!!

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  Traverse, sorry we bought it - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Linda Silvey - September 13 - 11:17 am

  We bought our traverse in June2009. The headrests are very uncomfortable and force a short person to keep their head bowed if they dont put a pillow behind their back. My husband has nearly wrecked it three times when trying to make a left hand turn due to the poor visibility when looking to the right to see if another vehicle is coming. It is hard to park because you cannot see the front end and its very hard to back up due to the small window and the many blind spots along the sides (we have the economy model). The gas mileage is awful. We took a long trip and the highway mpg never got above 18 mpg. My biggest concern is safety. It is an accident waiting to happen.

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  Disappointed with Traverse interior - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By unhappy owner - July 22 - 9:51 pm

  We just purchased the Traverse last week. I am very disappointed in the ride and the design of the seats. I feel every bump in the road. The headrest on the seats points forward such that I hit my head on it with every bump. There is no way to adjust it or the seat to stop this from happening. The compartment on the dash board is worthless - too small to store much of anything and right in the sun to get hot. The back up camera is a necessity because you cant see much with the rear view mirror.

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  never again !!! - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By sucker - July 8 - 2:18 am

  After my purchase I drove the Traverse on a 2,000 mile trip to Washington state via the Calif. coast highway. The Traverse averaged almost 19 M.P.G. highway and almost 13 M.P.G. around town ! This mileage has remained the same after almost 5000 miles on the vehicle and my Chevrolet dealer says that all is fine and all is NORMAL ! The mileage is T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E and what is worse,I cant do anything about it. I continue to pay for a fuel efficient vehicle and ,in reality, cant afford to drive this GAS GUZZLER. Chevrolet is somewhat less than honest with their mileage estimates ! I wish Chevy had this vehicle back and I had a REAL car ! Chevys ads should be illegal !

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  This was my LAST GM vehicle EVER! - 2013 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Mike - August 4 - 10:00 am

  Before buying this car I would be sure that there were no other cars available anywhere in the world to buy. Though we entered our purchase of this vehicle when it was brand new, the manufacturer recalls (4 the first year) and ongoing odor problem in the A/C system pretty much ruined it for us. After EIGHT visits to the dealer about the odor, the NINTH was the charm - exactly one visit beyond the warranty! Once it was out of warranty, they managed to fix the 3-year-plus odor problem for $1300...and then told us to take it our complaints to GM if we didnt like it. GM promptly denied our appeals, and when the engines transmission became rough between 3rd-4th gears, we traded it for a new Honda Pilot the next week. We had had enough, and this was definitely our LAST GM PURCHASE EVER!

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  Chevy Traverses are unsafe at any speed. - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Motso - July 18 - 6:01 am

  This is a dangerous car, heres why. The transmission wont down shift after a stop. Here is a typical scenario, you pull up to a stop sign on a 55 mph road. You see a vehicle coming, its 1/4 to 3/8 mile away, in most cars its safe to pull out and accelerate smartly (dont doddle). Not in a Chevy Traverse car should you do this because the transmission never down shifted while you sat at the stop sign. Heres what will happen, the higher gear will put you out in front of traffic but you wont have torque (power) to go fast/er. You sit and wait to get splatted. What you can do with your children in the back seat or the other couple youre going out to dinner with is FLOOR IT and over-ride the computer. Now youre peeling rubber and driving like a maniac 16 YO who snuck some of Dads beer while he tries to impress the girls on the corner. This lack of transmission down shifting scenario is a known problem that GM refuses to fix. Better to buy another brand vehicle and live. Another problem, the AC can only be run when the computer says it can. I had all my windows fog up on Rt. 95 at 65 mph with another couple in the car! I could not see to drive! The other guy quickly undid his seat belt and hand wiped the windshield in front of me so I could see out (like we used to do with 1950s & 1960s vehicles). After the excitement everyone commented on what an unsafe POS the Traverse is. Most Traverse problems including the 2 mentioned can be easily fixed "IF" GM would change the computer programming. Then again, they sell more cars if the ones already sold get destroyed in car crashes dont they? There will never be another GM car in our driveway. I dont know how many or what other GM models have similar problems. Im going back to buying foreign cars because they are safe at every speed. Update: I have since successfully sued GM under the lemon law. I took the money and purchased a GM extended warranty. I did this because the trade in value was so horrendously low that I refused to allow GM to screw me twice. GM will now have the pleasure of paying for repairs my POS Traverse incurs :-).

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  Great space and ride, poor reliability - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Kenneth - November 16 - 10:51 am

  Ive had this car since new, and now have about 75k miles on it. Here is a list of issues Ive had with the vehicle: 1) Computer issue forced the car into limp mode repeatedly - this occurred periodically between 20-30k miles. Took three service repairs before they replaced the computer and the problem went away. It once happened while I was on the highway, forcing me onto the shoulder - car would flash all sorts of warnings and then go into limp mode, and on a few occasions I would smell gas. Shutting down and restarting would reset it. 2) A/C line leak - the first time this happened the car was under warranty - probably around 30k miles. There was a hissing noise from the vent followed by the A/C stopping working. Warranty replacement of the lines (the whole line) fixed the problem. Now at 73k miles the problem has occurred again - same exact issue; 3) Radio stopped working - AM stations come in, but FM does not indicating that its likely a problem with the tuner. Its hard to beat this car for cargo space, and its a great hauler of people and things, but the maintenance issues have been horrendous.