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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  Need to list options - 2010 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Thomas sheridan - December 8 - 4:59 am

  Its a Lt1 with all wheel drive has auto sunroof and panoromaic rear sunroof

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  Fabulous Crossover - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By tunxton - October 23 - 1:26 am

  I downsized from my Tahoe. I can confidently say this vehicle is the best I have ever owned. I do a lot of traveling for my company and the room in this vehicle accomodates for my stuff very easily. It is also extremely comfortable on those long road trips. I would definently reccomend this to anyone in the crossover market.

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  Lemon - 2012 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Sebron34 - October 18 - 7:25 pm

  We bought this car in 2013. It was one year old and had 15,000 miles on it. Soon after we bought it we started noticing a noise. It was a grinding noise. After several times going into the dealership for repairs they determined it was the drive train that had gone out. luckily it was under warranty. The previous owners had taken the remote to the entertainment system and all but one set of headphones. Now we have never figured out how to make the movie play to the internal stereo it only plays to the headphones. The seat warmer on the drivers seat will turn on but turns off 1 min later and wont turn back on. The glove box connector broke making it so the glove box falls out onto the floor now. Then a year ago the alternator went out freezing up the car so we couldnt even jump start it. For some reason there is a anti theft system that kicks in when the battery is dead and you have to take it to the dealership to get your key out of the ignition. Then also a year ago the air in the car started blowing really hot air on the drivers side and cold air everywhere else when the A/C is on. Now the car has 75,000 and the computer just went out on it. The alternator also died again. I put my key in the ignition last night and the car ate my key and I had to tow it to the dealer to have everything fixed. This is a car that they dont want you working on, but yet it is broken all the time.

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  Somewhat Disappointed - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By KennyGolub - October 1 - 11:00 pm

  Beautiful ride! Very comfortable and great looks. Downside: I cant trust it to start every time. After first night at home, the battery died. They replaced the battery and three days later, battery was dead again. They still cant find the problem, now I have to wonder if it will start whenever I take it out.

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  Road Trip King - 2010 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Topps - September 16 - 12:14 am

  Bought @ 35,000, and have taken numerous trips of 1,000 plus miles. I am diligent on routine car maintenance and have a great dealer that serves us well. I have replaced a controller on the air vent control system,...but so far so good. I live in NM where the roads arent exactly top notch and am very satisfied with with our Traverse handling and comfort level for a family of 5.

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  Real SUV - 2018 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Paul - September 6 - 3:40 am

  First 2018 Traverse the dealer sold. I wanted AWD and trailer pkg and they had one, most dealers didnt. I had good highway mileage, 27 mpg, and used it off road on gravel and stone roads in the hills of WV with no issues. Ive just had it a month but am very pleased with the new Traverse so far. Even had 6 adults in it and no one complained.

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  Got this after the 2015 Journey - 2017 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Jennifer - August 16 - 1:02 am

  Coming from a 2015 Journey, I can say that overall, I prefer the 2017 Chevy Traverse so far.I have the LT1, which I understand to be the mid range model. Much roomier, wonderfully smooth ride, captains chairs in the middle row bring more comfort for the backseat passengers and also make it easier to access the 3rd row. I feel it has a classier interior with the dual brown/gray color combination. Better fuel economy, much more storage space with both the 3rd row up and down and from the drivers perspective, much more fun to drive as it handles very well and as I said previously, has such a smooth ride. The down side? The infotainment center isnt as up to date and user friendly as the Journey, it wont connect to my iphone 5s so I cant use the texting or pandora features, it doesnt have the auto unlock feature where all the doors unlock when the driver grabs the door handle, it starts with a key instead of a button start which means I have to get used to having my keys out when I leave where before I could just leave them in my purse and my final gripe is that it doesnt have a digital speedometer!! I have had a digital speedometer since my 2012 DodgeCaravan and I am finding it hard adjusting to actually having to read the speedometer instead of just glancing down to see the digital number. I do believe that all of these features I dont like were eliminated with the 2018 Traverse so in 2 years when I turn in my lease, if I were to get another one and those features were upgraded, I would give it 5 starts

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  Good vehicle, but needs quality improvement - 2018 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Steve Brown - June 23 - 11:05 pm

  Overall, a good vehicle with comfortable interior and sound system, great driving manners...but with some glaring issues. One, the transmission is a clunky mess. At highway speed, its ok, but around town it constantly downshifts, hunts for a gear when it should just hold the one its in. Throttle tip-in from dead stop is initially ok, but then jumps ahead as tranny tries to decide what gear to use. GM needs a complete software reset on this new unit. Two, quality of some interior parts is substandard. For example, the latch on the front sunshade in the sunroof broke right away. The material is a cheap plastic that you would expect on a crap-box car from eastern Europe, but not on Traverse costing north of $51K! Three, the foot-activated rear lift hatch feature doesnt work most of the time, even when the little bowtie logo is displaying. Got the key fob in my pocket and it just doesnt respond most of the time. I fear that the amount of electronic gadgetry and features on this Premier model will be its undoing. Get the extended warranty for sure.

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  Wow in LOVE - 2013 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Rebecca - June 13 - 12:42 pm

  We bought 13 traverse and love everything about it. We owned a 07 Acadia and these two are day and night.. The traverse is alot quieter and handles a lot better, we are very impressed :-) :-) :-) would definitely buy another one!

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  Its not an EXT TrailBlazer - 2009 Chevrolet Traverse
  By mark - May 28 - 5:40 am

  We have had 3 seated TrailBlazers, and loved them. Traverse was the next choice. As far as just driving it for my wife and I, we love it. However if you have kids and use the seating, not so much. The way the seats fold to get to the third row is not a smooth procedure. The seats ride on tracks that you have to kneel on to lift your child into the back seat. Very uncomfortable on your knees. Also toys, and small things get dropped into the tracks, effecting the operation of the seats. When you try to dig them out, you get grease on your fingers. If the rear window opened up (like the TrailBlazer does) loading would be easier. when you open the hatch, everything falls out.