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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  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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  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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  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.

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  Chev Traverse 1LT - 2016 Chevrolet Traverse
  By tom roach - March 26 - 12:08 pm

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  Nice car for the price - 2017 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Jack Nappi - June 30 - 8:40 pm

  Not fuel efficient

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  Clunking?? Need advice! Please - 2013 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Red1117 - March 16 - 10:49 pm

  Hi. I have a 2013 traverse lt1 fwd. And wen I roll slow or 20. Or 30mph. Or more. If I let off the gas then hit it... It will clunk? NOTICEABLY.. THE DEALER SAID IT IS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE TRUCK. HE SAID HE DROVE THE SAME YEAR AND MODEL AS MINE AND HE SAYS HE HAS A 2016 AND THEY DO THE SAME THING?? THERS IS NO DAMN WAY.. CAN ANYONE HELP ME HERE ? PLEASE??

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  2018 Traverse is perfect size - 2018 Chevrolet Traverse
  By Spruce - July 16 - 4:08 pm

  First of all I needed to special order the 2018 to get the LT Leather trim level. This has the navigation and a 2nd row bench seat that I wanted and does not have the 2nd row captains chairs and sunroof, neither of which I wanted. Dealers are only buying the base level trim packages or the very highest price Premier ones and often ordering the SUV with a premium paint color which can add another $1000 to the cost of the vehicle. Handling is excellent and it rides like a car and not a truck - smoother than the Chevy Tahoe it replaced. The 2018 Traverse has more rear cargo space than the 2018 Tahoe or 2018 Suburban with their 3rd row seat and odd interior design. SUVs have become vans more than utility vehicles and so the Subaru with two rows has more cargo space than a full size SUV like the Suburban. Excellent visibility all the way around and the driver is not dependent on the side mirrors or video as with other SUVs. Rear camera display is exceptional and not only shows lines to indicate the path of the vehicle, it curves the lines when backing up and turning as when backing out of a parking space. Gas mileage on regular gas (not ethanol which kills fuel economy) is averaging 21 MPG with mixed driving. Acceleration is great when getting onto a freeway or when passing and the shifting is so smooth as to not be detectable. Feedback from the steering wheel is not as good as that of standard power steering with instead the electronic assist but it is much better than that of other SUVs I test drove, including the Honda Pilot and Toyota Highlander. It took 7 weeks to order and receive the LT Leather but it was well worth the wait.

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  A good size and ride vehicle. Real gas guzzler - 2017 Chevrolet Traverse
  By GerryC - November 21 - 8:06 am

  It is a good vehicle, but has several things that are very annoying. The first one is the gas mileage. In city traffic, on busy streets, youll get around 12 mpg. Strictly highway the best I ever got is just under 24. Another item I dont like is that the AC Circ mode turns off every time you turn the key off, having to be reset every single time. Another item I dont like is the location of the roof column in the front of the vehicle. it obstruct the visibility and small items, like pedestrians can be blocked by it. I liked the ride and the idea that the leg room in the second of seats can be adjusted to to accommodate passengers in all 3 rows.