With all the uncertainty about the future of General Motors, Ford and Chrysler, it’s hard to guess what the future will bring.
However, for GM’s Chevrolet division, things do look brighter, at least on the product side of things. One of the shining new stars in Chevy’s new lineup is the Traverse crossover.
A “little brother” to the Buick Enclave, Saturn Outlook and GMC Acadia, the Traverse stands out as a more affordable product with some big pluses over its siblings.
The Traverse handles and feels smaller than the Enclave or Acadia. The styling isn’t as dramatic and the interior is less refined. And, at $44,880, it’s a little pricey, but still several thousand dollars less than its running mates. Less loaded models can be had for less, starting at around $28,000.
The Traverse offers eight-passenger seating. And the seating is comfortable and accessible in all three rows.
Powered by a 288-horsepower, V6 with a six-speed transmission, the Traverse averages around 19 miles to the gallon. Again, not great, but for a nearly 5,000-pound vehicle carrying eight people, it’s not bad. The Traverse also offers better than average towing capacity of 5,200 pounds.
Our test model was the top-of-the-line LTZ with front-wheel drive. All-wheel drive is an option and was about the only thing missing from our test Traverse.
The interior resembles the new Malibu with a sweeping, dual console configuration with two-tone materials and splashes of brushed chrome. The main gauges are large and easy to read. However, some of the control knobs could be larger for easier use.
The Traverse we tested included leather seating with heating and cooling and power adjustments for the two front seats. The middle row had captain’s chairs that slid out of the way for easy access to the fold-down bench seat in back. The leather-wrapped steering wheel had audio and cruise controls. The XM satellite radio includes a traffic monitoring system linked through the navigation screen, which gives you on-screen alerts in case of an accident or congestion.
Optional equipment included a center console between the bucket seats in the middle row, a dual sunroof and DVD rear entertainment center, which added $3,000 to the sticker price.
The Traverse is a good, middle of the road offering in the crowded crossover market. But, going back to GM’s future, it may be part of the problem. Why does GM need to offer four vehicles that are basically the same? Yes, each model dealer needs the product. But do buyers need that many choices? Time will tell.

Ryan’s Ride –
I was expecting the Traverse to be a cheapened version of the Enclave-Acadia. However, I was very surprised at the differences, not only in styling, but especially with the handling and overall feeling behind the wheel.
I like the Enclave’s styling the best of all four products, but it feels big and heavy. The Traverse is almost nimble by comparison with the same basic engine package.
The V6 offers enough power and the six-speed transmission improves fuel mileage. However, the transmission could be geared differently for better automatic shifting. It was slow to downshift when needed while going up an incline, for instance.
The interior definitely takes a lot of cues from the Malibu, which is another of Chevrolet’s potential successes. The sweeping, dual cockpit design is futuristic in a way.
Even the front end and grill resemble the Malibu. Some have called the Traverse a Malibu crossover.
The bucket seats in the middle are comfortable and easy to move out of the way to access to the rear seat. There isn’t that much room for storage with the rear seats upright, but they easy fold down with a 60/40 split for instant cargo room.
The traffic alert system is a nice feature, however, unless you head into Atlanta a lot, you probably won’t find it that needed.
There are several trim levels to select from in the Traverse lineup and you can get an entry-level offering for around $30,000. But you can quickly run up the sticker price by adding the various options.

Marilyn’s Moment –
This was our first chance to drive the Traverse, having previously tested the other three similar models.
Given its price point, the Traverse is a nice choice. Our test model was fully loaded but seems priced right against similar competitors.
I liked the ride and feel of the Chevy. The power was excellent and it handled winding roads with no problem.
We’ve had a run of large SUVs to test lately, and getting in and out of the Traverse was a treat by comparison. Even though it had 20-inch wheels, the Traverse sits low enough to the ground to make entry and exiting very easy.
There are cupholders galore and plenty of places for storage in the front cabin. The seats adjust easily and on a few cold mornings, the heated feature came in very handy.
I did find the control knobs a bit small and it took a few days to get familiar with the layout. But once I had driven it for a while, it wasn’t a major problem.
My only bone of contention was the brown and tan interior with the gleaming white exterior paint. A black-gray combination would have been more to my liking.