For the Thanksgiving holidays, we had a 2012 Chevrolet Traverse for our test-drive vehicle. The Traverse is categorized in various ways, but is generally known as a Midsize crossover SUV. It holds a 5-star safety rating, is affordable, has a lot of room for 7 or 8 passengers and their stuff.
U.S.News & World Reportsranks the new Chevy Traverse as number 2 out of 22 in the Affordable Midsize SUV listings. Consumer Guide said, “The Traverse offers space, power, and decent handling in an exceptional package that looks and feels more expensive than it is.” Kelley Blue Book commented, “If you're looking for a big family vehicle with excellent safety ratings, the ability to tow 5,400 pounds and reasonably good fuel economy for its size, the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse may be the best game in town." Edmunds reported, "With its stylish good looks, spacious cabin, carlike ride and handling, plus decent fuel economy, the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse has much to offer SUV owners looking to downsize."
Our test model, courtesy of GM, was a top-of-the-line LTZ model, front-wheel drive, and powered by a 3.6 liter V6 engine. The exterior was called Crystal Red Tintcoat. The interior was Light Cashmere trimmed in Ebony accents. It was the ideal vehicle for traveling, hauling people and other cargo. We went from one end of Texas to the other. Not quite, but almost! The Traverse looks and acts like a large-size SUV, but drives more like a large passenger car. That’s the advantage of a Crossover-style vehicle.
Traveling with babies in car seats today includes a multitude of additional items, such as baby beds, play-pens, feeding chairs, and of course a car seat that is larger and more protective than the entire seating in the first vehicle I owned. The Traverse was up to the occasion for making room for all this “stuff” for not only one baby, but two of them on this trip. It was advantageous to have two easy-folding captains chairs for the second row instead of a bulky bench seat. That dropped the stated capacity from an 8-passenger SUV to a 7-passenger, but that worked out great.
The 3.6 liter V-6 engine is adequate for most driving. It works well on the freeways and regular roadways. It provides limited towing capability with its 288 horsepower and six speed automatic transmission. It is rated for 5200 lb capacity towing. In the Texas Hill Country, however, it did seem to be straining at times, when there were more challenging hills with steeper grades.
The 2012 Traverse is EPA rated at 17 city and 24 highway with an average of 19 mpg. For our entire week of driving, which included city driving in Fort Worth, Dallas, & Austin, backroads and sandy roads all over East Texas (Tyler, Palestine, Grapeland, & Elkhart), and challenging terrain in the Johnson City area, we had a final tally average of 20.2 mpg.
There are many creature-comfort aspects to the 2012 Chevy Traverse that appeal to family usage. It has a fairly low-to-the-ground step height so that old and young passengers can get in and out easily. The door openings are large, so that loading large items into the middle section is not too difficult. The cargo area has a floor that is about waist level so that sliding boxes, suitcases, and coolers in the back is fairly easy.
The navigation system works fairly well, but is not as intuitive as most. It took several days to learn to work the various buttons. The sound system was confusing also, when we tried to put in a DVD for backseat viewing while still listening to the radio in the front seats. There were two headphone sets included for the DVD player, but this will only provide for the two passengers in the second-row captains chairs and not for any passengers in the third row. We didn’t need them for this trip, but a more extended trip might present a problem.
Loading two baby car seats was a bit of a challenge, although it worked out well. Both seats were forward facing and were placed in the third row area. The Latch anchors, however, are only located in the second row. We used the seatbelt buckles to securely hold the car seats in place and with a little pushing and pulling, it worked out well. Getting to the back seat area was not too much of a problem since the second row seats fold up and move forward fairly easily.
Our test model had a base MSRP of $38,805. With the DVD entertainment system added, the special tintcoat exterior paint, and trailering hookups, the bottom sticker price was $43,895. It is produced in Lansing, Michigan and the key competitiors are the Honda Pilot, Ford Flex, and Toyota Highlander.
The standard equipment is too numerous to list, but suffice it to say that there is a long laundry list of items and conveniences, especially suited for a family. All-Wheel-Drive is an option, but electronic stability control, anti-roll control, rear parking sensors, a backup camera, and six airbags are all included.
New for the 2012 model are a few new exterior colors and re-designed outside rearview mirrors. The Traverse is considered to have the most interior space of any Mid-size SUV crossover. It is definitely a family-friendly vehicle. Check it out yourself at a Chevrolet – GM dealer.
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