2018 Chevrolet Traverse Review
One for the Big Family that likes to plug in
By Shahzad Sheikh
Click below now to watch my 2018 Chevrolet Traverse Review
This is the new 2018 Chevrolet Traverse. It sits above the new Equinox (review here) and below the Tahoe (review here) in Chevy’s SUV range.
The Traverse has grown by an inch but is 50kg lighter. It’s almost about the same size as a Tahoe and certainly longer and a little wider than a Toyota Land Cruiser.
Into its second generation now, the Traverse looks beefier and bolder and stands out in traffic thanks to oversized new style Chevy grille like you will have seen on the new Malibu.
Under the bonnet is a 3.6-litre V6 putting out 310bhp which is 10% up on before and it’s mated to a 9-speed auto driving either the front wheels only or all four wheels depending on what you specify.
The car you see in these pictures is a range topper and now comes with ‘High Country’ badging, which is the first time that trim level has been seen on anything other than a Silverado pick-up.
It includes a ton of equipment and tech features including driver assist functions, as well as 20-inch rims, panoramic sunroof. And of course AWD is standard on the High Country.
The UAE price for this car is AED183,058 (about $50k) – not including VAT at 5%. But prices actually start at just AED117,000 ($32k) for the LS FWD.
You can upgrade a little to the LT FWD for AED120k ($33k) or choose the LT Premium (which replaces what used to be the LTZ trim) which starts from AED151k ($41k) again with FWD and not including VAT. Adding AWD is about AED7-8k on top for most models.
You can get up to an 8-seat configuration for the Traverse although this High Country is a seven-seater. Even with all the seat rows up, there’s decent boot space with an additional large bin below the floor. Put the seats down though and it’s cavernous.
The third row is perfectly usable but best left for kids – getting in and out is easy thanks to the one-pull lever on the second row seat on the pavement side of the car, and the middle row seats can also be slid back and forth to adjust for legroom.
The kids in the back will be pleased to find two USB plugs for them. There’s another two in the middle row (there’s six in total in this car) along with AC controls and vents.
At the front it’s spacious and comfortable with decent visibility, though you need the blind spot assist because of the wide B-pillar. A 360 camera helps manoeuvre this thing in car parks and it’s actually surprisingly agile.
On the go the performance is more than adequate with pretty hefty waves of torque able to hurry this thing along to the Mall, School or Park with more than decent pace. Don’t underestimate that V6.
Don’t chuck it around too many corners either. Oh it’ll grip okay, but there is body-float and roll and pushing it too hard might see you leaving a Traverse-shaped hole in the scenery. But of course that’s countered by an excellent ride that’s well damped and pleasingly smooth.
Make no mistake this car has been created to serve families and it does that extremely well, with a lot of thoughtful touches to keep them comfortable, safe and even entertained on every journey. It’s not a lumbering beast though as it will hustle when you need it to.
Another great large SUV offering that almost makes my current favourite value for money up-sized SUV – the Tahoe – redundant. Almost. But certainly if you like the feeling of wrapping a lot of metal around your family, but the Tahoe is just a tad too huge, then Traverse is definitely for you.
I like the features liked the car
But just want to know about the mileage