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The Bottom Line:
The 2010 Chevrolet Traverse’s strong suit is its practicality, not its style.
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“Styling is a bit more contemporary than its stable mates at Buick and GMC”
Stylish cabin design presents well at a distance
A front fascia clearly inspired by the 2008 Malibu's
The V-6 moves the Traverse off the line with a bit of gusto, although torque steer ruins the fun when the gas is pressed too hard. Don't let the quick launch fool you, however, this a heavy vehicle, and it takes a bit of time to get up to speed.
Handling is competent if not memorable, with a moderate amount of body roll in turns. The ride is composed and compliant without being too soft, although a little bit of float and wallow shows up on the highway. A very little bit--I made the trip from Chicago to Madison, Wisconsin, and back without much complaint regarding the Traverse's highway manners.
Spending a lot of time on the road means spending a lot of time inside the Traverse, and the interior is a nice enough place to spend an hour or two. The seats are comfortable on long trips, there is plenty of leg and headroom, and there is satisfactory cargo space, including a nice little nook in the center of the dash, atop the center stack.
Not all is perfect, though. There's a little too much plastic for a $40K-plus vehicle, settings for the iPod reset each time the engine is shut off (If I want the songs to shuffle, I'd prefer not reset each time I start the engine), and the power windows offer one-touch down operation, but not one-touch up. The large rear pillars also negatively affect rear visibility, making lane changes and tight-quarters parking lot maneuvers challenging.
Weight is the enemy of fuel-economy, and most large vehicles suffer in this arena. In front-wheel drive 2LT form, the Traverse is EPA-rated at 17 mpg city and 24 mpg highway. I averaged 17.8 mpg over 557 miles in the Traverse, with a good chunk of highway driving. Interestingly, I filled the tank twice and got numbers that ran contrary to expectations. I earned 19.5 mpg in mostly city driving for the first tank, and 16.9 mpg for the second tank, which was mostly relaxed highway driving. Hard to figure, that.
The 2010 Chevrolet Traverse follows in the footsteps of its highly acclaimed platform-mates, and it gives Chevy dealers a strong product to sell in this segment. It's on the pricey side--I'd skip some options, such as the nav system, and instead spring for all-wheel drive--but it's competent, offers plenty of room, and it has a high-class cabin. It's definitely worth a long look.
