LEARN MORE ABOUT THE CHEVY TRAVERSE:
http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drives/FullTests/articleId=132113?tid=edmunds.il.home.photopanel..1.*
If the large, traditional SUV you're giving up represents trans fat, the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse you're replacing it with is unsalted, organic butter churned from the milk of grass-fed cows.
This is not a low-fat crossover SUV. Along with its siblings built on GM's Lambda platform architecture, the 2009 Chevy Traverse is the longest and tallest crossover on the market. Yes, it even beats the ungainly Mercedes-Benz R-Class. It's also longer than a Honda Odyssey or Dodge Grand Caravan. If you wanted a bigger family vehicle, you'd have to go back to driving a Chevy Suburban or Ford Expedition EL.
And yet just like the sort of large, placid Holstein cow you see on family farms, our 2009 Chevrolet Traverse 2LT AWD is amazingly friendly for something with such a large footprint. It does everything to make sure it doesn't step on you. You start to back up and a built-in camera display takes over the left side of the rearview mirror, while the sonar goes nuts if you get within 10 feet of anything shaped like a toddler. Then you glance to your right and realize you have the choice of looking in the regular side mirror or a built-in blind-spot viewer.
All the standard visibility aids on our Chevy Traverse 2LT tester can be overwhelming at first, but the car just wants to help you out. In doing so, though, it reminds you that you're not really downsizing when you get into a seven-passenger crossover. Rather, you're driving an SUV with the safety on.
<< Back to article
