2016 Chevrolet Traverse

Other than the highly practical cabin and competitive pricing that starts at as low as $28,700 for the base trim there is hardly anything that the Traverse promises to offer that its rivals can’t. Speaking of rivals the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse locks its horns with the likes of Honda Pilot, Ford Explorer, and Buick Enclave. Let’s see in this review how this budget crossover SUV fairs against them.

The Chevrolet Traverse is offered in five trims, the Base trim that costs $28,700 is offered only with front-wheel-drive, the Base trim features a 6.5-inch touch infotainment system along with ample standard features. Above that is the LS trim that includes all the base features along with some upgrades, the LS starts at $31,205 and can be added with an all-wheel-drive for a $2,000 premium. The LT w/1LT starts at $34,005 and the LT w/2LT at $36,505. The top of the line trim LTZ starts at $42,145 and includes 20-inch wheels, variable effort power steering, and upscale interior features.

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We suggest picking the LT w/2LT trim that starts at $38,505 with all-wheel drive and includes features like eight-way power-adjustable seats, heated front seats, a power lift-gate, tri-zone automatic climate control, and a ten-speaker Bose audio system along with much more.

The 2016 Chevrolet Traverse is powered by a 3.6L naturally aspirated V6 gasoline engine as standard on all of its trims. The V6 engine puts out 281 horsepower along with 266 lb-ft of torque. The V6 comes mated to a six-speed automatic transmission and powers the front wheels as standard. 

All but base trim can also opt for the available all-wheel-drive Overall the engine feels smooth at all RPMs along with linear torque delivery which makes the Traverse a good highway cruiser. Although the aging V6 shows its weakness as the Traverse clocks 8.1 seconds to go from 0-60 mph and took around 16.3 seconds to cover a quarter-mile both the numbers are the slowest in the segment. The braking performance is also average as it takes a distance of 126 feet to stop from 60 miles per hour.

Coming to rivals, all of them are powered by a V6 but the Buick Enclave charges the highest for the V6 plus six-speed automatic gearbox combo. The Chevrolet Traverse has the lowest asking price among all. Although the Honda Pilot and Ford Explorer easily manage to beat the Traverse by a big margin in both the 0-60 mph and quarter-mile runs.

According to the EPA, the 2016 Chevrolet Traverse does 15 mpg in the city, 22 mpg on the highway, and 18 mpg combined when equipped with front-wheel drive, with four-wheel drive the combined mileage number drops by one mpg across all three parameters. The Chevrolet Traverse comes with a 22-gallon fuel tank and offers a respectable 330 miles and 480 plus miles range in the city and on the highway respectively.

As for the rivals the Honda Pilot even though has the best performance manages to outshine the competition in terms of fuel economy too. The Honda Pilot returns 3 mpg more in the city, 4 mpg more on the highway, and 3 mpg more combined compared to the Chevrolet Traverse. The Buick Enclave shares the mechanicals with the Traverse so it returns identical fuel economy figures.

The Traverse's cabin is quite a nice place to be in, it's spacious, quiet, and comfortable, especially the third-row seats which are more usable than most of its competitors. The third row on the Traverse can actually fit adults although average-sized adults. It is still impressive as it does not compromise the cargo capacity behind the third row. 

As standard, there are not many creature comfort features on offer but as you climb the trim ladder you will unlock nifty features like automatic climate control, power-adjustable seats, power-adjustable and folding outside mirror, auto-dimming inside rearview mirror, and a few more. Not giving these features as standard is the secret behind the competitive pricing of the base trim.

Talking about the cargo capacity, Traverse has the best in class cargo capacity, behind the third row there are 24.4 cubic feet of cargo space, if you fold the third row the space increases to 70.3 cubic feet, and folding the second row the cargo capacity jumps to 117.5 cubic feet which means the Traverse can haul a large family or 117.5 cubic feet worth of stuff. In terms of cabin space, the Traverse is only second to the more than generous cabin of the Ford Explorer. Although the Traverse has a more usable third-row space while the Explorer has a more spacious second row. Key interior features include:

• Front and rear air conditioning
• 60/40-split folding second and third-row seats
• Tilt-and-telescopic steering wheel
• Available power-adjustable driver’s seats
• Available heated and ventilated front seats
• Available heated steering wheel

How intuitive is the Chevrolet Traverse’s infotainment system?

The 2016 Chevrolet Traverse offers a 6.5-inch touchscreen display with AM/FM/CD player as standard for the infotainment system. As you go for the higher trims you will add Chevrolet’s MyLink infotainment system. For this year Chevrolet has also introduced the OnStar connectivity suite that adds 4G LTE connectivity with a Wi-Fi hotspot. Key infotainment features include:

• 6.5-inch touchscreen
• Six-speaker stereo w/ CD player
• Bluetooth audio connectivity
• Satellite radio
• Available 10-speaker Bose sound system

Since the Traverse was first introduced back in 2009 the design hasn't changed much other than a minor facelift in 2013 which only added some modern bits to make it look relevant. The Traverse is curvy with smooth flowing lines but does not lose the taller stance of a traditional SUV. The looks and design of the Traverse are simple, tasteful, and elegant. Overall, the exterior design of the Traverse is quite subtle which is perfect for buyers who don't like to draw too much attention. On the flip-side, this kind of design language ages well with time. 

Dimensionally the Chevrolet Traverse is second to none and is the longest vehicle and comes with the longest wheelbase in the competition. While the Buick Enclave remains 0.5-inches wider and 1.8-inches taller than the Traverse. The Ford Explorer has the highest ground clearance of 7.8-inches which is 0.6-inches more than the Traverse’s ground clearance. Key exterior features include:

• 17-inch steel wheels
• Rear parking sensors
• Automatic headlights
• Available power-folding outside mirror
• Rear spoiler
• Available 18- and 20-inch alloy wheels
• Available panoramic sunroof

The Chevrolet Traverse has put up a stellar show in the crash-test ratings of both the NHTSA and IIHS. The NHTSA rated the 2016 Traverse with a perfect score of five stars for the overall, front, and side crash test while the rollover test was rated as four out of five-star ratings. The IIHS gave the 2016 Traverse a rating of ‘Good’ in all its four parameters while the ease of use of LATCH was given the second-best rating of ‘Acceptable’. Key safety features include:

• Forward collision alert w/ side blind zone alert
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Lane departure warning
• Rear vision camera
• Front center side-impact airbag

The Chevrolet Traverse is strictly a budget family-hauler. It has loads of space and practicality with high-reliability ratings. But then you will have to compromise with the performance and the gas mileage. The cabin quality is also average for the segment and honestly, you get what you pay for. Thus if you are on a shoestring budget then only we would recommend going for the Traverse otherwise the Ford Explorer and Honda Pilot would be a far better choice.