"Bandit" (2bandit)
07/02/2014 at 12:00 • Filed to: Review, oppo review
2
5|
"Bandit" (2bandit)
07/02/2014 at 12:00 • Filed to: Review, oppo review | 2
| 5 |
The Chevrolet Traverse, one model in the overwhelming sea of CUVs on sale today. I had the opportunity to drive one for a few hours, these are my impressions. There are no scores because the car was so average it doesn't deserve it. Let's just say it got a 56/100.
(Disclaimer : This is not my car. My boss asked me if I was a good driver, I said yes, he told me not to crash then threw me the keys to the company car and told me to drive an hour south to Indianapolis. This was written without much bias as there weren't even any free snacks in the car to influence my decision. However, this car will be compared to my 2000 Blazer and 2nd gen Trans Am... the only other GM products I drive regularly)
The Traverse I drove is what I assume is mid level. Cloth seats but it had a V6, a backup cam (those things are weird...), leather bits, and didn't feel like a base model. The V6 was backed up with an auto trans with either five or six gears, I'm not sure because it wasn't a very interesting trans. It did its job - staying unobtrusive and moving the car - well enough without too many problems.
The thing had rather good power, it easily squelched the tires in first although it was wet outside. Passing was easy, I had enough power at my dispense to pass someone in the fast lane on the interstate... aka, it was much better performing than the 4300 V6 in my Blazer. The traction control kept interfering any time I wanted to pull away from a stop which was rather annoying.
The ride was what you expect of a CUV. It didn't have too much body roll but it did under steer. Good lord did it under steer. I genuinely feared for my life on exit and on ramps. I couldn't own the car for that fact alone, I can control over steer but under steer scares me. The steering was relatively heavy at low speeds but felt rather disconnected at all speed compared to my Blazer and Trans Am, is it electric? I don't know.
The brakes stopped the car without locking up, so good? They were better than my Blazer's... but my blazer also has 150,000 on it. Also not much pedal feel here.
The Interior was rather decent for a mid-level CUV thing. It was light years ahead of the rattly plastic-fantastic interior in my Blazer. It really is amazing what GM did in a decade, the quality in the Traverse is much better than the cars they produced during the "Like a Rock" era. Not everything was all fine and dandy in interior land though, the car had HUGE blind spots. I went to pass a car and much to my amazement (and terror) an entire minivan was hiding behind my B-pillar. I now understand what those little sub-mirrors that are within the bigger side mirrors GM included on the Traverse are for. It's crazy, how can a car with so much glass have so many blind spots. My Trans Am and Blazer are like greenhouses in comparison.
The exterior was there, it covered the interior and didn't let water in. It was also beige. So there. As far as crossovers go though, this isn't a bad looking car. The rear 3/4 view makes the car almost look aggressive.
As for toys and audio, the thing had a decent radio and sound quality was quite good. Although coming from my Blazer's "designed-for-people-who-wear-thick-mittens" radio and air-con controls, the Traverse's radio unit had too many small buttons that were hard to find while driving. This probably wouldn't a problem if I had more time to get use to it. It also had an aux input which while most cars have it today, I'm not use to it and found it nifty. The engine had a pointlessly quite exhaust note. I had to redline the engine in neutral with my windows down to remind myself I still had an engine. In that regard it is not quite up to spec compared to my Trans Am (which had open headers for a while). I'm not use to back-up cams but it was almost a necessity with how little you can see out the rear window. Chevy was tricky putting the screen in the rear view mirror, good for them.
In conclusion, would I own one? No, I like loud cars that go fast and harm the environment. Should someone who wants a good car to get from point-A to point-B who may also need to tug along a few kids and a goldendoodle puppy buy one? Sure, it's a good car and better looking than a minivan. I don't know what it costs to buy, but it can't be out of the range of most families.
Photo credit: GM Press Shots
Brian Silvestro
> Bandit
07/02/2014 at 12:09 |
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The amount of meh coming from that car is unbelievable.
Pretty much all cars that hurt the environment are awesome.
HammerheadFistpunch
> Bandit
07/02/2014 at 12:13 |
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Side notes:
All Traverse get the V6, its the only option
Did it have awd?
did it have dual exhausts (difference in output)
Personal note: I like the Lambda's I think they ride nice, have tons of room, get decent mileage and have above average capability. Granted they are, at the end of the day, a front wheel drive crossover with the same wheelbase as a Tahoe, even still. Nice products that have done well for GM.
EL_ULY
> Bandit
07/02/2014 at 12:19 |
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dang, the exhaust note was really that quiet huh. welp, If you have a couple kids and need the size at an ok price, this would make sense. No spec Miata but an everyday run about it's ok at best I suppose. Would recommend to someone to at least check out
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Bandit
> HammerheadFistpunch
07/02/2014 at 12:59 |
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It was not awd. I don't know what exhaust it had.
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HammerheadFistpunch
> Bandit
07/02/2014 at 13:00 |
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didn't notice if it was single exit or dual? oh well.