2012 Chevrolet Traverse

While many drivers use their car as a private sanctuary, free of others changing your AC settings or talking over your favorite song on the radio, many of us are often driving around in a packed car. So for those drivers that find themselves wondering how they are going to fit the last passenger in the carpool, the Chevrolet Traverse is worth a look.

The 2012 Chevy Traverse is a large crossover that features a smooth driving experience and a gigantic cabin that fits as many as eight comfortable adults. It has a carlike architecture that makes it more maneuverable than most large crossover SUV’s, but manages to include more interior space than other competing crossovers as well as good fuel economy and top crash test scores.

Interior Design and Special Features

If you are impressed by the sporty design of the outside of the vehicle, the interior of the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse is one to love. The only thing we would change (write this down Chevy) is to make the audio buttons and climate control bigger. Aside from that, the 2012 Traverse features a very attractive interior design and easy to handle controls and gauges.

The passenger cabin offers very comfortable seating for either seven or eight passengers, depending on whether it is equipped with the second-row captain's chairs or the 60/40-split-folding second-row bench seat respectively. Regardless of which layout you get, they are both very comfortable for passengers. Even the third-row seats are adult-friendly, which you don’t see every day from these types of vehicles.

As far as cargo space goes, the 2012 Chevy Traverse has 24 cubic feet of suitcase space behind the third-row seat. If you need more room than that, you can fold down both the second- and third-row seats and for an incredible 116 cubic feet of cargo room. The only vehicles that get more cargo room than the Traverse are minivans or Suburban’s, making the Traverse top dog in this category.

Trim Levels and Available Options

The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse has 3 available trims:  LS, LT and LTZ.

The LS trim is equipped with standard 17-inch steel wheels, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, OnStar, full power accessories and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, satellite radio and an auxiliary audio jack. One great feature for this trim is the split-folding second- and third-row bench seats that make it possible to fit 8 adult passengers comfortably.

The LT trim level gives Traverse buyers the choice between two available sub-trims: The first one is the 1LT package, which offers 18-inch alloy wheels, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, rear parking sensors, heated mirrors, an eight-way power driver seat and Bluetooth connectivity. The second is the more upscale 2LT trim, which brings all of the same features as the 1LT plus an auto-dimming driver-side mirror, a power lift gate, tri-zone automatic climate control (front, middle and back), remote ignition, a rearview camera and a 10-speaker Bose sound system equipped with USB/iPod interface and rear audio system controls. This trim can fit 7 people comfortably and features second-row captain’s chairs.

The Traverse LTZ trim is the most luxurious of the Traverse’s trim levels. It comes equipped with 20-inch wheels and power-folding mirrors. The LTZ Trim also makes the car more comfortable by including leather upholstery, and heated and ventilated front seats with driver memory functions.

The good news for potential Traverse buyers is that there are available option packages that can add some of the features on upper trim levels to the lower ones. Some of the notable optional add-ons to the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse include a back seat DVD player, a navigation system and dual sunroofs.

Under the Hood

The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse is equipped with a 3.6-liter V6 engine and has a six-speed automatic transmission. As far as the power train goes, the 2012 Traverse us equipped with front-wheel drive but has an optional all-wheel-drive system available.

In the LS and LT trims, the Traverse is able to produce 281 hp and 266 pound-feet of torque. In the LTZ, The Traverse is added a dual-outlet exhaust, which pushes it up to 288 hp and 270 lb-ft.

Front-wheel-drive Traverse has an estimated EPA fuel economy of 17 mpg city/24 mpg highway and 19 mpg combined. All-wheel-drive Traverse models are very close at 16/23/19 mpg. For the minute differences in gas consumption, we recommend just getting the All-wheel drive.

Safety

The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse is equipped with Antilock disc brakes, traction and stability control. It is also equipped with front seat side-impact airbags and side curtain airbags for all three rows.

Another great safety feature for the 2012 Traverse is GM's OnStar telematics service, which includes turn-by-turn navigation and hands-free phone connectivity.

In government crash tests, Chevy designers excelled with the Traverse, earning a top five-star rating for overall performance. The Traverse earned four out of five stars for overall front-impact protection and five stars for overall side-impact protection. The Traverse also earned high marks in the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) crash tests, where it was given the IIHS’s highest rating of "Good" in all frontal-offset, side-impact and roof-strength tests.

Driving Impressions

The 2012 Chevrolet Traverse offers good handling, a smooth ride and great comfort. It's much easier to drive than traditional large SUV’s and the 3.6-liter V6 provides good acceleration and pretty good fuel economy (especially for a vehicle of the size).

Verdict

If you need a good amount of passenger or cargo space but don’t want to look like a soccer mom in a minivan or deal with the driving hassles that come with huge SUV’s, the 2012 Chevrolet Traverse is the car for you.

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