Chevrolet Traverse

Earlier this month we teased you with some basic information on the 2013 Chevy Traverse and were awaiting its release at the New York Auto Show so we could provide more information. Fortunately, Chevy decided to not make us wait any longer and release a ton of information on the upcoming 2013 Chevrolet Traverse.

In the 2013 model year, the Traverse is entering its fifth model year, which is the typical timeframe for a refresh. Chevy is being careful not to shake up things too much by just adding slight touches to the exterior, keeping it from falling behind other models. The interior was another focal point of this redesign, as Chevy tries to make the Traverse a vehicle that the whole family can enjoy riding in.

With the Traverse coming into an extremely crowded SUV realm, which includes the newly redesigned 2013 Ford Explorer and the 2013 Honda Pilot, Chevy needs to come to the table with something that the others do not. To be perfectly honest, Chevy hasn’t done a great job at keeping its SUVs at the front of the class. Let’s see what kind of information GM is giving us before its New York Auto Show release.

Exterior

We’ll start by saying that if you were expecting a full redesign of the Traverse for the 2013 model year, you are going to be sadly mistaken. The basic body style of the Traverse remains the same, but Chevy definitely made some needed changes. The most noticeable of changes it the grille. Gone is the honeycomb grille and enter in a three bar main grille and a two bar lower grille. In the center of the main grille is a relatively large Chevy Bowtie emblem. The upper grille still bears similar chrome trimming to the 2012 model, but now the front end is set off with the additional chrome around the new lower grille.

Chevy also slightly restyled the headlights, giving them an edgier look. Along with the headlights, Chevy scrapped the 2012’s fog lights in favor of thinner ones on the 2013 Traverse. Another noticeable difference is the more stylized hood, replacing the bland hood on the 2012 model year.

On the back end of the Traverse, Chevy replaced the odd looking taillights with a more stylish set of lenses that just fit better in the new SUV market. Chevy also added in a step-style bumper and a chrome trim piece to the rear of the newly restyled Traverse.

From the front and rear, the 2013 Traverse has noticeable differences from the 2012, but from a side profile, they are very similar. It looks like Chevy was trying to do just enough to help draw in more buyers without losing its existing market.

Interior

The interior was Chevy’s main focus, expanding overall spaciousness and seating capabilities. The 2013 Traverse boasts as much as 116.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the third row seats removed and the second row folded down. With just the third row seats removed you have 70.3 cubic-feet of space and up to 24.4 cubic feet of space with all of the seats upright and installed.

The 2013 Traverse’s interior feels far different from the 2012 model, as Chevy chose higher-end materials. It also features soft touch surfaces on the instrument panel and top side of the front door panels, so gone are the cheap looking hard plastic inserts. It also features contrasting stitching to add a more stylish look, silver accents throughout and blue ambient lighting.

Chevy even upgraded the front seats, giving them articulating headrests that slide up, down, forward, and backward to provide the ultimate comfort. Also new on the Traverse is an eight-way power passenger’s seat. When you upgrade to the LT and LTZ models, you will also get standard wood trim.

The 2013 Traverse’s center console features a stereo unit with a 6.5-inch LCD touch screen. Also available in the Traverse’s infotainment system is Chevrolet’s MyLink system, which allows you to connect a smartphone for hands-free calling, and streaming internet radio. The center console also features larger and more comfortable-feeling climate control knobs.

You can have the 2013 Traverse’s interior in three different colors, ebony, Mojave, light titanium, and dark titanium. You can also opt for either cloth interior or leather.

As for seating capabilities, the 2013 Traverse can haul up to eight adults and has the option of two captain’s chairs or a three-seat bench as its second row seating. The second row SmartSlide system allows anyone – yes, even kids – to access the rear seats with just the pull of a handle.

Engine and Drivetrain

The Traverse’s engine remained relatively undisturbed from the previous year, as it features a 3.6-liter V-6 direct-injected engine that pumps out 281 horsepower at 6,300 rpm and 266 pound-feet of torque at 3,400 rpm when equipped with single exhaust. Dual exhaust bumps the output to 288 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque at the same rpm.

Sending the power to the wheels is a six-speed automatic transmission. Chevy modified the transmission so it shifts more quickly and consistently, adding to driver comfort. There are additional modifications to the transmission, but Chevy is mum on those details.

The 2013 Traverse will also feature an intelligent all-wheel-drive system. How this system works is to adjust the torque between the front and rear wheels in a variable fashion, depending on wheel speed, surface conditions, and throttle amount.

All of these components combined help the 2013 Traverse get decent fuel mileage. When fitted with front-wheel drive, the Traverse is rated at 17 mpg in the city and 24 mpg on the highway. With all-wheel-drive, this SUV gets 16 mpg in the city and 23 mpg on the highway. The 2013 Traverse has a utility side too, as it can also tow up to 5,200 pounds.

Safety

Chevrolet boasts the 2012 Traverse as “among the safest vehicles on the road,” yet it still felt that more safety features were needed. The 2013 Traverse will feature something that no other vehicle ever has, a center-mounted air bag. This helps protect the passengers on the opposite side of a crash, by keeping him from sailing across the vehicle’s cabin.

Other standard safety features on the 2013 Traverse are as follows:

• Curtain Airbags with Rollover Protection: On medium to severe impacts these air bags pop down and protect the passengers in the outermost seats. These also help keep the passengers in place during a rollover.
• StabiliTrack Stability Control with Rollover Mitigation Technology: Keeps the wheels from spinning and also prevents rollover.
• Rearview Camera: This is just what it says, a camera that transmits a video to the 6.5-inch screen inside the Traverse, giving the driver a clear look at what’s behind the vehicle.
• Four-Wheel Disc Brakes with ABS: Disk brakes on all four wheels, allowing for decreased stopping distances and ABS to keep the wheels from locking up on heavy braking.
• Front Seatbelt Pretensioners: In the event of a collision, these pretensioners hold firm to keep the person planted in the seat.
• LATCH: A child seat attachment system on the outermost seating positions on the second row seats.
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System: In accordance to federal law, the 2013 Traverse comes standard with a direct TPMS system.
• Hill Start Assist Brakes: This system briefly maintains pressure on the brake system once you release the brakes, preventing the vehicle from rolling up or down a hill while transferring your foot from the brake pedal to the accelerator.

Competition

As stated earlier, the 2013 Traverse is a part of a crowded SUV and crossover SUV market. Despite the growing number of SUVs, Chevy specifies just two primary competitors for the Traverse: 2013 Honda Pilot and 2013 Ford Explorer.

Let’s start with the Pilot. The 2013 Pilot seems like it will be a carryover from 2012, as it just received a restyling. In all honestly, from a pure looks perspective, the Traverse wins hands down. The 2012 Pilot is downright ugly and the 2013 is sure to be no better. The Pilot’s 3.5-liter engine produces just 250 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque, both are significantly lower than the Traverse’s ratings. Gas mileage is nearly dead even between the Pilot and Traverse.

On the inside, the Pilot is more of the same. Honda went way overboard with the bells and whistles on this model, making its dashboard a real distraction for any driver. The name “Pilot” is surely fitting, as the last time we saw a panel that cluttered, we were leaving a Boeing 777 and sneaked a peak at the cockpit.

In capacities, the Pilot really falls behind. It can only tow a measly 4,500 pounds with four-wheel drive and a car-like 2,000 pounds with a two-wheel-drive model. Lastly, the Pilot maxes out at only 87 cubic-feet of cargo room, which is nearly 20 cubic-feet less that the 2013 Traverse.

Okay now onto the 2013 Explorer. We’ll just start by saying the 2013 Explorer is one of the nicest SUVs ever built and nothing really completes with it. The new Traverse isn’t even close to looking as impressive as the Explorer. The Explorer also beats the Traverse in interior appearance, as it is a clean and refreshing look, yet remains modern looking. The two are very close, so the Traverse is at least in the same ZIP code as the Explorer in the interior department.

Under the hood, the Traverse stays close to the 2013 Explorer in the terms of standard engine, as the 2013 Explorer’s standard 3.6-liter V-6 produces 290 horsepower and 255 pound-feet of torque and gets nearly the same gas mileage as the Traverse. Where the Explorer separates itself in drivetrain is the 240-horsepower, 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine that gets 20 mpg city and 28 mpg highway. Where the 2013 Explorer annihilates the Traverse is with the newly announced Explorer Sport and its 350-horsepower twin-turbo V-6 engine.

In terms of cargo space, the Explorer is the worst of them all, maxing out at 80.7 cubic-feet behind the front row of seats. The Explorer also falls short in towing, as it can haul up to 5,000 pounds – 200 pounds less than the Traverse.

Conclusion

The Pilot is easy to eliminate, as Honda really missed the mark with it. Between the Traverse and Explorer it gets a little tougher. In terms of a luxurious look and feel, the Traverse wins, but in the true SUV look, the Explorer looks more the part. But the looks are deceiving, as the Traverse is also the more capable of the two at handling hauling and cargo.

Ultimately the true meaning of an SUV is to combine both style and utility and the Traverse meets both qualities. Based on the true meaning, the Traverse beats both competitors, as it is still a good looking SUV and beats both competitors in utility.

topspeed.com