Chevrolet has finally given the Traverse full-size crossover some much-needed attention. The brand revealed the 2018 Chevrolet Traverse at the 2017 North American International Auto Show earlier this week, and we certainly spent some time getting to know the latest utility vehicle.
So, we’ve compiled five things we like about the 2018 Traverse after scouring over the vehicle this week. The list starts right down below.
1. The exterior design’s profile
Chevrolet designers knew what they were doing here. The 2018 Chevrolet Traverse harkens back to the days of body-on-frame SUVs and mimics a familiar shape found in the Chevrolet Tahoe. In fact, the new Traverse is actually longer than the Tahoe, which is a true, full-size SUV. Even if the styling looks like a larger 2018 Chevrolet Equinox, it’s a much better-looking vehicle now. The new profile ditches the rounded look of the outgoing Traverse for the good.
2. Bountiful amounts of storage
Everywhere you look inside the new Traverse, there’s a cubby, a pocket or space to put whatever it may be. The storage should certainly be loved by families stepping into the Traverse. Heck, there’s even additional storage to be found in the rear hatch; the floor opens to reveal hidden compartments.
3. Third-row legroom is pretty great
Chevrolet believes the 2018 Traverse will arrive with the segment’s best third-row legroom. Right now, we think they’re right. We climbed into the third-row of the 2018 Traverse and found it was pretty comfy. Keep in mind, though, none of our staff is outlandishly tall. Adults may feel a bit cramped, but the kids should have no issues maneuvering about in the third row.
4. The wireless phone charging cradle
GM has done a few different styles of wireless phone charging, but we think the 2018 Traverse has nailed the best execution. The phone simply slips into a cradle right below the center stack. It’s in arm’s reach, in plain sight and sits comfortably with tall sides to ensure it does not slip out. The iPhone 7 Plus fit perfectly, but smaller phones may not be the same story. However, we think it’s an excellent touch.
5. The Chevy bowtie logo lamp
Chevrolet added a neat touch for the 2018 Traverse at the rear of the vehicle. A “bowtie logo” lamp is now present at the rear of the vehicle, which will illuminate the ground for drivers and passengers to activate the hands-free power liftgate. Necessary? No. Helpful? You bet.
Comments
ONE THING I LIKE ABOUT THE 2018 CHEVROLET TRAVERSE:
It’s not ten years old… that is all.
Another thing 2 pre- production vehicles. And no sign of jet black as an interior color.
With you all the way on the black. There are certain ways you configure a Cadillac CT6 and the only color available is black. $75k vehicle and you can have any color you want as long as it is black! Sad!
I don’t like that Chevy detuned the LGX for the Traverse. The idea of a fwd only, 2.0L turbo-powered Traverse RS is a joke, a Traverse RS should have the 3.6TT LF3 and the twin-clutch AWD that is apparently only available on the High Country
It’s bewildering how many different states of tune the same basic LGX 3.6 has. It’s rated for 335 HP and 285 torque in the Camaro and Cadillac ATS, CTS and CT6. The same engine is rated for 310/282 in the LaCrosse, 310/270 for the Cadillac XT5 (where did the 12 LBS FT of torque go?) and 308/275 in the Colorado/Canyon where it’s called the LGZ. Now here we are for 2018 and the LGX is being rated for a new low of 305 HP and 260 torque which makes zero sense considering it weights more than any of the vehicles above.
I like the new model. I have never owned a GM product, let alone a Chevy. I am very interested in this vehicle. It may push me to buy a GM product finally. My family is growing and I love outdoor pursuits, including hunting, camping and fishing… this might just be a perfect vehicle for us. We also do road trips to Florida, and other areas of the southeast and we drive from Canada. Looks big and comfy for long trips.
One thing I am not crazy about is that light gray interior color. I hope they have other options. I prefer darker colors like black or dark gray. I’d even pick a taupe/biege interior before that light gray – just looks cheap.
So how reliable have Chevy’s been over the past several years? How reliable is the outgoing Traverse? How does that reliability stack up against the main Japanese competition?
http://usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/cars-trucks/Chevrolet_Traverse/2016/Reliability/
3.5 – so a little above avg. That’s pretty good… thanks
Check out the 2013 and prior years. That will give you a 3 year reliability report. 2014 onwards are just a prediction.
true dat! ty
For those downvoting, take a look at the review. The traverse has better than average reliability; I was trying to point that out.
I own a 2012 Chevy Equinox LTZ V6. It was my first new Chevy since the early 80’s. I was always a Pontiac guy. The Equinox has been bulletproof. It will be 6 years old in August and has 67,000 miles. It has gone through 6 salty Ohio winters (counting this one). It has required no repairs, has no rust, and it has no squeaks, rattles or visible interior wear. I replaced the tires at 50,000 miles and the battery before this winter. That’s it! The original brakes and rotors still look very good. It is a very honest vehicle and is quiet and comfortable. Gotta say it has impressed me.
I am on my second Traverse (2011 & 2013 LT AWD) Both have been awesome vehicles with no failures whatsoever!
From my opinion You should buy Chevy Tahoe or Suburban it’s better and bigger than Travers.
Minor complaint I have with this and the Escalade/Tahoe is that the rear windows are not trimmed in stainless/aluminum as the other side windows! Either leave bling off all together or all windows trimmed the same. Just my preference.
All you seem to be good for is griping about some aspect of the vehicle.
Go away.
You should look at the previous track record of the Chevy Traverse. I personally own a 2010 and have had so many issues, mechanical, electrical and interior. GM does not stand behind their product. I have probably paid twice for this vehicle with all the money I have spent.
I have an 08 LTZ AWD. We are second owners, it was leased for a few years prior. Nearly 100k later it drives like we first got her but there is something to be said about regularly scheduled maintenance. Frankly, apart from the DVD player issue (not playing past 52mins) we have had no issues and frankly we love this vehicle. More than enough space for a family of 4 (including 70lbs pooch). The V6 and tow pack makes it an all around vehicle for a not so hardcore outdoor enthusiast or the weekend DIYer. Don’t pull an RV but plenty power and get up for a modest toy hauler. If they keep them priced at just over half of the Tahoe and then it is a no brainerd. I really like the new design but we will likely wait a few more years.
I love this vehicle, I have one concern. Where is the rear entertainment screens/ DVD player? I was expecting to see LCD monitors coming out of the back of the front seats! In regards to Chevy’s reliability, I have a 2016 Malibu and it’s great! But I am only 16k miles in. So we will see.
I had a 2010 Traverse. I bought it brand new and took great care of it. Only drove 12k per year and never missed a maintenance or recall. There were plenty of recalls. Then one day with my son in the car after picking him up from soccer practice I hear a big clunk and my steering stops working midway during a left turn. I was headed into a wall under an overpass but the curb stopped me. Magically a few seconds later the steering starts working again. Nothing seems to be wrong with the car. I get it to the dealer shaking but grateful it wasn’t worse. I discover GM has extended the warranty for the steering on my year and model to 270K miles and there is a class action law suit for this exact problem. I don’t know what’s more terrifying 1. A few minutes earlier and I would have run over a group of 10 year olds 2. My son was in the car and we could have been killed 3. GM hasn’t officially notified anyone of the problem or 4. They fixed it and wouldn’t put anything in writing and acted like it was no big deal.
I’ve always had Nissan’s and never had a problem. I got rid of the death trap Traverse when my Stability Track decided it no longer felt like working in the middle of a rainstorm and 2 more major recalls came in the mail. Hopefully my 2017 Highlander will do much better.
Well, the Takata airbag was installed in MANY Nissans (and other Japanese cars) including mine and 11 deaths in the US and 16 around the world were linked to those faulty airbags…
GM/Chevy isn’t the only company that has had some issues..
I can tell you some scary strories about my experiences with VW, such as the lights (interior and head lights) burning out on a very dark highway on a road trip.. smoke came out of the dash… I couldn’t see anything!
Another whining griper. I’ve got news for you lady – Nissan has had plenty of issues as well.
Go back to changing diapers.
So they fixed your car and even threw a huge extended warranty on it and you are mad about it?
Should they have taken you out to dinner and massaged your back for letting them fix it? At some point people have to realize and take responsibility for the fact they are driving machines and machines do fail and need repairs.
Sounds like GM went above and beyond.
Wow! Another insightful comment from a wonderful human being. I guess I should have only posted the warning if my son who was in the car with me had been killed or injured or better yet, if I had mowed down a crowd of people in na parking lot! Maybe that would have justified the comments.
Thank you for putting it all in perspective for me. You’re absolutely right, GM did the right thing by NOT doing an official recall and NOT informing owners their steering may suddenly stop working but instead taking the “let’s see what happens” approach, always effective.
Thank you again! I’ll make sure I never post a serious safety issue unless someone is injured or killed. Good idea. And I’ll write a thank you email to GM for not putting anything in writing about the repair and secretly extending everyone’s warranty without telling them. That warranty really did go above and beyond, you’re right again!
Best of luck, I’m off to get my backrub.
From what I understand the steering failure is limited to 2009 and 2010 Traverse and Buick Enclave.
Its ugly like a toyota chevy designers need help everything they have been designing lately is ugly and stupid like a toyota
U are in a minority. Many, including myself, feel that this is not only an improvement from previous gen, it is a very handsome vehicle (inside and out)
To each his own, I suppose..
I feel it’s a lot better than a Toyota but there are others better out there… we have to remember the Chevrolet is on the low end of the totem pole in the GM line up. Chevy is the Base company. They still have to leave some of their fancy designs for the bigger better companies like GMC, Buick, and Cadillac.
Your post reads like a 3rd grader composed it.
Go back to school.
Nah you don’t get uglier than a current Toyota or predator Lexus
My comments were meant to inform anyone with a 2010 traverse the steering failure is a known problem so they could be proactive and get it replaced BEFORE something horrible happens. I loved my Traverse but don’t feel comfortable with GM products right now.
Negative comments about car design is not only unproductive it has no place in this forum. Aesthetics are subjective and luckily there is alot to choose from to please everyone’s sense of style.
Well that doesn’t make much sense… vehicles are primarily made up of their design. If we don’t make comments about designs then that means designs don’t matter and if they don’t why do we have different designs… why don’t all vehicles look exactly the same and just have different power trains to differ the brands. That section makes no sense in the automotive world. I would rather have a car that has a power train AND a design that is thought out and treated like it matters vs a car that looks like they didn’t care about it at all and had no pride in it at all but has an “o.k.” power train.
I’m sorry maybe I wasn’t clear enough but you missed the point completely. Yes style is important and I was pointing out there is something for everyone but my only reason for posting was to make people who have that year, make and model aware of an extremely dangerous issue. It’s easier to fix it before an accident happens. I’m extremely fortunate I didn’t slam into the cement wall and I feel an obligation to let people know this is an issue. It’s not a recall that’s easy to find.
Instead this has turned into comments about who has the ugliest car.
Whatever car anyone has I’m sure they think it’s great while the person next to them might think it’s hideous.
Thanks for the comments. I just hope my initial post helps someone avoid an accident.
Your exact words were “Negative comments about car design is not only unproductive it has no place in this forum.” This “Forum” is about EVERYTHING on a car: design, power train, safety, tech and so on. Make sure your words reflect what you mean because what you said there was we aren’t allowed to talk about car design because it isn’t allowed and isn’t productive which is false. Thank you.
Wow! Thank you so much for putting me in my place. I so appreciate your comment. Very very helpful.
The next time I have a vehicle with a major malfunction that could literally kill someone I will make sure I post it on a site where people can be appreciative rather than putting in my place. You too missed the point. Aesthetics had nothing to do with my steering failing mid turn where I was headed into a cement wall with my son in the car. So while you are correct this forum is to discuss everything the negative and nasty comments regarding the looks of anyone’s car has nothing to do with what I posted and shouldn’t have been connected to my post.
I’m truly sorry I tried to warn anyone of the problem. Apparently being a caring mindful human being is lost on people like you.
Now how do I get off this stupid thread of negative comments?
Karen,
As someone who experienced a somewhat similar event, ( unfortunately mine resulted in a 35+ mph rear impact accident) I am truly sorry you are being demeaned and talked down to for simply trying to share what should be taken as important information. While it is true that all car manufacturers have their skeletons, we should all be grateful when any information comes to light that might save a life, injury, or trauma or any kind, be it of the body, mind or wallet!
As we all know, styling is subjective. We all have different tastes, but I don’t know how anyone could call the 2018 Traverse “ugly”. I see no angle of viewing where this car looks ugly. I agree with the comments regarding current Toyota styling. The front of any new Toyota/Lexus looks like a deformed snowplow. And the Prius is a study in complete ugly.
Every time I see a Toyota RAV 4 drive down the road I think to myself “if I looked like that I’d be mad too.” It looks like a sadden deformed puppy. I agree with you. I have yet to see a perspective shot of this Traverse where I thought “that’s questionable.” I think it’s good.
ya, Toyo design is nothing great… same with Honda, to be honest… thye used to have good looking models… looks like they’re trying to hard to be cool but failing badly
No Power side folding outside mirrors.
NO CD PLAYER = NO SALE.
Looking at the new traverse on chevy’s site I am seeing that the high-country is availible in Jet Black/Loft Brown, are these two seperate colors or one? Will there be the regular black, tan , and gray or do you have to get this brown when choosing the high country
Believe jet black/loft brown is only interior option for High Country. This is one option. Seats appear to be brown and dash black.
Heaven forbid they offer something outside the black tan and grey boring non color box. When this new Millennium began it was as if something sucked the life and color out of everything and made people very boring. Now cars are out and tall ungainly SUV/CUV and trucks are all the rage. Weird times we live in!