First Drive Review
Saving the best for last might not have been GM’s intention when it finally introduced the fourth and final version of its acclaimed Lambda full-size crossovers—the others being the Buick Enclave, the Saturn Outlook, and the GMC Acadia—but after our short first drive of the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, that seems to be the case.
The New Malibu Maxx
The Traverse we first saw at the 2008 Chicago auto show was clean and classy, and the production version enters virtually unchanged, save for an ever-so-slight reshape of the headlamp lenses to claim a segment-best 0.33 coefficient of drag. Not accidentally, the Traverse’s fascia bears a resemblance to that of the 2008 Chevrolet Malibu, which is great-looking itself. Other nice details include an upswept rear window, flush-mounted roof rails, and mirrors with LED turn signals on LT and LTZ models.
Malibu influence can be found throughout the Traverse’s interior. The center stack cascades down toward the shifter and is tastefully decorated with silver trim. Illumination patterns also follow those of the Malibu.
As with the other Lambda crossovers, seven- or eight-passenger configurations are available, the dressiest combo by far being any of the two-tone color schemes combined with a second-row twin-bucket, center-console floor plan. The third row in all the Lambdas is generous, putting many other crossovers (and the Chevy Tahoe full-size SUV) to shame.
Materials are on par with those of the Outlook, which is to say pretty good, save some shiny plastic here and there, and the standard and optional features list is nearly identical, including dual sunroofs, Bose audio, a navigation system (now linked to OnStar), and a new in-mirror rearview camera.
Direct Injection: Much Appreciated
The Traverse, along with the other ’09 Lambda crossovers, will come standard with GM’s 3.6-liter engine, now with direct injection. In models with a single exhaust (LS and some LT models), the engine makes 281 horsepower and 253 pound-feet of torque (up from 275 and 251, respectively); upmarket LT and LTZ trims get dual exhausts, upping the output to 288 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque.
Although our brief drive gave us but a taste of each mill, we did find that the extra power makes for snappy throttle response and indeed helps one forget the Traverse’s 4720-pound curb weight (4925 for all-wheel-drive versions)—something we’ve complained about in non-DI Lambda trucks. Is it fast? No. But it can certainly get out of its own way, with plenty of passing power and virtually silent operation while cruising.
Fuel economy gets a slight bump to 17 mpg in the city and 24 on the highway for the front-wheel-drive version; all-wheel drive returns 16 city/23 highway. (The fitment of direct injection yields similar benefits for the Traverse’s GMC, Saturn, and most Buick-branded cousins.)
And trailer tuggers should know that towing capacity is an impressive-for-a-crossover 5200 pounds and that 90 percent of the engine’s torque is available between 2500 and 6000 rpm. Indeed, we pulled a two-ton boat-and-trailer combo around and nearly forgot it was there.
