Finding a Happy Medium With Chevy Traverse
By Salima Jivraj @halal_foodie & and online halalfoodie.ca
The look on my husband’s face when I proclaim to him I’m by buying a minivan is priceless. I think I age him a few years every time I say the “M” word.
There’s nothing wrong with owning a minivan, we’ve borrowed them from family and friends several times when we need to move something large or take a road trip. It feels great; so much space to move around, storage and conveniences built right in. But the thought of owning one just doesn’t sit well with the mister.
However, it’s time to look at our options and weigh out if we do in fact, need to take the minivan route. I’ve managed to get him to agree with certain terms; tinted windows so dark they’re borderline illegal and he must never drive; he is to always sit in the back watching movies with the kids. Not looking so good for me so far!
When a test drive opportunity came up with Chevrolet, I did a little research and thought their large crossover vehicle Traverse fit the bill. All the styling of a sport utility vehicle (for my husband) with the practicality of a minivan (for me!) Add in good fuel economy for its class, I’m thinking this could be the one.
I drive about 130 kilometers a day to and from work so I’m visiting gas stations roughly twice a week. I need a car that won’t drink gas. But I also know that if I want a bigger car, I have to make some sacrifice in this regard. Surprisingly I was more than happy with the Traverse and its gas consumption. I wasn’t breaking the bank even with adding on a few more kilometers each day running errands after work; something I was not able to do with my tiny commuter car! I don’t really understand the specifications manufacturers give with fuel economy, but I do know that I was able to go longer before needing a fill-up.
As for features, I have plenty to cover with safety, comfort, performance and storage.
Extra safety mirrors and back up camera make up for poor visibility through the rear window. The blind spot mirror is a little curved bubble that sits on the edge of each side view mirror. It gives you an angled view of what you wouldn’t normally see. The back up camera automatically appears on your rear view mirror when you shift into reverse. The beauty of having this right on your rear view mirror is you don’t have to look at two different places like your dashboard. Sort of like picture-in-picture!
Another great feature is the heated AND COOLED seats. I have never experienced or even heard of cooled seats before. Heat waves + leather seats = total sense. The sensation admittedly was slightly strange at first, but if it prevents your back from sweating puddles or being burned by smoldering leather, it’s a minor sacrifice!
One thing I did not expect was the fabulous 6th gear. It kicked in unexpectedly when I was going to pass someone on the highway just as I thought to myself, will this car pick up quick enough? Handling was better than I expected as well. Not as firm as a European counterpart, but I really did feel like I was driving a car vs. larger SUV which makes transitioning from a small to large vehicle quite smooth.
Storage and space is the winning feature in my opinion for the Chevrolet Traverse. From my experience, SUV’s with an optional third row are almost unusable and when you have the third row activated, you lose almost all trunk space. The traverse third row was spacious enough for an adult to sit comfortably and the trunk space was more than enough with it active
One of my biggest challenges as a mom is grocery shopping with the kids on our way home from an outing. With the endless “supplies” like strollers, bags, groceries, toys, etc. in a car, you have to be extremely creative or just make multiple trips. With the Traverse, we had our two children in the middle seats and folded down the third row to get a HUGE space, which comfortably fit EVERYTHING. The ease of folding the third row in and out was very easy as well, one-handed easy actually. And the mechanics felt smooth without having to play tug-of-war. All the little cup holders and cubbyholes were really handy too, especially when you need to quickly put something away and tend to a little one. Everything has its place and there’s a place for everything.
I couldn’t be happier with the Chevrolet Traverse. It met all of our needs and I couldn’t find anything to complain about. It solves our problem of style and space – with room to grow!
©masalamommas and masalamommas.com, 2016-2017. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this site’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited. Links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to masalamommas.com and Masalamommas online magazine with appropriate and specific direction to the original content.
Share this:
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
There are no comments
Add yours