This week I bring you the 2023 Chevy Traverse RS, a large SUV meant to compete with the likes of the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, and Honda Pilot. The Traverse went through a huge re-do in 2018, and there was slight refresh for 2022.
The exterior of the Traverse looks great in my opinion. It features a sleek front fascia with fog lights, distinctive lines down the sides, a built-in spoiler and dual exhaust. The 20” black wheels look terrific and overall, you see styling cues from the popular Chevy Tahoe, the Blazer, and Equinox SUVs.
Under the hood, you’ll find a 3.6-liter V6 engine and a 9-speed automatic transmission that is putting out 310-horses. My review vehicle is all-wheel drive, but two-wheel (front-wheel) drive is standard.
The 2023 Traverse comes in five trim levels. Starting at the bottom, there is an LS, LT, Premier, the sporty RS model, which I am reviewing, and the High Country, which is the top-of-the-line luxury edition.
You can tell as soon as you enter the cabin that the RS has a premium interior. Stitching is abundant with a mix of soft touch materials that really sets everything off. The interior is not only super nice, it is quite functional.
The gauges are bright and colorful and in the center of them is a driver information center that operates from the steering wheel, which is heated.
The power and heated , but not air-conditioned front seats are extremely comfortable, and the Traverse has a ton of headroom, even with the dual-pane moon roofs overhead.
Moving to the second row, my review vehicle has captain chairs making this a 7-passenger, but you can get a bench seat too, giving it seating for 8. The third-row seat is as roomy as any I’ve seen without going all the way to an SUV the size of large ones like Tahoe and Suburban.
To get to the third-row seat, the right side second row seat tilts and slides forward allowing easy access, and it is simple to operate. It would even work great with a child seat strapped in, without the child in it of course.
When you go around to the tailgate, it is power and works hands-free by waving your foot under the bumper. There is actually very good cargo area behind the third-row seat, and there is even more storage underneath. It is clear GM set out to make the new Traverse extremely roomy. With all the seats folded down, there is whopping 98.2 cubic feet of storage.
The RS comes extremely well equipped and has $2,100 in options, including the dual pane power moon roof, and trailer towing package. In a sign of the times, there is a $50 credit for removal of the rear parking system to save some chips.
On the safety front, Traverse has it all. You get rear park assist, lane change alert, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and forward collision alert with automatic braking.
Some features I really like include Teen Driver, so you can monitor and control your kids or a valet parker. It also has the rear seat reminder. If you open either of the back doors, when you get where you are going, it will remind you there may be something in the back seat, like a kid or a pet. The rear view mirror is pretty amazing, too. It works like a normal mirror, but with the flip of a switch, it turns into a wide-angle rear video camera. This is really useful if you have three people in far back seat blocking your vision.
The Traverse rides and handles really well for its size, is whisper quiet inside, and you can choose from four different drive modes with the all-wheel system. One of those modes is for trailer towing, which keeps the gears lower for pulling loads of up to 5000 pounds.
Fuel economy is good for a 4,700-pound SUV. It is rated at 17 in town, 25 on the road, and 20 overall. It does have the stop/start system, but unlike the last Traverse I reviewed several years ago, it can be disabled with the push of a button.
I love pretty much everything about the Traverse. The room between the 3-rows of seats is terrific and as a bonus the huge cargo area. The 3rd-row seat is not power, but operation both up and down is simple and easy.
Price-wise, this Traverse RS comes in with a sticker price of $49,740, which I consider to be an excellent buy based on the terrific interior, vast amount of room, and high level of standard equipment.