LIKES
- New safety technology
- Rides well
- Real room for eight
- Wireless CarPlay and Android Auto
- Well-damped ride
DISLIKES
- Simple AWD system
- Average fuel economy
- Not much choice
BUYING TIP
- Every Traverse has the safety gear we recommend as of the 2022 model year, so spend less to get a better bargain.
The 2022 Chevrolet Traverse moves families with quiet confidence.
What kind of car is the 2022 Chevrolet Traverse? What does it compare to?
The Traverse sits atop Chevy’s crossover family lineup, with seating for seven or eight people and a strong V-6 powertrain, coupled to front- or all-wheel drive. It’s a rival for the Honda Pilot, Kia Telluride, Hyundai Palisade, and Subaru Ascent, among others.
Is the 2022 Chevrolet Traverse a good car?
It’s a stronger entry this year, thanks to some meaningful updates. We give it a TCC Rating of 6.7 out of 10, a big uptick thanks to newly available safety gear.
What’s new for the 2022 Chevy Traverse?
With its base L trim dropped, it’s now sold in LS, LT, RS, Premier, and High Country versions. All now come with automatic emergency braking and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto—and all wear reshaped headlights and taillights that do little to change the Traverse’s pleasant but anonymous style.
Chevy suits up the Traverse for basketball-team duty—five starters get the best seats with lots of room and comfortably padded chairs. The walk-ons get row three’s less ritzy accommodations, but they should be glad to be there in any case. Cargo space excels, with roll-aboard space even behind the third row, and nearly a hundred cubic feet of storage behind the front seats when needed.
The Traverse earns good—but not great—crash test scores. This year Chevy has made automatic emergency braking standard across the board, and makes adaptive cruise control more widely available, too. A surround-view camera system and a rear camera mirror top off the safety technology spreadsheet.
How much does the 2022 Chevy Traverse cost?
We expect the base 2022 Traverse LS to cost about $35,000, with standard eight-passenger seating, cloth upholstery, and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. We like the all-wheel-drive Traverse LT with captain’s chairs in the second row, for about $40,000, while top versions push the $55,000 limit with leather upholstery, cooled front seats, and Bose audio.
Where is the 2022 Chevy Traverse made?
In Lansing, Michigan.
Styling
It’s refreshed, but not all that refreshing.
Is the Chevy Traverse a good-looking car?
The Traverse has been updated in front and back this year, but you’ll be hard-pressed to tell the difference. The lightly modified nose and new LED taillights blend into its long wagon body without a ripple. It’s clean and understated—to a fault. The slightly more upright and straight-edged style it adopted in its most recent redesign don’t stand out against the sensational style applied to competitors from South Korea.
We give it a 5 for styling, right at the median.
Performance
Reassuring ride and handling put the Traverse above average.
The Traverse puts a V-6 and an independent suspension to work, doling out an absorbent ride that’s its hallmark performance trait. It’s a 6 here, with a point extra for those moves.
How fast is the Chevrolet Traverse?
It’s just OK. On par with rivals, the Traverse taps a 310-hp 3.6-liter V-6 for power, and teams it to a 9-speed automatic that powers the front or all four wheels. It has plenty of tug: it’s strong from a stop and relatively brisk at passing maneuvers. It’s also ready for hauling chores, with a tow rating of up to 5,000 lb.
It works well with its 9-speed automatic, too, with nearly invisible gear changes—an accomplishment given the way it flutters between them as it seeks out the best fuel economy.
Is the Chevrolet Traverse 4WD?
It can be, but the rudimentary system offered in the Traverse requires a pushbutton activation for all-wheel drive. It feels outdated.
Big and heavy, the Traverse doesn’t try to hide its bulk on the road. Instead it uses it to its advantage. The Traverse rides very well, though it doesn’t offer the adaptive dampers that GM fits to its similar Buick Enclave and GMC Acadia crossovers. The Traverse trades off a little composure for that cost savings, but it’s not a huge difference. It still tracks down the highway with confidence on its four-wheel independent suspension, with quiet and comfortable ride motions and responsive steering.
Comfort & Quality
Eight is enough—and it’s not too much for the Traverse.
With the Traverse, Chevrolet owners can carry a family of eight, with room for some carry-ons behind the third row. That earns it a 9 here, with points added for cargo space, ample and comfortable seats for as many as five adults.
At 205.9 long, with a 120.9-inch wheelbase, the Traverse sits in the middle of its three-row crossover competition, alongside vehicles such as the Hyundai Palisade, Kia Telluride, and Nissan Pathfinder. It’s big everywhere, but front passengers have the best seats in the house; those chairs get power adjustment on most models, and all have the width and head and leg room for even tall adults. Chevy upsells leather, heating, and cooling for those with a flexible budget.
It also carves out plenty of small-item storage, with niches for wireless smartphone charging and water bottles.
Fold down the rear seat and the Traverse’s 23 cubic feet of space blooms to 57.8 cubic feet. Put down the second-row seat backs and it offers up 98.2 cubic feet.
High Country editions have premium trim inside, but no Traverse looks like bargain-basement leftovers.
Safety
Most of the Traverse’s crash-test scores are good.
How safe is the Chevy Traverse?
It’s safer this year, now that Chevy has made automatic headlights, active lane control, and automatic emergency braking standard. That’s worth a point, plus it gains two for crash-test scores, for an 8 here.
The IIHS gives the crossover a Top Safety Pick award, but note that it applies to the Traverse Premier and High Country models; they have headlights rated "Acceptable" while others were rated "Poor.” The NHTSA gives the Traverse five stars overall, but rates it at four stars for front-impact protection.
Features
The Traverse rises in the features ratings thanks to more safety technology.
The Traverse’s safety gains boost its score here. It’s well-stocked in standard trim, has good infotainment, and makes for a better value this year, too. On the downside its 3-year/36,000-mile warranty is just average, and options are nothing special. It’s an 8 here.
Prices aren’t final for 2022 yet, but with the base Traverse L gone from the lineup, the Traverse LS and its price tag of about $35,000 seem like a bargain for an eight-seat crossover with 18-inch wheels, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and cloth upholstery.
Which Chevy Traverse should I buy?
Still, we’d spend a little more for the Traverse LT with all-wheel drive, for about $40,000. It has a power driver seat, better cloth, and second-row captain's chairs—and can be ordered with a power tailgate, heated seats, leather upholstery, and parking sensors.
How much is a fully loaded Chevy Traverse?
The RS and Premier push the Traverse higher in the premium pecking order—but the summit is the Traverse High Country. At about $55,000 it has premium Bose audio, twin power front seats, heated first- and second-row seats, cooled front seats, 20-inch wheels, wireless smartphone charging, leather upholstery, and a panoramic sunroof.
Fuel Economy
The big Traverse isn’t great on gas.
Is the Chevrolet Traverse good on gas?
It’s just OK. Given its size, the 2022 Traverse’s EPA ratings of 18 mpg city, 27 highway, 21 combined are well within the range of eight-seat SUVs. But hybrid Explorers and Highlanders race past those figures, with the Highlander breaking into the mid-30s combined. Add all-wheel drive and the Traverse dips to 17/25/20 mpg. Either way, it’s a 4 here.
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