More to like in the reworked Chevrolet Traverse

A menu of Mark Glover’s AutoGlo car reviews can be seen on the Business page of The Sacramento Bee’s website – www.sacbee.com/news/business/article4005306.html

Sacramento, California – One of the drawbacks of reviewing scores of new motor vehicles over a given time is that you can become jaded … Expectations are locked in, and that sets you up for the occasional jolting surprise.

Take the recently reviewed 2018 Chevrolet Traverse FWD Premier, a three-row crossover sport-utility vehicle.  I expected some typical SUV fare.

What I got was more … much more.

Reworked for the 2018 model year, the current Traverse is a feature-stuffed player that, in my view, reaches out to virtually every need an SUV buyer can name.

In short, the Traverse I tested was an impressive work wagon-daily driver-road trip dreamboat.

Styling is pretty classic SUV, and fuel mileage is fairly typical for this segment – 18 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway.

Beyond that, things get pretty serious.

Safety and security features on the tested Premier – with a bottom line of $46,265 on the sticker – were what I’d expect from a $60,000 vehicle. Cameras all around, rear park assist, blind spot alert and surround vision were exceptional perks.

The interior features were likewise plentiful, including top-drawer leather surfaces, heated/ventilated seats, power tilt/telescoping steering column, multiple folding-seat configurations, a Bose sound system and a heated, leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Best of all, the 3.6-liter V-6 engine – matched to a nine-speed automatic transmission, by the way – was an able performer in city traffic, on busy freeways and on twisty country roads.  Performance actually felt stronger than the advertised 310 horsepower.

Freeway cruises were smooth and quiet.  Even with three rows of seating, the Traverse was agile in slalom maneuvers.

The thought ran through my head that this would be the perfect vehicle for a prolonged road-trip vacation.  You could carry family and plenty of cargo, and frankly, I couldn’t imagine getting tired in the cockpit as everything was that comfortable … plus lots of entertainment options to keep everyone interested.

Kudos to Chevy.  Their improvements ended up being just that.