A new baby in the family means an onslaught of relatives - and with the addition of a car seat to our lives, the amount of bottom space in the car is seriously depleted. What we needed was a generous-sized family SUV.
I was a little hesitant that the Chevrolet Traverse would provide the space solution we needed, it certainly didn't look very big from the outside, and even with the promise of seven roomy seats, I wasn't sure that I could convince six disgruntled in-laws to squash in. How wrong I was.
The spacious back seats turned out to be the ones of choice after the discovery of a DVD player and monitor, huge amounts of leg room and head space.
The Chevrolet Traverse really does feel, despite the reasonable price tag, like a luxury top-of-the-range family car. Lots of electronic gadgets, (touch screen GPS console) enough cup holders for the most dedicated coffee lovers (I counted 12), a sun and moon roof and storage space in every nook.
We did quite a bit of stop starting - shopping malls, sightseeing, and the beach - so we were very grateful for the middle row of seats and their easy flip-down movement, which made loading up and getting back on the road a breeze, even for the not-so-nimble parents. (I hope they aren't reading this!)
My only concern was the boot space. With all seven seats in action, we could still fit in the buggy and a few shopping bags, but I'm not sure suitcases would have made the cut. The boot did have an automatic open/close function, which was very novel for me considering I have only recently upgraded my own car to one with central locking. Remember to check how close you are to the wall behind you after parking before you push the button, otherwise you could end up damaging your perfect new set of wheels. I had a very close call!
Does it man up?
I'm not sure about you, but when I hear "family SUV" images of something large and bus-like come to mind, so I was pleasantly surprised when I first caught sight of the Traverse. It certainly didn't look like a typical family SUV. It has a low slender profile and its handling feels like a nimble saloon car with a grunty V6… so no need to hide from other drivers when you stop at the lights. But the coolest thing about this car, if you'll pardon the pun, is the air-conditioned seats - simply fantastic!"
- Cameron Cairns
Checklist
Price: Dh109,900
Colour choice: Nine
Aircon: Separate front and rear air conditioning plus air-conditioned seats!
Safety: Integral spotter mirror for blind zone; airbags for front and back passengers.
Parkability: Rear ultrasonic parking assist with rearview camera.
Cup holders: 12
Other features
- Trailer hitch
- All-wheel drive
- Under floor cargo storage
- Tyre pressure monitor system
- Individual reading lights
- Remote keyless entry