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Redline traverse4/2/2023 And now that the stylish and premium new Grand Cherokee L is coming to take its place as King Big, the Traverse just keeps sinking deeper on our list of favorites. Both Hyundai and Kia have huge design wins on their side with the well-rounded Palisade and Telluride. The number of Explorer variants from the Hybrid to the ST make it compelling. Being bigger than the rest means there is reason to buy it over others, but the Traverse is missing that standout factor that sets it apart like so many others in this class have. If basic and super-huge family transportation is all you’re after, the Traverse can fit that bill. In order to remain cheap and big, you feel the consequences in subpar material quality. The design story doesn’t improve much inside. Competitors like the Kia Telluride, Ford Explorer and others are much more attractive and enticing vehicles. It’s a box with rounded edges - no other vehicle in GM’s lineup gets closer to capturing the minivan aesthetic than the Traverse. There’s very little imagination to the design and styling in most trims (the RS pictured above is the best looking of the bunch). That’s great for somebody who wants the most utility for their dollar, but the Traverse leaves much to be desired in other areas beyond size. Most three-row crossovers are large, but the Traverse apes all except the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee L in length. The Kia Telluride, Honda Pilot, and Nissan Pathfinder, meanwhile, undercut the Traverse in their most expensive forms.Big is the operative word when it comes to the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse. The range-topping Ford Explorer Platinum comes with a more powerful and more efficient hybrid powertrain and offers a twin-turbo V6 as an option. But if space isn't your number one priority, there are better values on the market. That’s the smart buy if you’re shopping for a three-row Chevy crossover. The LT Leather trim, with all the same active safety equipment, an identical 8.0-inch touchscreen, and the rear camera mirror, is available for about $48,000. Instead, consider a Traverse other than the High Country. That’s a lot of cash for a vehicle without a premium badge on the nose. All-wheel drive adds $2,200 to that figure, while my tester’s $495 Radiant Red paint brought the sticker to $56,090. The Traverse might be a good value if you need room, but the range-topping High Country is (like so many other premium trims of mainstream three-rows) a pretty poor value, adding $17,480 to the Traverse’s $35,915 (including the $1,395 destination charge) base price, for a trim price of $53,395. The nine-speed engages readily off the line, but while underway, its focus is more on smoothness and refinement rather than swapping gears quickly. In the real world, the Traverse’s V6 and nine-speed auto work well together – power builds gently although the engine is responsive when given a boot full of throttle. Despite best-in-class standard horsepower, the Traverse’s 5,000-pound (optional) tow limit ties the Pilot and Telluride and trails the Explorer (5,300 pounds) and Pathfinder (up to 6,000 pounds). Only the turbocharged, 300-hp Ford Explorer out-twists the Traverse, with 310 lb-ft. The 3.6-liter V6 packs 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, which outguns the Kia Telluride (291 hp and 262 lb-ft), Honda Pilot (280 and 262), and Nissan Pathfinder (295 and 270). The Traverse’s performance is adequate but, like so many other vehicles in the segment, totally unexciting. Output: 310 Horsepower / 266 Pound-Feet.
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