2023 Chevrolet Traverse RS is a not-so-sporty family bus

Once upon a time, there was a family on our street with a woodside Plymouth Satellite station wagon adorned with slotted mag wheels, a grass-pack muffler, and a full-width rear mudflap. That setup was unusual for a family carrier at the time, but it turns out their super-sporty satellite was simply ahead of its time.Today’s parent would love to have kids with her three It seems like you want to show the world that you’re cool too. A common way to do that is to opt for a sport-trimmed version of a three-row SUV. Chevrolet Traverse RS.

Chevrolet has fully embarked on this trend. In addition to the RS, its family-sized crossover can be sported in the Midnight Edition, Sport Edition or Redline Edition packages, offering various combinations of mostly black exterior elements. these are, Ford Explorer ST Line Volkswagen Atlas SEL R Line Black. Like their competitors, the Traverse RS’ sporty look is almost just an image.

Appearance and performance of RS

The RS has dark finish 20″ wheels (vs. 18″), power folding mirrors, black roof rails, black grille, black window surrounds and black badging.when The RS trim level first appeared in 2018 and features its own dedicated engine: 2.0-liter 4-cylinder with turbocharger. That setup didn’t exactly scream performance and could only be achieved with front-wheel drive. Turbo 4 has since been discontinued. RS now uses the same engine as all Traverse models. The 3.6-liter V-6 puts out 310 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque. And like the rest of the lineup, you can choose front-wheel drive or all-wheel drive.

The V-6 may not look like anything you’d find on any Traverse model, but it takes 6.8 seconds to drag this big machine to 60 mph and 15.1 seconds to traverse a quarter mile at 94 mph. Sturdy enough. As it happens, Chevy’s numbers match exactly what he measured on his 10Best winning car. kia tellurideand beat the 6-cylinder Jeep Grand Cherokee L (8.0 seconds to 60 mph, 16.0 seconds to 87 mph for a quarter mile). These results and Chevrolet’s real-world reactions don’t create the illusion that you’re driving a high-performance SUV, but they’re certainly good enough.

Chevrolet’s big V-6 with all-wheel drive nets EPA estimates of 17 mpg city and 25 mpg highway. However, in our 75 mph highway fuel economy test, it was only 22 mpg. Among all-wheel-drive six-cylinder competitors, Nissan Pathfinder Better results with 21 mpg city and 27 mpg highway EPA ratings. Volkswagen Atlas It gets 23 mpg from the EPA (18 mpg for that city range) and fares worse on the highway. However, in real-world highway testing, both beat the Traverse. Also Traverse he tows 5000 pounds. It’s the same as most of its competitors. If you need more towing capacity, jeep grand cherokee l or for full size rigs chevrolet tahoe or ford expedition.

The RS suspension is unchanged from other Traverse variants, but it’s unlikely to disappoint its target audience. Chevrolet engineers have done a good job of tuning the chassis here. The ride is docile, but not excessive in body movement. The steering could improve the on-center feel, but overall it’s neither too light nor unnecessarily heavy. You wouldn’t want to dive into a corner with this thing, but doing so would only cause passengers to spill their juice boxes anyway.

RS sits roughly in the middle of the Traverse hierarchy, the point where many desirable features become standard. These include adaptive cruise control, navigation and a multi-view camera system. The latter is necessary for maneuvering this large machine in tight spaces. , useful when backseat passengers or bulky cargo obscure your view, but also otherwise due to thick pillar woods. There is no doubt about that, so it is essential to check the side mirrors before changing lanes. Visibility is somewhat difficult, even with electronic helpers.

passenger and cargo space

Maneuvering the Traverse can sometimes feel like you’re driving a bus, but its ample dimensions make it easy to carry crowds. The second row is spacious, with chairs that slide forward and back to distribute legroom between the middle and rear seats as needed. The captain’s chair is standard here. If you want a 3 seater bench, you’ll need to drop it down one notch to the LT leather trim level. The third row seat is his one of the widest in the segment. His skinny teenager can sit there too, and it has seat belts for three people, which helps when carpooling. The RS equips him with USB ports and cup holders in the third row, which help offset the obscuring view caused by hard plastic armrests and fat C-pillars. With the third row, the Traverse has more cargo space than most other models. With all the seats flattened out, it’s just over 98 cubic feet, more than a segment.

The RS trim’s sporty interior decoration is subtle at best. Patches of red contrast stitching and gloss black trim are unremarkable. Instead, sensible and robust seems to be the vibe Chevrolet was aiming for.Certainly, this is Telluride and modern palisade.

The wise and frank also describes the driver’s interface. The 8.0-inch touchscreen display is modestly sized by 2022 standards, but it’s simple to use, and both smartphone mirroring and charging are wireless. Volume knobs, tuning buttons, and one-touch access to main menu items are all welcome. So are physical climate controls, traditional shift levers and adequate storage space.

The Traverse RS is a family ride with just a touch of sportiness. If that’s not enough to broadcast hip-parent status, you can always take another notch and find slotted magazines and mudflaps.