After months of reviewing only family-oriented transportation, this particular blogger began a streak of judging high-horsepower sports coupes. It's damn near impossible to complain about something with more power than anyone should ever need, but after a while my family got tired of trying to shoehorn five-year-old twins into the cramped back seat of a coupe. That's why we were most relieved to see that the 2009 Chevy Traverse was ready for a run in the Autoblog Garage.

The Traverse is the latest though maybe not last Lambda crossover, and since it dons General Motors' high volume Bow Tie badging, it's likely the most significant, as well. It is GM's least expensive eight-passenger crossover while also carrying the distinction of being the most efficient and most powerful Lambda. Does that make the Traverse the best of GM's Lambda litter? We took on the massive people hauler for a week to find out for ourselves.



Photos copyright ©2008 Chris Shunk/Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for a gallery of high-res pics.

When the 2009 Chevy Traverse goes on sale in September, it will be the fourth, eight-passenger Lambda-based crossover to come from GM. The bow-tie CUV will carry the lowest starting MSRP of the quartet, and it will also carry the most power, with 288 hp and 270 lb.-ft. of torque, along with the highest towing capacity of 5,200 lbs.

Hit the jump to view several comparison videos that pit the Traverse against one of its main competitors, the Toyota Highlander. The first video is a walk-around of the Traverse to point out unique styling points, and from there it's all competition. We judge everything from the interior volume to the driving experience, and then take the two CUVs into uncharted territory -- the track. Enjoy!

General Motor's "commercial grade" truck unit may be losing two of its planned products, leaving some to contemplate the future of the nameplate in general. It's too early to consider GMC dead, but with the apparent cancellation of the next-generation Acadia CUV as well as the planned unibody truck inspired by the Denali XT Concept, GMC dealers are likely left wondering what, beyond the new GMC Terrain, they are supposed to be selling in the next few years. We're not all that sad to see the Acadia go as the Chevy Traverse is a better looking overall package and it makes more sense to offer the CUV as a Chevrolet anyway. What's more, with most GMC dealers also offering Buick vehicles, they'll still have the Enclave to offer potential customers.

Current rumors also predict an end to the Saturn Outlook, the slowest seller of the original Lambda-based trio, which would leave the Enclave and the Traverse as the two remaining GM crossovers. There still seems to be a good chance that Chevrolet will get an SUT based off the platform as well, so nothing too important seems to have been lost with this decision.

[Source: GM Inside News]

At the Chicago Auto Show, Chevrolet rolled out the fourth and hopefully final member of its Lambda crossover family, the new Traverse. By the way, according to Chevrolet the proper pronunciation puts the emphasis on the second syllable. Like its Saturn, GMC and Buick siblings, the new Traverse is a full-size vehicle that is almost the same size as the Tahoe. That means it has seating for up to eight occupants, although three in the last row is a bit of a squeeze.

GM invited the media out to its Milford Proving Ground last week for a first drive of the Traverse, which of course we attended on your behalf. We had the chance to sample the big CUV in several different scenarios against what the marketing staff consider its main competitor, the Toyota Highlander. We ran the Chevy and Toyota back to back on the ride road, the skid pad, a lane change and slalom course and while towing a 4,200-lb boat. Check out how the Traverse fared after the jump.



Photos Copyright ©2008 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Chevy Traverse

The fourth addition to General Motors' lineup of Lambda CUVs, the 2009 Chevy Traverse, has officially been priced from $28,990, which includes a $735 destination charge. As with most Chevy models, the Traverse can be had in LS, LT and LTZ models. It will be the first and only Lambda CUV to be equipped with the direct-inject version of GM's 3.6L V6, which must irritate Buick Enclave owners who have paid a lot more for their Lambda sans DI, that will be mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. The 3.6L DI V6 produces 288 horsepower and 270 pound-feet of torque in the Traverse, and can power the front wheels or all four in AWD models. The Traverse can also carry eight people if you opt for the second-row bench, though we imagine those several passengers stuffed in the way back will not be your friends anymore upon arrival. Unfortunately, Chevy has not released any more detailed pricing information, so we can't say just how expensive the 2009 Traverse can get if you load it up an LTZ model with all of the bells and whistles. Regardless, with the best engine among all the Lambda CUVs, it'd be our choice of the lot.


[Source: GM]

click above for more high-res live shots of the 2009 Chevy Traverse

As was previously mentioned, Autoblog is here at the 2008 Chicago Auto Show, doing our best to bring you up to speed on all the latest live reveals. We made it down to the GM booth early in the morning for the official debut of the 2009 Chevrolet Traverse, and it was pretty much exactly as we expected: another Lambda crossover, platform mate to the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave. Looks-wise, the Chevy Traverse is not the least attractive Lambda (looking at you, Outlook), but the Acadia and Enclave have it beat. Though Chevy claims that it used styling cues from the Malibu midsize sedan in the Traverse's design, we don't think they work as well on a CUV of this size. Especially note the grille, which apes the current Chevy design language to a tee. As Alex mentioned, the headlights look a little mean in pictures, but less so in real life. We like the upswept rear quarters, which remind us of the Enclave - by far the best looking Lambda. Other than that, everything remains status quo, with the 3.6 liter V6 engine, 6-speed automatic transmission, your choice of front-wheel or all-wheel-drive and seating for either seven or eight.

The presentation that GM put on for the Traverse was much less agreeable than the actual vehicle. Involving a family of two parents and their four children (all actors, for sure) reciting a contrived script, it reminded us of a high school play, though thankfully was much shorter.

click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Chevy Traverse

Let's cut right to the chase. Everything about the 2009 Chevy Traverse that will be unveiled later today in Chicago is stuff we pretty much already know. As the fourth Lambda-platform crossover from General Motors, the basics have been introduced already in the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook and Buick Enclave. The Traverse is a roomy seven (or eight)-passenger crossover with a well-organized cockpit, whose details differ only slightly from its platform sibs. That's been GM's M.O. thus far, so why should the Traverse be any different? Power, like the other Lambdas, comes from the 3.6L V6 with direct injection, which makes 281hp/253 lb-ft or 286hp/255 lb-ft in the Bowtie version depending on whether the vehicle is equipped with a single or dual exhaust. GM promises "best in class" fuel economy (final numbers are still TBD), but our experience with the other Lambdas (non-DI 3.6 VVT models) has been that they averaged in the mid teens during real-world driving.

The Traverse comes in third in the looks race behind the Enclave and Acadia and ahead of the Saturn Outlook. In front, the jumbo-sized Chevy grille is the dominant element, flanked by some rather angry-looking headlamps. In profile, the Traverse has a lot of Enclave to its looks, with pronounced but less-sculpted rear haunches and similarly-shaped glass. The rear end is highlighted by some very funky-looking taillights. Other than that, you feel like you've been here before, mostly because you have. GM hasn't announced pricing yet, but there'll be LS, LT and LTZ trim levels with both 2WD and AWD available. Given that the Chevy should be competitively priced and has a large dealer network, we wonder how many sales it's going to cannibalize from its siblings -- particularly the Outlook. We'll find out this Summer when it starts appearing in showrooms.

[Source: GM]

The Chicago Auto Show -- assumed by at least one journalist to be Detroit's greatest threat -- is a scant two-and-a-half weeks away. That means it's time for the first bits of info on the vehicles that will be showcased in the million-plus square feet of McCormick Hall.

The not-so-sexy debuts will include the Chevrolet Traverse (or whatever it ends up being called) doing its CUV thing on GM's Lambda platform. Also on deck for its first at-bat will be Suzuki's nipped and tucked version of the Nissan Frontier, possibly called the Suzuki Equator. The party at VW will be all about its new US-market minivan, the Routan -- which we know is a made-up word, but sounds to us like some sort of primate, or maybe an equatorial vegetable.

So far, the top spot for debut hotness is held by the Dodge Challenger, which has lately been photographed running around naked just about everywhere. There's a rumor -- or a guess, whichever you prefer -- that the also recently-naked Camaro could make an appearance in an attempt to put a beatdown on the Challenger. Other rumors have the debut of the production Camaro still a year away. Either way, Autoblog will be there to give you the steady feed. Stay tuned.

[Source: The Car Connection]

We've seen spy shots of the 2009 Chevy Traverse, the bowtie brand's upcoming large Lambda-based CUV. Whether those spy shots are of the same vehicle we see above is a matter of debate. The image you see here, while grainy and potentially a photoshop experiment, appears to be an official image of the '09 Traverse that made it's way out GM's hands somehow. Being a stablemate of the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia, and Buick Rendezvous, you can see that the Traverse pictured shares its doors and perhaps its roof with those vehicles, but everything before the A-pillar is all new, as well as the C-pillar out back, which features an upkink not seen on the other Lambdas. The other thing that suggests to us that this picture may be real is the background, which appears to be one of the many standard backdrops against which GM photoshops its press shots. While there's no conclusive evidence this is the production 2009 Chevy Traverse, we can't imagine the real deal will look much different.

[Source: The Hollywood Extra]

click image above for high-res gallery

While the name Traverse is not set in stone, the arrival of a Lambda-based CUV for Chevy is. Joining the Saturn Outlook, GMC Acadia and Buick Enclave will be this model caught for the first time on the Las Vegas strip, of all places. Condenamed the GMT 561, the Traverse is on a fast track to production and will likely be built at GM's Springhill, Tennessee plant starting in August of 2008, which means it should be labeled as a 2009 model. Chances are we'll see its first public debut at either the Detroit Auto Show in January or Chicago show in February.

While it's hard to tell based on the spy shots, the front end will likely carry styling cues over from the new Chevy Malibu, which is fine with us. The only real question is whether or not the Traverse will grow Lambda sales, or merely cannibalize them from its siblings. We expect it would be the value leader among the group, slotting below the Outlook in price and equipment. Does the Traverse make for one too many full-size CUVs in GM's stable? Perhaps, but at least the "new GM" is badge engineering vehicles that are good to begin with, spreading the wealth around its brands rather than saddling them with poorly made copies of below average vehicles.

[Photos: Brenda Priddy & Co.]