It was a weekend filled with thrills – some came in the form of carnival rides and others had the Chevy logo emblazoned on the grill.
It was the final weekend of the Washington State Fair and Chevrolet was kind enough to let us test drive a 2020 Traverse. And so, our family headed down the highway in search of fried food, barnyard animals, and thrill rides – lots of thrill rides.
State fairs are always an interesting mix of art, food, people, and culture. We wandered through the buildings full of paintings, photographs, and sculptures. We saw the barns full of horses and cows. We dared each other to try some of the strange fried foods, like deep fried butter. And we played plenty of carnival games.
For my son, it was an opportunity to try a few things he wouldn’t normally find at home. An archery school had a booth where instructors helped kids shoot a few arrows at targets. My son loved that. The Boy Scouts had a booth where he could shoot BBs at a target, which was one of his highlights. You never really know what you’ll find at the State Fair each year.
Chevrolet had a few of their vehicles and some games at the State Fair, which was a nice opportunity to climb inside the latest vehicles. I used to own a small Chevy pickup truck, so I spent plenty of time looking at the Chevrolet Colorado and imagining how it might look in my garage.
My family has owned several Chevrolet vehicles over the years, which is why I really appreciated the opportunity to test drive the 2020 Chevrolet Traverse over the weekend. I was used to some of the older designs of Chevrolet vehicles – squared edges on buttons and the traditional look of the driver gauges. The Traverse really changed my perception of what a Chevrolet vehicle looks like with its modern design and numerous digital touches.
I used the 8” color HD screen along with Apple CarPlay to listen to music and to navigate during our drive to the Fair. The vehicle’s camera system was one of my favorite features because it gave me a 360 degree view when backing up or when parking. I usually second guess my parking job and open the door to make sure that I parked evenly between the lines. With the Traverse, I could just look on the screen to see if I had parked correctly.
During my test drive, I had the FWD Premier trim of the Chevrolet Traverse which offered several extras like leather heated and cooled seats, a Bose premium sound system, keyless open and start, and the OnStar services. It also had some really neat surprises. When I was walking out to the car at night, I pressed the unlock button on the key fob and a small Chevrolet logo suddenly glowed on the ground beneath the back bumper. It was a great way to help you find your car in a parking lot and a nice detail that fit with the vehicle’s refined design.
The 2020 Chevrolet Traverse offers the Teen Driver technology which lets parents set controls on what their children can do with the vehicle. It works by programming one of the vehicle’s key fobs with a “teen driver” profile. The parent can set limits on things like maximum vehicle speed or maximum radio volume. The system automatically turns on all the vehicle’s safety features like parking assist, blind zone alerts, collision alerts, and front pedestrian braking (all of which you normally could turn off manually). Teen Driver mode will also prevent the car from being put in gear if the driver isn’t wearing a seat belt through an all-new feature called Buckle to Drive.
On my second day of driving the Traverse, I used the key fob that we had programmed as the “teen driver” so that I could see how the system worked. I intentionally drove more aggressively than usual and the system gave me several warnings to help me drive more safely. I liked that the parental controls were made clear to the driver. When I started the vehicle it clearly showed the top speed. When I turned up the radio, it showed a red line to indicate my max volume.
It would be great to see Teen Driver become a standard feature on all vehicles in the years ahead. It’s a smart system that not only gives parents peace of mind but can also make teens better drivers. There are plenty of distractions on the road and the Teen Driver system is a great way to keep everyone safe while encouraging safe driving habits.
The 2020 Chevrolet Traverse is available in several trim levels which range in price from $29,800-$53,200 and is offered in FWD and AWD models. Thank you to Chevrolet for the test drive and for the day of family fun at the Washington State Fair.
