Chevrolet sells a full line of crossovers including the compact "Trax", the mid size Equinox, which to our eyes looks every bit as large as the range topping Traverse. Then you have your traditional full size, truck based SUV's, the Tahoe and Suburban. 
I'd be curious to know why someone would buy a Tahoe over a Traverse considering the interior space is very similar although, I'm not so sure a Traverse would pass my 4 X 8 sheet of plywood test like my Tahoe dies but seriously, how many times do I need a vehicle that big? Also, the step up to a Tahoe from even the top-of-the-line Traverse is astronomical which is saying a lot because a a loaded Traverse is not cheap. By the way, there hasn't been a mid size Chevrolet SUV since the Trailblazer bit the dust in 2009 and Chevrolet and GM have not peddled a mini van, which the Traverse and Equinox spiritually are, since 2008. I feel like Rip Van Winkle when I think about that. Where have a I been? 
Like the most recent Ford Explorer, the interior of the Traverse is cavernous and gorgeous. The fit, finish and detail of design are down right luxurious too. It's so nice I'd be compelled to dress up just to go to the supermarket and feel bad scuffing it up during a lumber run. Yes. Seating for up to eight but just as in our 2006 Tahoe, the jump seats way out back are best for little ones. And who'd want to sit back there anyway with no sun roof? By the way, and c'mon GM you're being misleading, you can't get the eight passenger seating with this fetching leather lined cabin. You want seating for eight you have to go down a level in trim and you can't get these seats; cloth only. Also, to get back to the third road seating on "High Country" Traverse models like the one pictured, only that right rear "captain's chair" folds forward to allow passengers an easier way to get back there. Mom and Dad, keep that in mind when you're juggling the kids and packages in the mall parking lot.
The top of the line Traverse "High Country" comes with a full array of today's modern safety, infotainment and off-roading features that help push the price of one to nearly, you sitting down? $53,000. That, friends, is a proverbial ess-ton of money for what amounts to little more than, again, a fancy, schmancy, modern minivan. Mini-vans have always been more expensive than cars but 53 grand is a ton. Speaking of tons, our loaded Traverse here tilts the scales at nearly two and half of them yet can go from 0-60 in 6.5 seconds and still manages a respectable 21 miles per gallon. That's impressive considering this thing weights the same as a '72 Cadillac deVille. Thank automatic start/stop for that. That's where the engine shuts off at red lights and instantly turns on when you take your foot off the brake. The Ford Explorer I drove recently had it and while I found it to be the weirdest thing at first, I quickly got used to it.
As much as I like the new Traverse I'd always feel that it's a 7/8 Tahoe and I know myself, if I sprung for one of these I'd always be pining for a Tahoe. Either way, both are very, very expensive. How the hell are people affording these things? Perhaps my wife and I are more financially conservative than most, go ahead, call us cheapskates, but at $53,000, before tax, tags and other ancillary nonsense, that works out to well north of a $1,500 a month over 36 months and more than $760 over 72 months. Sorry. That's just crazy. What's a $50,000 Traverse going to be worth in three or four years? Especially if you pile on the mileage. A thirty six month lease with no money down will probably run you in the neighborhood of $725 a month. For a rental. You can't win so that's why you should always buy used.
Spend your money they way you want. For my money, I'd scoop one of these up in two to four years and pay maybe $22,000 for it. If I'd have to go new, I'd just as well spring for a fully loaded 2018 Toyota Camry XSE V-6 and rent something like this whenever I needed more room. I'd pocket the $15,000, sock it away or blow on a trip to Hawaii.
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