When trying to choose the right Chevy SUV, there are quite a few to choose from; while this is undoubtedly a good thing, it can make shopping through SUVs for sale somewhat challenging, as you might feel overwhelmed by the abundance of choices. You need to ask yourself, “Which of these SUVs will best meet my needs?”
Each Chevy SUV has its particular strengths; you’ll want to consider your driving habits—like if your travels have you on surface streets more often than highways—and your passenger-hauling needs. You may have to chauffeur your kids and their friends around a lot, which requires more than just five seats; on the contrary, if you’re a solo traveler, you might only need those two rows. Perhaps you plan on taking some big road trips and need an SUV that can haul a camper. Of course, if you have a teen driver in the family, you might have some special considerations to make in terms of safety features and design.
Which Chevy SUV will hit it out of the ballpark for you? Consider the Equinox, Trax, Traverse, and Suburban as you move forward in your shopping process. Here are a few details about what makes these models so great and to whom they best cater…
The Chevy Equinox: Best for New Drivers
Do you have a young driver in the family who needs something reliable and safe? The Chevy Equinox should more than suffice. This SUV is outfitted with Chevy’s Teen Driver Technology, which is there to show new drivers how to safely drive a vehicle.
Teen Driver is more of a teaching tool than anything else. This tech can do everything from muting the vehicle’s audio to automatically turning on specific advanced driver aids that enhance safety. This system even offers an in-vehicle report card that gives you helpful information on how your teen is driving. If you notice areas that need improvement, this can help you address them.
Opting for the Buckle to Drive feature—which is an industry first—makes it so that your teen driver is reminded to buckle up before they take off. Should they try to shift the vehicle into Drive with their seatbelt not yet buckled, auditory and visual cues will be emitted, and shifting gets prevented for 20 seconds.
The Chevy Equinox is known for having some high safety ratings. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gives the vehicle many ‘Good’ marks on its crash tests and rates the frontal collision prevention system as being ‘Superior.’ The pedestrian detection system receives an ‘Advanced’ rating. Together, this indicates that the driver aids included on the Equinox are effective at keeping you and yours safe.
The Chevy Trax: Best for City Slickers
Do you live in the city? If so, you know all too well how crowded and narrow those streets can be. Traffic can get congested seemingly on a whim, and you might find yourself struggling to get around in a bulky SUV or pickup truck. Perhaps you need something more compact and agile with sharper steering and cornering capabilities.
That’s where the Chevy Trax can come in handy. Since its first generation in the 2015 model year, the Trax has become a popular choice for an extra-small crossover SUV. GM is making it a little larger for the second generation debuting for the 2024 model year, but the Trax is still a capable crossover that glides down cramped city roadways with ease.
The first-generation Trax concluded with a 1.4L turbocharged engine that offers more power than those before it. Still, when you’re driving city streets, you aren’t going to need huge bursts of power; the Trax gives you enough to get up and go from a stop.
The Trax has a lot of comfortable features built into it. The available Premium Seat package delivers faux leather upholstery with a heating function for the front seats. Also, you can stay safe with the Driver Confidence package with its Lane Change Alert with Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, and Rear Park Assist. Collisions are frequent in the city, but these functions can help prevent them from occurring.
The Chevy Traverse: The Best Family-Friendly Mid-Size SUV
Do you need something slightly larger that can accommodate your family? A midsize SUV might be your best bet, and the Chevy Traverse makes for a solid choice. Three rows of seats make it easy to seat multiple children; if you need to pop a car seat or two into the second row, you will have plenty of space to do so, and the LATCH system is easy to use with tethers and anchors you can access without hassle.
The technology included on the Traverse makes it easy to keep your family—and yourself, of course—entertained and informed. Wireless smartphone app integration via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is a standard issue, as is a 7.0-inch touchscreen display. Onboard Wi-Fi is also included on the Traverse.
Upgrading in trim levels earns you more tech gadgets, such as SiriusXM Satellite Radio, wireless charging, an integrated navigation system with the 8.0-inch high-definition touchscreen, and a 4.2-inch multi-color driver instrument display. There are multiple USB charging ports available so that your kids won’t be as likely to fight over who gets to charge their device first.
Safety is paramount, so expect to find a lot of advanced driver aids; Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning are included on each trim level. As you go up the trim level ladder, you will encounter more helpful features, like Adaptive Cruise Control, a 360-degree camera system called “Surround Vision,” and a Safety Alert Seat that vibrates the driver’s seat to warn of potential collisions and their direction of approach.
The Chevy Suburban: The Best Road-Tripper
Longing to take a road trip? You might find yourself pulled toward the large third-row Chevy Suburban. This full-size model has a cabin that’s beyond spacious. You can seat up to eight passengers, but if you do not need the extra seats, you can make room for a massive 144.7 cu.ft. of storage; that, of course, is especially important if you are planning on taking a long road trip and will be bringing a lot of gear with you.
An available hands-free power liftgate makes it easy for you to load and unload cargo. You can also opt for power-folding third-row seats to help make the process of making space even simpler. Behind the third row, you get 41.5 cu.ft. of cargo space; however, folding it down results in a whopping 93.8 cu.ft., which gives you plenty of room to work with.
The Suburban’s comfortable seats help make it road trip-worthy. The front seats come with standard power adjustability, and you can opt for leather upholstery on the first two rows. You can also get heating and ventilation functions on the front seats should you desire them. After a long day of hiking or walking around various sites on your road trip, the heating and ventilation functions can feel truly divine on your spine.
Consider Your Options, Then Hit the Road
Chevy offers a solid lineup of SUVs, all with something great to offer the right buyer. You can drive them for years and have a sense of security, knowing they are reliable and safe. These vehicles have an abundance of creature comforts, so no matter what you use them for, they’ll keep you cozy and entertained. GM ensures that each Chevy SUV they craft is fit for all kinds of purposes, so buyers must always carefully weigh their options before deciding which one to invest in.
