I'd like to take a moment to thank the good people of Chevrolet for naming their latest SUV after me. I'm deeply moved. Really.

I'm so moved I hate to have to point out a couple of problems, but here goes: The first is, as some of you know, employees of Consumer Reports cannot accept gifts from manufacturers—not even small ones. However, given that the Traverse is a clear tribute to my paternal name, it does feel like a gift and it creates an ethical quandary. The second thing is, they spelled my name with one "e" too many. (A clear sign of excess budget.) For the record, it is "T-r-a-v-e-r-s."

Still, it's the thought that counts. And making it all the more of an honor, the Chevy SUV is based on the excellent Buick Enclave and Saturn Outlook, which scored highly enough in our ratings to become our highest ranked recommended large SUVs. I trust our ranking didn't have anything to do with Chevy naming their version after me, but still, it would be more comfortable having my name pasted on the flanks of this thing than say the Chevy Uplander—the minivan with the lowest owner satisfaction rating of any vehicle in our annual survey.

Curiously, this is not the first time I've been so honored. The GMC Jimmy was a popular rebadging of the Chevy Blazer SUV back in the '90s. I could go out and buy a Jimmy and a Traverse and have a garage full of namesakes if I could find a Jimmy still on the road. But then again, it's bad enough having my last name spelled wrong. Nobody gets away with calling me Jimmy.

What really bothers me is people have been spelling my name Traverse since at least as long as I've been able to notice. Given the expected popularity of this latest Chevy, I suspect that situation will get only worse. One of our own engineers has already adopted the spelling when addressing me. The only way things might improve is if car enthusiasts rally for the Travers cause and remove the silent E from the end, much like Toyota truck owners removing the "ota" decals from their tailgates.

So thanks again, GM. But honestly, you shouldn't have. Couldn't you have gone with Bivouac? Or Suburbanite?

Dear reader, what about you? Is there a vehicle you'd like named after you? Post your suggestions in the comments below.

—Jim Travers