2024 Chevrolet Traverse First Drive: 3-Row SUV Gets Broader Appeal

Minivans were once the ultimate family vehicle: spacious and versatile with lots of seats and storage solutions for a reasonable price. Chrysler alone sold more than 15 million such vehicles. Then the more stylish SUV pushed minivans out of favor with most of the public. To keep the now ubiquitous SUV from similarly losing its luster, automakers have tried to spice up the genre by making models that are more trucklike, or which resemble coupes, or which are bold or sporty or off-roady, even if their primary purpose still is to haul families around the city like a minivan.

This is the strategy behind the third-generation 2024 Chevrolet Traverse, a three-row midsize SUV that is the brand’s main family hauler. Before the world goes all-electric, Chevy wanted to give the gasoline-engine-powered Traverse one more major upgrade including trims with more distinct personalities.

In addition to the base LS and the popular LT, the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse continues to offer a sporty and fully loaded top-trim RS model resplendent in red and black. And it has added a new character to the lineup with the Z71 off-road variant to entice the adventurer hidden inside suburbanites.

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Improved Platform, New Engine

To be prudent, the 2024 Traverse rides on a modified version of the same C1 platform as the outgoing model. But its sheet metal is new; the SUV is slightly longer, wider, and taller, the look is more rugged—think baby Tahoe—and there is more tech and bigger screens.

The engine is also new. The 3.6-liter V-6 is gone, replaced by a new turbocharged 2.5-liter I-4 that is more powerful and efficient. Horsepower improves from 310 to 328; torque increases from 266 lb-ft to 326. Fuel economy improves to 20 mpg city, 20 highway, and 23 combined with the front-drive Traverse (2 mpg better than with the V-6) and 19/24/21 mpg with AWD, slightly better as well. The Traverse can still tow 5,000 pounds.

The power was more than adequate on a road loop in rural Georgia outside Atlanta. Owners should have no difficulty on ramps or passing. The sound is about what you would expect from a turbo-four; not overly throaty but neither is it whiny. The engine is a bit rough at idle, but we doubt many buyers will notice, and it could be a result of cam timing related to the start/stop system, which might be a good tradeoff. GM continues to have one of the smoothest, most seamless auto start-stop systems in the business—you don’t even notice it, making you less likely to turn it off.

The eight-speed automatic transmission is a modified version of GM’s nine-speed, made for the new engine, and the combination of the two works well. There were no harsh shifts or time spent hunting for the correct gear during our drive, but the terrain was largely flat and the roads only moderately dynamic.

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Adding a Chevy Traverse Z71

The 2024 Chevrolet Traverse Z71 backs up its badging with 1.2 inches of additional ground clearance, a unique front fascia for a better approach angle, skidplates, 18-inch wheels with all-terrain tires, a trailering package, and red tow hooks up front that are fully functional. 

All-wheel drive is optional on all trim levels, but the Traverse Z71 stands apart with a standard twin-clutch rear differential that acts as a vectoring system to provide more traction by sending the torque where it is needed most. The offset of the wheels gives the vehicle a track that is 0.6-inch wider than the other trim levels, and Chevy tuned the suspension for additional travel. Dampers with hydraulic rebound control are engineered to avoid the thunks that can occur when off-roading.

Meanwhile, push the camera icon and you get a better picture of the terrain around you. One flaw: the screen stays stubbornly in camera mode. Changing drive modes, it does not display what mode you switched into unless you manually turn off the camera to restore the information page.  

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New Terrain and Off-Road Modes

The 2024 Chevrolet Traverse Z71 has new terrain and off-road modes, allowing one-pedal driving at low speeds and low gears in Terrain mode. Take your foot off the gas, and the system holds the SUV in place until you apply pressure to the accelerator again. 

The off-road trail available to us was not challenging enough to fully test the extra engineering. We took the Z71 on a course through the grounds of a massive resort outside Atlanta. Much of the trail was comprised of grass or two-track dirt roads, with some small hills. However, for a family that needs to get to the lake or campground, the Z71 is more than appropriately equipped. 

Whatever the terrain, the Z71 looks the part with black badging, roof rails, thicker molding around the wheels for protection, and three skidplates protecting the lower bits. The seats are a durable vinyl-type material; cloth is also available.

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Making a Better Chevrolet Traverse RS

The Traverse was the first Chevy to add an RS version for the 2018 model year. The Traverse RS continues as the top trim and comes pretty much loaded. It is only offered as a seven-passenger SUV because captain’s chairs are standard in the second row. Drop down to the LS or LT if you want a bench seat instead, making it an eight-passenger SUV.

One reason the Traverse grew is to accommodate 22-inch high-gloss aluminum wheels now standard on the RS. This trim also has a new front fascia to add to its overall sporty, blacked-out look.

The suspension is tuned for a more dynamic ride and to ensure good control despite the bigger wheels’ greater unsprung weight. The on-road drive was shorter than we would have liked, and the roads were only moderately exciting, but it was a good representation of how most owners will experience the new Traverse. The ride was pleasantly smooth, the suspension compliant enough so road imperfections aren’t off-putting. Steering gets heavier in Sport mode but that does not necessarily translate to greater on-road feel. Like many SUVs, the steering is on the numb side but is also what buyers have come to know and expect.

The red and black interior looks good, with trim, stitching, and badging all contributing to the style. The Traverse RS has a three-spoke, heated flat-bottom steering wheel. The Bose audio system is standard, as is Super Cruise, plus a new panoramic sunroof, and heated and ventilated seats.

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Hop Inside

Chevy is on-trend, focusing on a larger and more intuitive screen as the centerpiece of the updated interior. It is a huge change, going from an 8.0-inch driver display and center screen to a 17.7-inch infotainment screen and 11.0-inch driver display. The infotainment system retains a physical volume knob and HVAC controls, but we wish there was still a button to turn on the headlights manually instead of having to go to the screen to do so. (GM’s logic says it is unnecessary with auto-dimming headlights.)

Connecting to wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is easy and seamless. There is wireless phone charging and two USB outlets in each passenger row. Moving the shifter to the steering column frees up space in the center console, and there is more storage in the pass-through area underneath.

Second-row passengers have cubbies on the front-seat backs, cupholders, USB outlets, power for a laptop, HVAC controls, heated seats, and a tray for a wallet, phone, or glasses. The Smart Slide seats in the second row are on both sides now (previously only the passenger side). They tip and slide easily via a manual lever to create a good-sized opening through which to crawl to the third row. That third row accommodates three adults; they might find it a bit tight but will have plenty of head and leg room. The third-row seats do not recline, but all rear seats fold flat, creating a best-in-class 97.6 cubic feet of cargo capacity and a deep well of underfloor storage, a good place to hide your laptop. The power-folding third row is standard on RS and available on other trims.

For 2024, the Traverse no longer uses the liftgate that had to be opened manually. The new version lifts automatically when it detects the key fob nearby. 

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Not Your Conventional Paddle Shifters

One of the stranger features: the steering-wheel paddles are not for changing gears while driving on pavement. Instead, they function as a gear and speed limiter when the vehicle is in Low for better control going down a hill, especially when trailering. Engage it with your left thumb, reduce the number of gears with the right paddle. This is a new GM feature, debuting on the Traverse, GMC Acadia, and Buick Enclave; it will make its way onto other future vehicles. GM engineers think it’s a good way to provide more control in Low without making the new gear shifter on the steering column too complicated. We suspect few buyers will know what it does and fewer will use it for its intended purpose, while many will try to use the paddles as manual shifters, at first tapping them with frustration like we did.

As for that simple shifter on the steering column, it requires you to pull it and then move it up or down into gear. This is due to an internal GM rule that requires all gearshifts to demand two motions for executing a shift, to prevent a vehicle shifting accidentally.

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Safety Is Key for a Family Vehicle

Chevy has made a lot of safety features standard on the new 2024 Traverse, including automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, lane-keep assist with lane-departure warning, high-beam assist, and automatic braking when the system detects pedestrians and cyclists. The 2024 lineup adds rear cross-traffic braking, blind-spot alerts, steering assist, adaptive cruise control, speed limit assist, traffic-sign recognition, intersection auto emergency braking, and more.

GM’s Super Cruise hands-free driving-assistance technology is available on all but the base Traverse LS trim. The system can make automatic lane changes and its field of vision covers a trailer. It worked well on the mapped roads we traveled, keeping the SUV nicely centered. It executed lane changes flawlessly.

Buckle to Drive is a feature that requires the driver and front passenger to put on their seatbelt before the car can be driven. And a rear seatbelt reminder sends an alert if someone in the back unbuckles.

On Sale Now

Chevy introduced the first Traverse in 2008 and came out with a more aggressive second-generation model for the 2018 model year. Production of the 2024 Traverse is now underway at the Lansing Delta Township plant in Michigan; models began making their way to dealers last week.

Chevy hopes the truckier look and addition of the Z71 as an adventure-seeker’s choice will make this SUV appeal more to male, Hispanic, and affluent buyers, and it hopes the more rugged vehicle unlocks new opportunities for those who can’t step up to a full-size three-row SUV.

It won’t be easy. The midsize SUV segment is the second largest and the competition is strong and varied, ranging from legacy nameplates like the Ford Explorer and Jeep Grand Cherokee L to strong newcomers such as the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride. But the Traverse’s two personas—the expressive and well-quipped RS and the more rugged Z71—will better cover the breadth of what consumers want today.