The Chevrolet Traverse is a family-friendly three-row SUV with room for up to seven occupants and wrapped up in a more manageable size than its truck-based Suburban sibling. Completely redesigned for the 2024 model year, the Traverse gets a new engine and more aggressive look; it also joins the growing list of brands offering a new rugged-looking package with at least some real off-road chops.
Related: 2024 Chevrolet Traverse Review: Smooth Sailing, On-Road or Off
Chevrolet didn’t stop there, adding a new infotainment system, an updated interior, new safety features and the new Z71 off-road trim to help keep the Traverse competitive in the face of stiff competition that includes the Ford Explorer, Honda Pilot and Kia Telluride.
Cars.com Detroit Bureau Chief Aaron Bragman traveled to a media event to sample the new Traverse in two of its four trims — the top RS and off-road-ready Z71 (per Cars.com’s ethics policy, we pay for all travel and lodging at such manufacturer-sponsored events). Tap the link above for Bragman’s expert review; for a quicker rundown, though, read on for five things we like about the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse and three things we do not.
Things We Like
1. Absorbent Ride
One of the best things about the redesigned Traverse is its surprisingly good ride quality. Bumps, ruts, washboard, you name it: The Traverse soaks it all up without fuss and with little disturbance reaching the cabin. What’s more impressive is that’s true even in the Z71 trim with its beefy off-road tires and in the top RS trim with its 22-inch wheels.
2. Big Tech
The Traverse’s big tech upgrade starts with a new 17.7-inch touchscreen in the center of the dash. Quick to respond and easy to navigate, the Google-based system is a big improvement that’s thankfully supplemented with knobs and buttons for frequently used climate and audio functions. Other updates include a vivid, configurable digital instrument panel display in place of the old analog gauges and the gear selector relocating to a steering-column lever to free up console space.
3. New Off-Road Trim
The Traverse is offered in four trims, including the new-for-2024 Z71. Much like the Explorer Timberline and Telluride X-Pro, the Z71 is an off-road-focused trim that gets a 1-inch lift kit, a unique front bumper with a built-in skid plate, a wider track, off-road drive modes with revised throttle and steering tuning, and 18-inch wheels with Goodyear Wrangler Territory A/T tires. It all works well, making the Traverse one of the more off-road-capable entries in this emerging subcategory.
4. Room to Move
The Traverse comes well equipped for family duty, with a spacious cabin that can easily accommodate adults in any of its three rows; there’s plenty of leg, shoulder and hip room all around. Another welcome detail is the outboard second-row seats that now tilt and slide for easier access to the third row. The RS makes third-row access even easier with one-touch power-folding second-row seats.
5. Safer Cruiser
The standard Chevy Safety Assist suite’s extensive list of features includes rear parking sensors, an HD backup camera, lane change alert and assist, blind spot warning, rear cross-traffic braking, reverse automatic braking, a 360-degree camera system, traffic-sign recognition with speed limit assist, intersection automatic emergency braking, and alerts for pedestrians and bicyclists. Also available is Super Cruise, the excellent GM hands-free semi-autonomous cruise control system.
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Things We Don’t Like
1. Meh Interior Quality
As much as we like its oodles of interior room, the overall look and quality of materials used in the redesigned Traverse still falls short of the best in spite of some improvements. You’ll find some soft-touch surfaces and upscale touches, particularly on the upper trims, but if a class-leading interior is a priority, consider alternatives like the Hyundai Palisade Calligraphy Night Edition.
2. Light Steering
One of our few gripes about the Traverse’s driving dynamics is steering that feels overly boosted and vague, particularly at highway speeds. The result is a need for constant correction and a loss of the confident straight-line tracking that makes for easy highway cruising.
3. Coarse Engine
The Traverse’s old V-6 engine is gone, replaced with a new 328-horsepower, turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder in the interest of increased efficiency with no loss in performance. Matched with an eight-speed automatic transmission and either front- or all-wheel drive, the powertrain basically succeeds in its mission but sounds coarse, like something better suited to a piece of agricultural equipment than a $56,000 SUV. Acceleration trails quicker competitors, and the Traverse doesn’t have much in reserve for passing.
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