Yahoo Autos 2024 Chevrolet Traverse First Drive Review: Big family hauler gets a lot more interesting
DOUGLASVILLE, Ga. — The 2024 Chevrolet Traverse marks the start of the three-row crossover’s third generation. While it still serves the same general purpose as before, it does so with actual style this time. It gets new looks, which align more with the body-on-frame side of the Chevy family tree, giving this family hauler a beefier and sportier character. The interior gets a makeover, too, with dual screens on the dash providing a tech-inspired focal point. Chevy also introduces the rugged-looking Z71 and street-savvy RS trims at the top of the lineup, providing a bit of spice on top of the Traverse’s fresh flavor. It was those two trims that we got to experience on our brief drives outside of Atlanta.
The changes are beyond skin deep. Gone is the 3.6-liter V6 that made 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque, along with its nine-speed automatic transmission. It’s replaced by a new 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder sending 328 hp and 326 lb-ft to either the front or all four wheels via an eight-speed automatic. The Traverse’s 2.5-liter is a new engine, but it’s based on the 2.7-liter turbo first seen in the Silverado but adapted for the Colorado. One of the goals for the 2.5 was improved fuel economy, and to achieve this, the engine employs a new-to-GM “ePhaser” to adjust the camshaft on the fly to advance and delay the spark according to power and efficiency needs (the ePhaser also allows for smoother reignitions from the stop/start system). The new Traverse gets 20 miles per gallon city, 27 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined with front-wheel drive, or 19/24/21 mpg with all-wheel drive. Compare that to the 18/27/21 with FWD and 17/25/20 with AWD from the year prior.
The list of standard safety equipment has expanded considerably, and is, frankly, impressive. New for 2024 is the buckle-to-drive feature, which locks the car out of drive for 20 seconds after ignition unless the driver buckles their seatbelt. If that makes you irrationally angry, it can be completely turned off in a settings menu. Other standard safety features that are typically optional or not available at all on competitors: a teen driver feature, haptic safety alerts through the seat, an HD surround view parking camera, traffic sign recognition, side bicycle detection (which helps keep cyclists from getting doored) and intersection automatic emergency braking. There’s more, too, and their standard inclusion positions the Traverse as a laudable embodiment of a commitment to safety.
The new Traverse Z71 trim ($47,795) brings some off-road cred to the Traverse, and it’s not just an appearance package. Its 1.2-inch increase in ground clearance (for a total of 7.76) and all-terrain tires wrapped around 18-inch wheels are the first giveaway that this is better equipped to make a capable departure from the pavement. Look a little closer, and you’ll notice the red tow hooks and skid plates, with aluminum up front and steel protecting the engine, transmission and rear differential. The Z71 also gets a twin-clutch all-wheel drive system allowing the Traverse to shift torque between the left and right rear wheels as needed. Its ZF FE4 passive dampers use specially tuned valve technology for frequency-based damping to allow for an improved balance between ride and handling. In the Z71, the dampers also include a hydraulic rebound stop to prevent that “slap, that hard clunk,” as Lead Development Engineer Van Childers described it, when you run out of rebound travel.
The Z71 adds new Off-Road and Terrain driving modes. Terrain mode is what you would use for slower, more technical, well, terrain, where you might be creeping over obstacles and traversing steep, um, terrain (the name is apt, we must admit).
“Think of it as one-pedal drive,” said Childers. “You come up to an obstacle on a two-track somewhere, and you know you can clear it given the ground clearance you have, and you literally crawl up on the thing, stop, and then kind of get the thing to drive off, and it really only moves when you’re on the gas.” Lift off the accelerator, and Terrain mode will hold you still wherever you are without the Traverse rolling away from you. With Off-road mode, Childers noted, “We actually freed up the vehicle … we backed off on our controls a bit, as far as traction control and stability control,” allowing more slip and yaw. Sometimes you want or even need more wheelspin in certain conditions, and Off-Road mode gives it to you.
The very top trim, the RS ($57,595), is the sporty, street-focused, best-equipped Traverse. As such, it gets the appropriate looks, with 22-inch gloss black wheels, and black accents on the grille, moldings and roof rails. Inside, it gets a three-spoke, flat-bottom steering wheel, RS embroidery on the headrests, and a red-accented black interior. Much like the Z71, the RS isn’t just an appearance package. It gets the same ZF shocks with passive selective damping control technology, but they’re tuned specifically for on-road comfort and handling — oh, and they don’t have the hydraulic rebound stops. Sitting at the top of the lineup, the RS comes standard with equipment that’s optional on the Z71, like Super Cruise, Bose premium audio and power everything. It also has really nice perforated leather seats.
