The Chevrolet Traverse is all-new for 2024. Chevrolet has redesigned its biggest crossover to make it look tougher than before, and it is trying to back that up with more than just styling changes. Along with the new 2.5L engine is a Z71 package, the first time Chevrolet has added its off-road trim to a crossover.
“Our new Traverse is designed and engineered to act and look more like an SUV,” said Scott Bell, vice president of Chevrolet. The Traverse has long been excellent at moving seven (or eight) passengers and their cargo, but as the seating capacity would imply, the styling had shades of minivan.
But not any longer! The greenhouse is now upright and tall, as are the nose and the doors. Aside from the floating roof pillar trim at the rear, this looks very much like a Tahoe. Phil Zak, Chevrolet's executive design director, says that “the bold exterior of the all-new Traverse helps redefine its role and capability for customers."
The Z71 leads that charge toward capability with a one-inch lift and all-terrain tires along with off-road dampers. Before you get to the real hardware, though, you'll have already spotted the Z71's nose with its short overhang, skid plate, and red tow hooks.
The rest of the Traverse line is just as boxy and gets even more nose thanks to the low front bumper. On the inside, the Traverse sees its cool old flip-up screen replaced with a fixed unit. The 17.7-inch new screen is more than twice the size of the old one, so it's a pretty solid upgrade.
Much in the same way the screen is upsized, so is the list of standard driver assistance features. Automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, auto high beams, and pedestrian and bicyclist braking are all standard, along with rear park assist, lane change alert, blind spot monitoring, and traffic sign recognition. The big standard features are HD surround vision and adaptive cruise control, features Chevrolet has made tough to get in past models.
Chevrolet's Super Cruise is on the options list. The hands-off driver assistance feature can take the wheel on a few hundred thousand kilometres of highways now, requiring only your attention to the roadway.
Canadian details include heated front and second-row seats and a standard heated steering wheel. All models with seven-seat configurations get the SmartSlide seat, which can slide forward even with a child seat in place.
Powering the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse is a new 2.5L turbo four-cylinder. It replaces the 3.6L V6 with 315 hp and 317 lb-ft of torque. That's 19 per cent more torque than the V6. It has an eight-speed automatic and all-wheel drive is standard in Canada. Properly equipped, the new driveline can tow up to 5,000 lbs.
Production starts in early 2024. Expect pricing and more details as we get closer to that start date.
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