It's probably no surprise to learn that the majority of people who buy a vehicle with off-road capabilities are leery about driving it on a dirt road, let alone rough 4x4 terrain. This ties in with the people who purchase pickup trucks and then never much of anything in the truck bed. This presents a bit of a dilemma for car makers: do they design super tough vehicles that can handle any weather and driving conditions imaginable, or do they offer some features, but skip the more complicated (and expensive) capabilities as a reflection of customer usage?
That's the origin of the Soft-Road variant of Off-Road, where the vehicles can handle some rough terrain, but they're not the best option for really difficult driving conditions. If you need to be an experienced off-roader, a "soft-roader" isn't a good bet. Enter the roomy and comfortable 2024 Chevrolet Traverse. It's big and one of the nicest 3-row SUVs you can buy. But even with its Z71 designation, it's not up for the toughest terrain.
Nonetheless, when I was given the opportunity to drive the 2024 Chevy Traverse Z71 AWD, I was enthused; many of the vehicles I drive are fairly small. The Traverse is big in all dimensions, offering a comfortable and relaxed experience whether you want to bounce along one of those dirt roads in mediocre weather or a highway, keeping up with traffic at 80mph. The unit they dropped off was in Radiant Red Tintcoat with a Jet Black Evotex interior featuring Torch Red highlights:
It's big but doesn't seem enormous thanks to a smart panel design behind the second-row window and its overall lines. At least, until you get into a parking lot and realize that your vehicle is only a foot or so narrower than the lines demarking the individual spots. More than once I ended up parking on the far edges of a lot to ensure I could easily get in and out of the vehicle (and adjacent cars could too, without dinging my doors). It's just a smidge under 80" wide, one of the widest in its class.
The upside of this width is that the interior is spacious, and the center console is wide enough to actually be useful. Before we get there, however, let's swing inside and check out the full dashboard design:
A straightforward design that's a nod to the classic Chevrolet dashboard and controls location. Except there's one thing missing. Can you spot it?
Like many auto manufacturers, Chevy is starting to realize that the gearshift of an automatic transmission vehicle - and this has an 8-speed transmission - is a huge waste of space. And so, they removed it from the center console entirely. Where'd it go? It's a control stick just behind the right side of the steering wheel:
Since you don't want to accidentally shift into a different drive mode, switching into drive or reverse involves a dual-movement action, as illustrated. I still found myself accidentally shifting into the wrong mode a few times, but that would only matter for the first few days of driving. Then again, if you find that a number of family members drive your car, this might be worth considering: How many will be able to seamlessly shift to this style of control? Generally speaking, I'm in favor of car makers experimenting with different gear controls because while there's something retro and satisfying about a full gearshift, it really is a wasted control since drivers shift into Drive and never touch it again until they arrive at their destination.
Even with the additional space that's available, the center console is rather sparse, which makes for easier assembly, but it would be nice to have some safety and performance controls in this area to make them more easily accessible:
The forward area includes a Qi wireless charging area, but my iPhone 15 Pro did not like it. Even when I was parked, placing my phone on the charger resulted in it working for 15-30 seconds and then disconnecting, rather a surprise after the last half-dozen vehicles I've reviewed all had excellent and highly reliable wireless charging. It does include both USB-A and USB-C, however, so it was easy to have a cable ready to go when my phone was running out of juice.
Just above the charging well are the climate controls, and they worked well enough, with the left and right knobs controlling desired temperature (functions that were duplicated on the lower portion of the infotainment screen). The second-row climate control for passengers was quite sophisticated too, offering lots more control than is typical for backseat passengers.
This simplification of physical controls can also be seen on the steering wheel crossbar:
Nicely symmetric, but surprisingly few controls. Notably missing: No audio volume control. In fact, the only way to adjust the stereo was a knob behind the steering wheel, requiring the drier to constantly lean forward to make adjustments. With most cars having volume be one of the more commonly duplicated controls, I rather wonder if I just missed a separate control, but where would it be? It's not on the steering wheel and there are no controls on the center console. As is quite typical, the steering wheel heater control is located on the steering wheel rather than in a mini cluster with the seat heating controls.
One of the more problematic parts of the Traverse was the infotainment system. The 17" display was lovely:
The system includes support for both wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but it had a fair number of quirks. You can see one in the image above: The time is shown in two locations, and they're different times. Why doesn't the vehicle clock sync with the phone clock to avoid that problem? This was the first time I noticed such a glitch across perhaps a hundred different vehicles I've driven in the last few years.
On the positive side, I liked how the central region was dedicated to CarPlay / Android Auto, while all of the peripheral touch controls were part of the Chevy control system, including easy access to lights, lane controls, and various other driving features, along with the big climate control area along the bottom. In practice it was reasonably easy to use, though, as I mentioned earlier, this is also demonstrating that on-screen controls are easier to build than physical buttons and knobs, which is why there were so few drive control buttons in the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse.
Looking at the main gauge display shows a great, modern design, but also exhibits another of the Infotainment system quirks:
The display on the right portion - "No content available" - was being shown even as I was listening to music through Apple CarPlay. At other times it seemed to work just fine and show the CD cover and track information as expected. Also not shown on the rather busy main gauge display is fuel economy. In fact, it was difficult to track down where in the vehicle that information was displayed. Given that it gets meh fuel efficiency, even for its size, perhaps that's deliberate, but I averaged 22.7 mpg across the few hundred miles I drove the Traverse. Its EPA numbers are 19/24, so that was smack in the middle. Okay if you're comparing the Traverse to a big truck, but the 2.5L Turbo DOHC SIDI engine is still pretty darn thirsty.
Compensating for its mediocre fuel efficiency, the actual drive experience was quite good. This is a beefy SUV with lots of power to get going from a stop, merge into traffic, or accelerate around a slower driver. It was reasonably nimble for a vehicle of its size, and I felt safe and comfortable whether zipping along at 80mph on the highway or winding through tight mountain roads. Its towing capacity is 5,000 pounds and it has the power to manage a boat or trailer without any concerns about hill climbs.
Some reviewers have found the interior of the Traverse rather humdrum, but I quite liked it. In particular, the "torch red" interior highlights are nowhere better shown than on the really cool door elements:
In person it's a really beautiful and ultramodern, even futuristic, red gradation with an overlaid black grid line pattern. A premium upgrade, but very nice!
Stepping out of the vehicle, you get a much better sense of size with this photo of the second row:
If you're counting, this makes the 2024 Chevrolet Traverse a 7-seater (though the third row is more suitable for tweens and younger rather than adults). Legroom was decent: In the above the driver's seat is all the way back to compensate for my height.
Even with the third row up, there was plenty of space. It's a 60/40 third row, easily dropped down to make a larger flat surface. Not enough for a sleeping area for an adult, but if you folded down the second-row seats too it would work pretty darn well. Even with the second row up, you could fold down the larger of the third-row seats and have skis easily threaded through the second-row seats and in the back area. Ski slopes, here we come!
At the end of a week of driving all the heck over the place, I finished with a really good impression of the 2024 Chevy Traverse Z71. It handled all the various driving conditions with ease, was super roomy, quiet enough for a normal volume conversation even at highway speeds and features a great sounding audio system. There were some glitches and some of the control layout seemed frustrating - looking at you, volume control! - but if you need the space for a big crew, this is a solid option and well worth considering for your next family SUV.
2024 Chevrolet Traverse Z71 AWD, powered by a 2.5L Turbo DOHC SIDI engine and 8-speed automatic transmission. BASE PRICE: $46,400. Options Included: Enhanced Driving Package, Sunroof, Jet Black Evotext with Torch Red Accents ($1000 for an interior style), and Radiant Red Tintcoat (another $495). AS DRIVEN: $54,545.00.
Disclaimer: Chevrolet loaned me the 2024 Traverse for a week in return for this candid write-up. This article originally appeared on PlanetDave.com with the title Spacious Soft-Roader: 2024 Chevrolet Traverse Z71 AWD SUV.
