The 2021 Chevy Traverse is capable of many things. Large, stylish, practical, and surprisingly efficient, this midsize crossover is the perfect vehicle for road trips, camping adventures, cargo hauling, or even the daily school run. The Traverse has been engineered to take on the rigors of daily life with ease and comfort, featuring a high seating position that provides a commanding view of the road and impressive ease of entry and exit. On top of all this, the Traverse features impressive safety technology that can prevent many different types of accidents. The Traverse can just about do it all.
A Comfortable Interior
The Traverse is a big vehicle, and there is no place that is both more true and more apparent than the interior. Seating up to eight, with a full 98.2 cubic feet of cargo room when the rear seats are folded, the Traverse’s interior space is nothing short of cavernous. That amount of space for the relatively low cost of a Traverse would be compelling by itself, but the sheer number of practical and comfort-improving amenities that are available for the interior is equally impressive.
Wireless charging capability, SiriusXM satellite radio, remote start, a rear-seat entertainment system with a DVD player, and a 4.2-inch diagonal color Driver Information Center are all available, and many of those features are standard on higher trim levels. Ten cupholders, spread throughout the cabin, are standard on all trims, as are USB ports in all three rows and a built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot.
Gadgets and features are great, but as one would expect from a vehicle that can seat up to eight, the Traverse truly shines in terms of comfort and space. The front row features head and legroom measuring over 41 inches, while the second and even third rows offer more than 38 inches of headroom. Add to this the ability to tow up to 5,000 pounds, and you’ve got a real winner on your hands.
Safety Systems
As a family vehicle by design, the 2021 Traverse is designed for safety. In the modern era, safety consciousness does include mitigating any injury caused by an accident but also includes features designed to keep that accident from happening in the first place. This is achieved by providing the driver with a full suite of sensors to detect incoming threats that would otherwise be concealed, supplemented by a battery of semi-autonomous features that support the driver by reacting faster than humanly possible in emergency situations.
The available driver aids include Automatic Emergency Braking, Forward Collision Alert, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning, a Following Distance Indicator, and much more. Together, these systems keep a constant lookout to ensure your safety in a large number of situations. From avoiding parking lot fender benders to freeway pileups, Chevy has your back.
A Powerful Drivetrain
The 2021 Traverse uses a 3.6 Liter V6, a stalwart engine that has been perfected over the years. This latest version incorporates many new technologies while retaining reliability for dependability the power plant has exhibited before. The engine makes 310 horsepower, which is more than enough to make this SUV get up and go when you hit the gas. The Traverse is certainly not lacking in power, but it is also quite efficient. The 2021 Traverse gets up to 27 miles per gallon on the highway, according to the EPA.
All of this is due to the modern technology that has been integrated into the engine, including continuous variable valve timing, direct high-pressure fuel injection, and all-aluminum block construction. These features maximize the ability of the engine to mix air and fuel in the lightest combustion chamber possible, allowing for maximum efficiency and power.
The power provided by the 3.6 Liter V6 reaches the wheels through a nine-speed automatic transmission and optional all-wheel drive system. The immense number of gears in the Hydra-Matic transmission ensures there is always a gear available to maximize the engine’s power and torque. This allows all 310 horsepower to be used for off-the-line acceleration or highway passing. Additionally, the transmission has “tall” enough gear ratios to let the engine almost idle at highway speed, dramatically improving gas mileage. Another feature of the transmission is faster than normal shifting, which allows it to efficiently remain in gear more often, instead of being interrupted by long periods of shifting gears.
A capable all-wheel drive system is optional for the Traverse, adding enhanced stability and safety to an already user-friendly and comfortable driving experience. The all-wheel drive system is most useful in inclement weather such as heavy rain or snow, where it turns a genuinely dangerous situation for most drivers into a relatively normal experience, provided the driver stays alert. This option makes the Traverse an excellent choice for anyone facing harsh weather in their daily commute.
A Rugged Chassis
The Traverse uses a highly optimized unibody chassis structure that maximizes safety and rigidity while minimizing weight. A solid backbone is important for any vehicle, but getting it to be as lightweight as possible is important to improve efficiency and gas mileage. The Traverse succeeds in being dramatically lighter than many body-on-frame SUVs and trucks, thus providing impressive gas mileage numbers without sacrificing interior space or resorting to expensive hybrid technology.
In terms of suspension, the Traverse uses independent MacPherson struts in the front, with a hydraulic control arm ride bushing and a hollow stabilizer bar. In the rear, there is a five-link independent suspension system with auxiliary spring aids. Another hollow stabilizer bar is installed on the rear suspension to minimize uncomfortable swaying on twisty roads.
The struts and five-link suspension setup provide a supple ride for those in the cabin, while the auxiliary spring aids and stabilizer bars keep the Traverse’s mass in check to make for easier driving. It is important to note that the Traverse works to both make its occupants safe and let them feel safe. The stability control systems could likely make the Traverse safe and easy to drive without the stabilizer bars, but those extra components rein in body roll, so the driver and passengers can feel as safe as they are.
The steering system is designed to be intuitive and extremely user-friendly via electric variable-effort power steering with Active Return Assist. This system makes it easy to make small inputs on the highway and do tight turns in the city by modifying the vehicle’s steering depending on your current speed.
One of the most important safety features of any vehicle is the brakes, and the Traverse’s braking system is deliberately oversized for its task. It utilized disc brakes on all four corners, with large brake rotors well over a foot in diameter both front and rear. This allows heat to be more easily dissipated, so the Traverse is capable of safely descending steep mountain roads, even when fully loaded or pulling a trailer.
A Midsize Masterpiece
The Traverse is easily one of the absolute best family hauling machines on the market today. With an efficient and powerful drivetrain, a stability-inducing chassis that manages to balance strength and weight, and massive amounts of interior space, the Traverse is a hard vehicle to beat in this segment. All that said, what likely matters more than the comfy and feature-filled interior, and even more than the economical running costs, are the outstanding active safety features that can keep some accidents from happening in the first place. If you want a comfortable and exciting midsize SUV, there are few better choices than the 2021 Chevy Traverse.
