When shopping at a Hampton Chevy dealership for an SUV, you’ll have several options, including the Trailblazer, Trax, and the venerable Traverse, to name a few. The Traverse, more specifically, has been a fan-favorite for many Chevy drivers ever since it entered the market over a decade ago. Among the SUVs that Chevy offers in its catalog, the Traverse gives you the best of both worlds: versatility and value. As a full-size SUV, the Traverse offers plenty of space within its interior for both passengers and cargo, plus the newest 2021 Traverse continues the lineup’s highly performant reputation with the return of an accompanying V6 powering the SUV. Although the 2021 Traverse isn’t dissimilar from the previous model in any notable ways, the lineup remains the best it’s ever been.
Available Trims
The lineup begins with the L trim with a starting MSRP of $29,800. Chevy has included an assortment of features that make this trim an appealing prospect, especially when considering its lowest price point among the rest of the lineup. The features you will find in this trim include large 18-inch wheels and a rear-view camera. Also, all of the Traverse models share the same engine, so when you choose your Traverse, you are paying for features rather than power.
The LS is the next available trim for the Traverse and allows drivers to select between four distinct driving modes to cater to specific driving situations. These driving modes include front-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, off-roading, and towing should your Traverse be properly equipped for it. The LS is perfect for drivers who want just a little bit of extra features but still want a low price.
The LT Cloth and LT Leather are next, with the former including luxurious amenities in the interior such as power-adjustable seats. The LT Leather adds upon this with some safety features and an upgraded infotainment center, for example. Also, as the name would suggest, the LT leather includes leather seating for each seat in the cabin.
The RS is the next available trim and adds features such as 20-inch wheels along with the inclusion of Chevy Safety Assist. This safety package adds an array of extra safety features to an already feature-rich list, helping the Traverse become a highly reliable ride. This trim will also give you signature black exterior accents and heated front seats.
The Premier sits near the top of the list, coming with the same Chevy Safety Assist along with both heated and ventilated leather seats in the front. A heated steering wheel keeps your hands warm, and heated leather captain’s chairs are in the second row. Additionally, the Premier adds wireless smartphone charging, so you don’t have to bother with cords.
Lastly, High Country is the best the lineup has to offer. It adds even more safety features such as Adaptive Cruise Control and the highly recommended enhanced automatic emergency braking to help prevent collisions. The High Country also includes a SkyScape power sunroof and a fixed rear skylight to increase the presence of natural light in your cabin.
What Powers the Traverse?
Chevy has kept the powertrain situation for the Traverse quite simple. There’s only one engine that you’ll find in the Traverse, regardless if you’ve purchased the base L model or the High Country. The main difference that you will notice is the lack of all-wheel-drive on the base model; however, should you opt for any of the six following trims, it’ll be available to you. Although this has no impact on the horsepower and torque output, all-wheel drive will slightly decrease the fuel economy ratings for the Traverse, but the impact is minimal enough for most drivers to ignore.
The engine inside of the Traverse is a 3.6L V6 that comes paired with a 9-speed automatic transmission. This engine produces 310 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, and this high power output allows for properly equipped Traverse models to tow upwards of 5,000 lbs. Even with this power, the Traverse remains decently fuel-efficient, with front-wheel drive models garnering EPA-estimated ratings of 18 MPG city and 27 MPG highway. As previously mentioned, the Traverse will have slightly altered ratings should you opt for an all-wheel drive model, although drivers likely still will enjoy the 17 MPG city and 25 MPG highway. The V6 inside of the Traverse strikes a perfect balance between granting the base model plenty of power without the higher-tier trims suffering from a lackluster powertrain either.
How Spacious is the Interior?
SUVs are beloved by many drivers, not just because of their ample performance and excellent reliability, but for their spacious interiors. Having a vehicle with a wide and spacious interior not only allows for maximizing the comfort of both you and your passengers, but you may transport large amounts of cargo, even at the same time. The Traverse can support a maximum of eight passengers, although drivers who wish to opt for a different style of seating have the choice of a seven-seat arrangement.
Even more impressively, however, is the overall space and comfort that your passengers will have thanks to the 41.3-inches, 40-inches, and 38.2-inches of headroom in the front, second, and third rows. Additionally, the Traverse allows for 41-inches, 38.4-inches, and 33.5-inches of legroom in the front, second, and third rows, meaning your passengers will not feel tightly crammed, even in the far back row. With every rear-row folded downwards, the Traverse offers a maximum of 98.2 cu.ft. of cargo space, which is plenty for various types of cargo. Even with the second row of seats upright, the Traverse has an impressive 57.8 cu.ft. of cargo space, and should everyone come for the ride, you’ll still have 23 cu.ft. of cargo space to work with.
Interior Tech
The interior goes far beyond cargo as Chevy has also equipped the Traverse with a wide range of tech-centric features. For starters, every Traverse comes equipped with a 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot so you and your passengers may connect your wireless devices to your vehicle’s network and access web content quickly and safely. Bluetooth comes standard within the infotainment center inside of the Chevy Traverse, allowing you to wirelessly connect your vehicle to the speakers for audio playback.
Speaking of speakers, certain Traverse models allow for the integration of a premium audio system courtesy of Bose for incredible audio. The standard infotainment center has a 7-inch screen but can be upgraded to an 8-inch screen, depending on the trim. These infotainment centers also include the likes of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, meaning you can connect your smartphone directly to the infotainment center and access even more features than the standard set allows for.
An Exciting Year for Chevy
Vehicles such as the 2021 Chevy Traverse are a clear indication that Chevy is in a good position right now. Although the new Traverse doesn’t reinvent the wheel, it’s a solid continuation of an already established lineup. We imagine the next generation of Traverse is going to flip the script entirely, but for now, we enjoy what we’ve seen of the 2021 Traverse and fully recommend it.
The Traverse is simply one of the several SUVs on offer by Chevy, meaning there’s a model for every SUV driver. Chevy’s lengthy lists of sedans, trucks, and new Hybrid models will surely bring plenty to enjoy for other drivers as well. As a brand with over a century of research and development behind it, Chevy has continuously risen the bar, leaving other manufacturers to play catch-up. This year has been an exciting one for Chevy, and we are sure it’s only going to get better from here.
