2021 Chevrolet Traverse High Country Review

Written By: Jerry Reynolds | Jan 27, 2021 1:00:00 AM

This week I bring you the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, a large SUV meant to compete with the likes of the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, and Honda Pilot. The Traverse went through a huge redesign in 2018, and has remained largely unchanged since that time.

Exterior

The exterior of the Traverse looks great in my opinion, especially in this Black Cherry color. The 20” wheels look terrific and you see styling cues from the popular Chevy Tahoe, the Blazer, and Equinox SUVs.

Powertrain

Under the hood, you’ll find a 3.6-liter V6 engine and a 9-speed automatic transmission that is putting out 310-horses.

My review vehicle is all-wheel drive, but two-wheel (front-wheel) drive is standard.

Interior

The 2021 Traverse comes in six trim levels. I am reviewing the High Country, which is the top-of-the-line luxury edition.

The High Country has a premium, luxury interior. Stitching abounds and a mix of soft touch materials really sets everything off. The interior is functional, and it is easy to enter and exit.

The gauges are bright and colorful and in the center of them is a driver information center that operates from the steering wheel, which is heated and power adjusting.

The center stack features a couple of cup holders and a wireless phone charger. This is also where you engage the all-wheel drive system.

Above the center console is the Chevy MyLink system, which operates by an 8” color touch screen. From there, you operate the Bose sound system, navigation system, Bluetooth, Apple and Android connections, and it comes with 4G LTE connectivity. You can also project your phone onto the screen, and there are other apps that most will never use.

Also from there, you operate OnStar, many of the vehicle settings, and you can get real-time weather information. This is where the rear camera with cross-traffic alert is housed. With the push of a button, the touchscreen raises to reveal a hidden compartment.

The power, heated and air-conditioned front seats are comfortable, and the Traverse has a ton of headroom, even with the dual-pane moon roofs overhead.

Moving to the second row, my review vehicle has captain chairs making this a 7-passenger, but you can get a bench seat too, giving it seating for 8. Rear seat occupants have air vents, automatic temperature controls, heated 2nd row seats, and power outlets.

The third-row seat is as roomy as any I’ve seen without going all the way to an SUV the size of large ones like Tahoe and Suburban. It folds flat with the push of two buttons.

Utility

The tailgate is power and works hands-free. There is good cargo area behind the third-row seat, and there is even more storage underneath. With all the seats folded down, there is a whopping 98.2 cubic feet of storage.

Standard Equipment

The High Country comes extremely well equipped and everything you see comes at no charge including keyless entry and remote start.

On the safety front, Traverse has it all. You get rear park assist, lane change alert, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, and forward collision alert with automatic braking.

Some features I really like include Teen Driver for monitoring driving behavior, and the rear seat reminder.

The rearview mirror works like a normal mirror, but it turns into a wide-angle rear video camera, very useful if you have three people in the far back seat blocking your vision.

Ride and Drive

The Traverse rides and handles really well for its size and is very quiet inside.

Fuel economy is good for a 4400-pound SUV. It is rated at 17 in town, 25 on the road, and 20 overall.

I love pretty much everything about the Traverse except it comes with the start/stop system that cannot be disabled. I will say it is one of the least annoying I’ve been in.

What You’ll Pay

Pricewise, this ultra-loaded Traverse High Country comes in with a sticker price of $54,295, before discounts and rebates, which I consider to be a good buy based on the terrific interior, vast amount of room, and high level of standard equipment.