This week I bring you the extremely popular 2025 Chevy Traverse, a large, but officially midsized SUV meant to compete with the likes of the Ford Explorer, Toyota Highlander, Mazda CX-90, and Honda Pilot. Chevy really stepped up their game in 2024 with the new version of Traverse, which for many years I have recommended to many people on the show. Not a lot of changes for this 2nd-year generation Traverse. The lowest level trim LS is gone and the LT is now the base trim, but still very nice.
Exterior
The exterior changes to the Traverse last year look great in my opinion, much more modern. It features a sleek, new front fascia, distinctive lines down the sides, a built-in spoiler and dual quad exhaust. LED lights are featured in the front and rear, and chrome is a nice touch above all the side glass.
Notice the design move Chevy did with a shark fin on the side rear windows. Very distinctive and unusual. The 22” aluminum wheels look terrific in the Lakeshore Blue paint color and in a major change last year, the Traverse is longer, wider, and taller than previous versions.
Powertrain
Under the hood is a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder that is turbocharged. Before you turn your nose up at the demise of the six-banger, know that this new configuration has more horsepower, more torque, and it gets better fuel economy. What’s not to love? It has 328-horses, 326 pound-feet of torque, and it’ll tow 5,000 pounds. It is mated to an 8-speed automatic transmission with shift paddles, and my tester is a front-wheel drive but all-wheel drive is also available.
Interior
The 2025 Traverse is available with four trim levels. Starting at the bottom Chevy offers the LT, the Z71 for off-roading, the High Country luxury version which is what I have this week, and the sporty RS (Rally Sport) model which costs the most and has a different interior and features.
You can tell as soon as you enter the cabin that the High Country is upscale and offers a premium interior. Stitching is everywhere and there are all soft touch materials. Plus, I love the white seats with black accents. The white might be hard to keep clean if you have little munchkins, but it would certainly be cool in the hot Texas summers. The interior is not only super nice, it is quite functional.
The 11” gauge cluster is bright and colorful and highly configurable. You can go with a really clean look of just a digital speedometer, or you can get a screen that shows a tachometer, digital speedometer, trip information, and on the right, your audio choices. The controls to change the gauges are on the heated, power tilt and telescoping steering wheel.
Command central is a massive 17.7” touchscreen that looks fantastic and is lightning-fast to operate and unlike many others, is super-intuitive. It operated the Bose 10-speaker sound system, Google navigation maps, the Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth, SiriusXM, AM & FM radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This screen also has apps for Google Assistant, Alexa, a trailering page, ambient lighting, and much more with a simple swipe. I also love that across the top there are shortcuts for the most-used items on the screen, and I was super-impressed with the rearview camera. There is even a trailer hitch hookup view.
The power heated and air-conditioned front seats with lumbar support are extremely comfortable, and the Traverse has a ton of headroom. The gear shifter is on a stalk on the steering column which I love, and there are knobs and switches for the radio and air conditioning, and buttons to the left of the steering wheel for the drive modes and to disable the start/stop system. There is a camera mirror for a better view behind you if there are people in the 3rd row. Drive modes include Normal, Sport, Terrain, Off-Road, and Tow/Haul.
The center console is pass-through with storage underneath. Above is a wireless phone charger, a compartment behind a door for whatever you wish to store, and a large center console that serves as a soft armrest that will hold a lot of stuff.
Moving to the second row, my review vehicle has heated but not cooled captain chairs making this a 7-passenger, but you can get a bench seat too, giving it seating for 8. 2nd-row occupants can set their own temperature, have 2 USB-C ports, a power outlet, and both seats slide and recline. I love that the air conditioning vents for the 2nd and 3rd row occupants are in the ceiling for better cooling.
To get to the third row seat, the second row seats tilt and slide forward allowing easy access, and it is simple to operate with the push of a button. It would even work great with a child seat strapped in, without the child in it of course.
3rd row legroom would accommodate two not-overly large adults or three kids would be just fine. There are a pair of USB-C ports back there (total of six throughout). Again, headroom is not an issue in the least.
Utility
When you go around to the tailgate, it is power and works hands-free by waving your foot under the bumper, or your key fob. There is actually very good cargo area behind the third row seat. In fact, there are 58-cubic feet behind the 3rd row, and if you fold the 2nd row down, you get a whopping 98-cubic feet of storage with a totally flat cargo floor. Under the rear area is a huge storage area for whatever you need, and under that is a spare tire, albeit a compact one, at least it has one.
In a feature not every midsized SUV has, there are switches in rear to power-fold the 3rd row seat down and bring it back up, with the push of two buttons. You can also drop the 2nd row captain chairs from back there, but they have to be raised manually. It is a nice and very convenient setup for when cargo area is needed.
Standard Features and Options
The High Country comes extremely well-equipped and everything I’ve told you about. In fact, this review SUV does not have a single option. This package comes with keyless entry and remote start, trailer towing package with a hitch, walk-up lighting and unlocking, power driver’s seat and front passenger seat, and adaptive cruise control.
Super Cruise
The High Country even has as standard Super Cruise, GM’s fantastic semi-self-driving system, but it does require a subscription. I still think it is the best system out there so far. GM has driven and mapped out almost 750,000 miles of divided highways across America. On an approved road, you’ll get a green light on the dash. Set the cruise control, hit the Super Cruise, and the vehicle literally drives itself. If you want to change lanes, turn on your blinker and it will make sure there is enough room and will change lanes for you.
A small camera on the steering wheel monitors your eyes to make sure you are engaged, and if not, you get a verbal warning. After that, the car will start to slow down, the flashers come on, and it will safely get you off the road and OnStar will call for help. This is in case the driver is incapacitated. I’ve tested many of these systems, and still this one performs best in my opinion.
Safety
On the safety front, Traverse has it all. You get automatic parking assist, rear park assist, lane change alert, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control, automatic headlights, and forward collision alert with automatic braking.
Some features I really like include Teen Driver, so you can monitor and control your kids or a valet parker. It also has the rear seat reminder. If you open either of the back doors, when you get where you are going, it will remind you there may be something in the back seat, like a kid or a pet.
Ride and Drive
The Traverse rides and handles really well for its size, is very quiet inside due to active noise canceling technology, steering is easy but with good feedback, and you do not get a lot of lean going into curves. Driving is a very enjoyable experience overall.
Fuel economy is good for a 4,700-pound SUV. It is rated at 20 in town, 27 on the highway, and 23 overall.
What You'll Pay
Price-wise, this ultra-loaded Traverse High Country comes in with a sticker price of $54,995, which I consider to be a great buy based on the terrific interior, vast amount of room, and high level of standard equipment, not to mention the prices of other 3-row SUVs available that are not as nice or luxurious. If you don’t want this loaded version, the LT starts at just $40,600 and is nicely equipped.
- What I liked most: The roomy interior, interior quality, overall value, and driving characteristics.
- What I would change: Nothing really, it is a joy to drive and an outstanding value.
- MSRP: Base price $53,600. As equipped $54,995 with transportation.
- Fuel Economy: 20-city/27-highway, 23 combined.
- Odometer reading when tested: 270 miles.
- Official Color: Lakeshore Blue.
- Weight: 4,793 Pounds/GVWR 6,300.
- Length-Width-Height: 204.3” long/79.9” wide/70” high.
- Fuel Tank Capacity: 21.7 gallons with filler on the driver’s side.
- Towing Capacity: 5,000 pounds.
- Spare Tire: Yes, a compact one.
- Final Assembly Point: Lansing, Michigan.
- 2025 Traverse in a few words: Super roomy, very enjoyable SUV. GM knocked it out of the park with this one.
- Warranty: 3-year/36,000 mile bumper-to-bumper, 5-year/60,000 mile power train warranty with roadside assistance, free first maintenance visit, and courtesy transportation.
- Manufacturer’s website: www.Chevrolet.com
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