Chevrolet has redesigned its popular three-row Traverse for 2024, giving it more truck-like proportions than the outgoing crossover, but retaining much of the family friendliness that made it so popular over the years.

It now has a giant Chevy Camaro-inspired air intake at the front, flanked by razor-thin LED headlights. The dark cladding on the lower part adds an SUV look.

The Traverse Z71 tested here comes with increased ground clearance, all-terrain tires and a unique front fascia. Plus it comes with an aluminum skid plate and (hopefully not necessary) red tow hooks. All Z71s are all-wheel drive and have a unique suspension setup for better off-road handling.

I drove the Traverse for a week, shuttling the kids back and forth to sports, driving my family to see other families, and doing the necessary hardware for a home improvement project that I swore I bought enough supplies for. Despite its off-road capabilities, this type of work is what the average buyer would typically relegate the Traverse to.

KEEP: Sitting

The Traverse can be chosen with seven or eight seats and is a good combination of comfortable and supportive, if a little boring. The modifications allow for a good seating position for drivers of all sizes, and the body is low enough to make getting in and out easier.

CHANGE: Touch screen software

The touchscreen is large and colorful, except when you’re on the home screen, which is a sea of ​​icons of the same color. A more visually stimulating system like Apple CarPlay would be optimal, where the icons are in different but recognizable colors so they’re easier to see when trying to see down the road.

Plus, it takes more touches than necessary to get to some features, like the camera, when you’re squeezing through a tight spot, and the small air-con buttons are hard to hit in traffic.

KEEP: Optional all-wheel drive

This is a feature that all-wheel drive vehicles should always have, as four-wheel drive is rarely needed and destroys fuel economy. As the Traverse returns 24 mpg on the highway, that would surely drop with all-wheel drive.

It was only needed when I was creeping through the wet grass and woods of mid-Michigan. It’s a quick press of the button on the left side of the steering wheel and a few seconds before the dual-clutch system locks up. As I said before, these computer controlled four wheel drive systems get better every year and this one works for all but the toughest rock crawls or climbs.

CHANGE: Manipulation

The Traverse has grown up for its latest generation, which brings advantages like cargo and passenger space, but also disadvantages, primarily in the handling department. The previous Traverse wasn’t a sports car, either, but the new SUV’s height and width blunt its road manners.

I haven’t driven a non-Z71 model, which has a different suspension and might feel more connected to the road.

KEEP: New engine

New 2.5-liter turbocharged engine with 328 horsepower (hp) and 326 pound-feet (lb-ft) of torque. It’s paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and tows up to 5,000 pounds. In practice, the Traverse doesn’t roar or snarl like larger-engined SUVs and sports cars, but it’s strong from calm and speed.

Passing power is readily available, and the ten-speed transmission is amenable to flattening when you’re trying to hit a tighter gap in traffic. That’s enough power for a regular three-row that beats some premium SUVs in smoothness and performance.