Chevrolet’s Minivan has finally become a tough SUV

If you’ve been looking—or more likely, life circumstances have led you—to search the car market for a minivan with 7 or 8 seats and room for gear, you’ve come to the right place. The Chevrolet Traverse, as you will understand, transformed from the ugliest duck in the lake to a swan, but one with good ground clearance, off-road tires, and even a tow hitch.

Yes, the American company’s large crossover is making a transformation, not just in design but in almost every category you knew... almost. The significant upgrade doesn’t stop at the equipment, design, or powertrain, but—as with almost every new car in Israel—also includes a price increase of tens of thousands of NIS.

So the question is simple—does the upgrade in the vehicle justify the upgrade in price?

The next generation upgraded slightly with a large C-pillar and a massive grille alongside roof rails for effect. The look still felt quite minivan-ish, but a slight nod toward SUVs improved things. Then came the new generation Traverse, and it seems someone decided to dig a deep hole and bury every thought of minivans inside.

The front end now has a very high and very horizontal hood, as if it’s a Land Traverse rather than a minivan for ferrying kids to soccer practice. The tough front sports a huge grille, a large Chevrolet emblem, and slim headlights. The side has a muscular C-pillar, prominent roof rails, a high beltline, and from behind, four exhaust pipes peek out.

The Z71 version we tested firmly nails the concept that this is an SUV, and a tough one at that. This version gets raised ground clearance (20 cm instead of 17 cm), 29-inch off-road tires instead of 18-inch ones, plastic cladding claiming to protect the undercarriage, and red tow hooks, which we will discuss more.

Bottom line—the vehicle makes an impression. The amount of reactions, comments, and people asking what it was and how much it costs was higher than any other crossover we tested. And we have tested quite a few.

The multimedia system is another leap forward compared to what we remembered from Chevrolet. The graphics are decent, icons are large for easy operation while driving, the processor is strong so there is almost no lag in using the screens, and the instrument cluster gets sharp graphics and clear info as well. Add to this physical buttons for climate control operation.

In practice, there are a few less successful points, but these are really side notes. First, the physical volume buttons, lighting modes, key function button, and lane departure control are all located where the multimedia screen and instrument cluster meet, and they can be hidden behind the steering wheel in some positions. To connect your phone to the system you need a cable, and there aren’t enough options to customize the instrument cluster to personal taste.

The materials in the cabin look good at first glance, but on a hot day without much air conditioning, you’ll notice these aren’t the best leather seats. On closer inspection, the plastic also doesn’t justify the price. Assembly quality is acceptable.

The equipment in the test car (the most expensive in the range) is very good but not exceptional. An electric parking brake—with no Hold option—wireless phone charging, electrically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, a huge sunroof, electric trunk door, and more.

The seating position is exceptional, for fans of the genre who like sitting high above the vehicle, with a hood stretching forward and sturdy A-pillars. It really feels like a real Jeep. The sightline is relatively good, and everything is backed by surround sensors and cameras including a 360° mode. The seat offers great leg, head, and waistroom for full-sized American-sized people. It’s also good in the front passenger seat. The downside, which applies to all seats, is the vehicle height—kids and adults will find it hard to climb up.

Now, let’s assume the kid found a way to climb into the vehicle and enter through the rear doors. In the back, there are two options—either a row with a bench for three seats, totaling 8 seats, or, as in the tested version and optionally in other trims, two roomy captain’s chairs, 7 seats total. The seats provide plenty of room for two passengers and in any case they get air vents, rear climate control, USB ports, and even a regular outlet.

Access to the third row is fairly easy through the passage between seats or by sliding one of the seats—a simple operation opening a wide entrance. There are three seats. Unless the adults are unusually tall, they’ll offer decent legroom and probably headroom. For three kids, the width will be fine; for adults, it will at best be tolerable. This row also has air vents and USB outlets.

Interestingly, the power availability is different. The previous non-turbo engine offered peak torque at 2,800 rpm, while this turbo engine reaches peak torque only at a very high 3,500 rpm for a turbocharged engine. The result is a strong and determined engine within the power band (3,500 rpm up to about 5,500 rpm) but a much less effective engine below 3,500 rpm. Below peak torque, the engine produces an unpleasant and rough noise and doesn’t really help move the heavy vehicle forward. When it delivers power in the higher rev range, the engine already drives the heavy car decisively for overtaking, even on a steep climb.

Alongside the engine, the transmission shifts smoothly between gears. It’s not very fast and can shift roughly at the start of driving but overall it’s okay. Strangely, the paddle shifters only work in the low-gear off-road mode (LOW) which doesn’t really offer unusual gear ratios.

Fuel consumption during the test was 7.5 km per liter, improving on gentle highway driving to about 10 km per liter. Not an impressive figure for a modern vehicle and certainly not close to the figures offered by similar hybrids or plug-in vehicles.

In the city, it generally absorbs bumps reasonably well, but very harsh bumps are definitely felt inside the cabin. They are noticeable but perhaps cushioned by very tall sidewall tires or the specific dampers, so the feeling is not a painful crash but a clear hit. Sometimes it seems that the suspension noise is louder than the amount of bumps being transmitted inside.

Outside the city, the suspension handles most things well, but the body tends to sway a bit more than desired. It’s not extreme softness, just a less comfortable movement. Off-road (soft terrain—the vehicle isn’t really meant for hard off-road), the vehicle moves quite a lot on the suspension and doesn’t feel very controlled. This is likely due to a damper that tends to snap the wheel sharply back into place combined with a certain softness in the suspension tuning.

Noise insulation is not terrible but also not good. Wind noise is neutralized fairly well, but road and suspension noise come inside over noisy surfaces.

The tested version also has all-wheel drive, which is offered on other trims as well. The AWD helps gain a bit more grip on wet or winding roads and also during off-road driving.

Despite all this, it is not a fun car. On most winding roads, you will drive slowly compared to smaller, more agile cars, both because of the huge dimensions, the light steering, the spongy brakes, and because it is a heavy, large vehicle that will understeer if you press the throttle at the wrong time and place.

Speaking of off-road driving, this is not the vehicle to take up a rocky mountain. Yes, trail rides will be much easier and more comfortable, and very skilled drivers may be able to perform some more serious off-road tasks. The ground clearance angle, limited suspension travel, and lack of torque at low RPM prevent this minivan—even in the Z71 version—from being a true off-road vehicle.

Either way, you see a vehicle offering good and clean fuel or electricity consumption. From the Traverse, it’s clear that many customers of 400,000-NIS crossovers are probably not very interested in fuel prices or the polar bear situation. So if we assume fuel is not a factor—because of the fuel cost or any other reason—it’s not easy to find a 7-8 seat family minivan offering an interesting combination of family space, good equipment, and such a non-minivan look. In terms of price, it is exactly in the right place if you take fuel cost out of the equation.