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Wilkesboro families know the drill for a Boone weekend. Hiking boots, a cooler, two duffel bags, and somebody's guitar because somebody always brings a guitar. The 2026 Traverse gives that pile a real home with 97.6 cu ft of max cargo space behind the first row.
That number matters more on the drive up US-421 than it does in a parking lot. The road climbs steadily into Boone's higher elevation, and a packed SUV that feels sluggish on the grade turns a 45-minute trip into a long one. The Traverse's 2.5L turbocharged engine makes 328 hp and 326 lb-ft of torque, enough to hold speed on the climb without the engine straining under a full load.
Fold the third row down before the trip and the cargo area opens to 56.6 cu ft, plenty for ski gear in the winter or mountain bikes in the fall, with the second row still seating the rest of the family in comfort.
Best trim for this trip: Z71. Standard twin-clutch AWD and an auto-locking rear differential handle the elevation change and any wet mountain pavement with more confidence than a standard AWD system.
W. Kerr Scott Reservoir sits close enough to Wilkesboro that it turns into a spur-of-the-moment plan more often than a scheduled one. That means gear gets loaded fast, and it rarely gets loaded well. Life jackets, a cooler, beach chairs, and a paddleboard or two do not stack themselves.
With 97.6 cu ft available behind the front seats, the Traverse skips the trunk-Tetris routine most SUVs force on a lake day. Kayaks and paddleboards strap to a roof rack while coolers, towels, and folding chairs ride inside, dry and out of the sun.
The 22.9 cu ft of space behind the third row still handles a same-day cooler and towel run even with all seats filled, which matters when the whole family piles in for a Sunday at the reservoir.
Best trim for this trip: Z71 again, for the gravel and dirt boat-ramp access roads around the reservoir. LT with AWD works fine for paved-access spots like Bandits Creek.
Weekend tournament travel means one specific packing problem: gear that will not fold small. Bat bags, soccer nets, folding chairs, and a cooler for the sideline all take up real space, and they need to travel with the team's players, not a separate vehicle.
Folding the Traverse's third row down turns the cargo area into 56.6 cu ft, room for a full set of team gear plus the parents riding along, without anyone's knees in the trunk. Families running the tournament circuit between Wilkesboro, Hickory, and North Wilkesboro get one vehicle that handles both the passengers and the equipment.
The 17.7-inch touchscreen and Google built-in also mean the driver is not juggling a phone mount for directions between fields on a Saturday with three games on the schedule.
Best trim for this trip: LT with the 8-passenger bench seat option, for families who need the extra seat for a carpool as much as the cargo room.
All four 2026 Traverse trims share the same 97.6 cu ft max cargo space. The difference is drivetrain and where each trim feels most at home on a Wilkesboro-area trip.
| Trim | Drivetrain | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| LT | FWD standard, AWD available | Families who want the 8-passenger bench option for tournament carpools and pavement-only road trips. |
| Z71 Recommended | AWD standard, twin-clutch with locking rear diff | Boone weekends and Kerr Scott gravel access roads. The trail-ready trim for families who leave pavement. |
| RS | FWD standard, AWD available | Families who want blacked-out sport styling and available Super Cruise for long US-421 stretches. |
| High Country | FWD standard, AWD available | Families who want perforated leather and 22-inch wheels on top of the same cargo room as every other trim. |
The 2026 Traverse holds 97.6 cu ft of max cargo space behind the first row, 56.6 cu ft behind the second row, and 22.9 cu ft behind the third row. That top number is enough for a full Wilkesboro family's gear on a Boone weekend, coolers, bikes, and duffel bags included, without touching the roof rack.
Yes. The Traverse's 2.5L turbocharged engine makes 328 hp and 326 lb-ft of torque, enough to handle the climb up US-421 into Boone's elevation change without feeling strained, even with the cargo area packed for a weekend trip.
For one family's worth of equipment, yes. With the third row folded, the Traverse opens up 56.6 cu ft, enough for bat bags, soccer nets, coolers, and folding chairs for weekend tournament travel between Wilkesboro, Hickory, and the rest of the Foothills circuit.
The Traverse seats 7 standard, with an 8-passenger bench seat option available on the LT trim. Either configuration still leaves real cargo room behind the third row for a Kerr Scott day-trip cooler and towels.
The Z71 is the strongest fit for families who mix pavement road trips with gravel boat-ramp access at W. Kerr Scott Reservoir. It comes with standard twin-clutch AWD and a locking rear differential, built for exactly that kind of weekend.
Chevy Safety Assist comes standard on every 2026 Traverse trim, including Forward Collision Alert, Automatic Emergency Braking, and Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning. Upper trims can add Super Cruise for hands-free highway driving on long stretches like US-421.
McNeill Chevrolet has the 2026 Traverse on the lot at 1931 US-421 in Wilkesboro. Families from North Wilkesboro, Boone, Statesville, and Hickory can browse current inventory online or stop by for a test drive.
McNeill Chevrolet has been a Wilkesboro family since 1939. Come see how much the 2026 Traverse actually holds before your next trip up US-421.