Compare the2018 Chevrolet TraverseVS 2017 Toyota Sienna

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Traverse are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Sienna doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Traverse has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Sienna doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Traverse (except L/LS/LT/RS)’s optional lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Sienna doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Traverse LT Leather/RS/Premier/High Country has a standard Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Sienna only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Traverse and the Sienna have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front-wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all-wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The Traverse’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Sienna’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Traverse’s warranty.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Traverse has a standard 600-amp battery. The Sienna’s 582-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2017 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 7 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 13th.

The Traverse RS’ standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. produces 32 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 263) than the Sienna’s 3.5 DOHC V6. The Traverse’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 14 more horsepower (310 vs. 296) and 3 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 263) than the Sienna’s 3.5 DOHC V6.

In heavy traffic or at stoplights the Traverse’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. (Start/Stop isn’t accounted in present EPA fuel mileage tests.) The Sienna doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Traverse, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a 8-speed automatic is available for the Sienna.

For better traction, the Traverse has larger tires than the Sienna (255/65R18 vs. 235/60R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Traverse has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sienna L/LE/XLE. The Traverse LT Leather/RS/Premier/High Country’s 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels on the Sienna SE.

The Chevrolet Traverse’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Toyota Sienna only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Traverse has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Sienna doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For superior ride and handling, the Chevrolet Traverse has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Toyota Sienna has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Traverse has vehicle speed-sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Sienna doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Sienna (120.9 inches vs. 119.3 inches).

The front grille of the Traverse uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Sienna doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Traverse has .3 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more rear headroom and .8 inches more rear legroom than the Sienna.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Traverse Premier/High Country’s cargo door can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Sienna doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its cargo door, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Traverse uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sienna uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Traverse LS/LT/RS/Premier/High Country’s available exterior keypad. The Sienna doesn’t offer an exterior keypad entry system.

The Traverse’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. The Sienna L doesn’t offer heated side mirrors.

Both the Traverse and the Sienna offer available heated front seats. The Traverse Premier/High Country also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated second row seats aren’t available in the Sienna.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Traverse Premier/High Country keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Sienna doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Insurance will cost less for the Traverse owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Traverse will cost $610 less than the Sienna over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Traverse is less expensive to operate than the Sienna because typical repairs cost much less on the Traverse than the Sienna, including $125 less for a starter, $81 less for fuel injection, $492 less for a fuel pump, $74 less for front struts, $86 less for a timing belt/chain and $301 less for a power steering pump.