Compare the2018 GMC AcadiaVS 2018 Chevrolet Traverse

The Acadia Denali’s optional pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Traverse doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

For enhanced safety, the GMC Acadia’s middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Chevrolet Traverse doesn’t offer height adjustable seat belts.

Both the Acadia and the Traverse have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, and with its optional front crash prevention system, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Acadia the rating of “Top Pick” for 2017, a rating granted to only 148 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Traverse has not been tested, yet.

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Acadia has a standard 660-amp battery. The Traverse’s 600-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 5 lbs.-ft. more torque (271 vs. 266) than the Traverse’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the GMC Acadia V6 is faster than the Chevrolet Traverse V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Acadia FWD 4 cyl. gets better city fuel mileage than the Traverse RS FWD 4 cyl. (21 city/26 hwy vs. 20 city/26 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the GMC Acadia uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Traverse RS requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

The Acadia has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Traverse doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Acadia’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Traverse are solid, not vented.

The Acadia stops shorter than the Traverse:

The Acadia offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Traverse’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Traverse High Country AWD pulls only .83 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Traverse Premier AWD (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The GMC Acadia may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 900 pounds less than the Chevrolet Traverse.

The Acadia is 10.7 inches shorter than the Traverse, making the Acadia easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Acadia uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Traverse doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Acadia’s optional front and rear power windows all lower with one touch of the switches. The Traverse’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to lower them fully.

The Acadia’s speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Traverse’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the Traverse because typical repairs cost less on the Acadia than the Traverse, including $95 less for a water pump, $13 less for a starter, $129 less for fuel injection, $71 less for a fuel pump and $65 less for a timing belt/chain.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the GMC Acadia will be $628 to $1300 less than for the Chevrolet Traverse.