Compare the2018 Chevrolet TraverseVS 2018 Hyundai Santa Fe

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 Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Traverse and the Santa Fe 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.

Chevrolet pays for scheduled maintenance on the Traverse for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Chevrolet will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance (up to 2 oil changes). Hyundai doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Santa Fe.

There are almost 4 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Traverse’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2016 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 6th in reliability, above the industry average. With 33 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is ranked 19th.

The Traverse RS’ standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. produces 43 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 252) than the Santa Fe’s 3.3 DOHC V6. The Traverse’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 20 more horsepower (310 vs. 290) and 14 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 252) than the Santa Fe’s 3.3 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Traverse gets better fuel mileage than the Santa Fe:

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 Santa Fe doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Traverse AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Santa Fe (21.7 vs. 18.8 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Traverse higher (5 out of 10) than the Hyundai Santa Fe (3). This means the Traverse produces up to 16.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Santa Fe every 15,000 miles.

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

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

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Traverse LT Leather/RS/Premier/High Country has standard 20-inch wheels. The Santa Fe’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The Chevrolet Traverse’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Hyundai Santa Fe 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 Santa Fe doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse’s wheelbase is 10.7 inches longer than on the Santa Fe (120.9 inches vs. 110.2 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Traverse is 3.2 inches wider in the front and 2.5 inches wider in the rear than on the Santa Fe.

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 Santa Fe doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Traverse has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Santa Fe can only carry 7.

The Traverse has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 1.4 inches more front hip room, 2.7 inches more front shoulder room, .6 inches more rear headroom, 1.5 inches more rear hip room, 3.9 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.5 inches more third row headroom, 2.6 inches more third row legroom, 4.4 inches more third row hip room and 3.6 inches more third row shoulder room than the Santa Fe.

The Traverse’s cargo area provides more volume than the Santa Fe.

Pressing a switch automatically lowers or raises the Traverse High Country’s third row seats, to make changing between cargo and passengers easier. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Traverse offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Santa Fe doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Santa Fe doesn’t offer an exterior keypad entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Traverse Premier/High Country has standard automatic dimming rear and side view mirrors which automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Santa Fe offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Insurance will cost less for the Traverse owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Traverse will cost $545 less than the Santa Fe over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Traverse is less expensive to operate than the Santa Fe because typical repairs cost much less on the Traverse than the Santa Fe, including $38 less for front struts and $368 less for a power steering pump.