Compare the2019 Chevrolet TraverseVS 2018 Lincoln MKT

For enhanced safety, the Chevrolet Traverse’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 Lincoln MKT doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

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 MKT 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 MKT doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Traverse (except L/LS/LT/RS) offers optional Front Automatic Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The MKT offers an available collision warning system without the automated brake feature that would prevent or reduce the collision if the driver fails to react.

The Chevrolet Traverse has Daytime Running Lights to help keep it more visible under all conditions. Canadian government studies show that driving with lights during the day reduces accidents by 11% by making vehicles more conspicuous. The MKT doesn’t offer Daytime Running Lights.

The Traverse (except L/LS) offers an optional Surround Vision to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The MKT 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 MKT have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front-wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras, available all-wheel drive, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

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

There are over 3 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Lincoln dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Traverse’s warranty.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 6th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 1 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 7th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2018 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 6th in reliability, above the industry average. With 9 more problems per 100 vehicles, Lincoln is ranked 10th.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ April 2018 Auto Issue reports that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Lincoln vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Chevrolet 4 places higher in reliability than Lincoln.

The Traverse RS’ standard 2.0 turbo 4 cyl. produces 16 lbs.-ft. more torque (295 vs. 279) than the MKT’s standard 3.7 DOHC V6.

On the EPA test cycle the Traverse FWD V6 gets better fuel mileage than the MKT FWD with its standard engine (18 city/27 hwy vs. 16 city/24 hwy).

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

The Traverse AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the MKT (21.7 vs. 18.6 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Traverse higher (6 out of 10) than the Lincoln MKT (3). This means the Traverse produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the MKT 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 MKT.

For better traction, the Traverse has larger tires than the MKT (255/65R18 vs. 235/55R19).

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the MKT (120.9 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Traverse is 1.9 inches wider in the front and 1.7 inches wider in the rear than on the MKT.

The Traverse High Country AWD handles at .83 G’s, while the MKT AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Traverse Premier AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the MKT (27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Traverse’s turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the MKT AWD’s (39 feet vs. 41.5 feet). The Traverse’s turning circle is 3.4 feet tighter than the MKT’s (39 feet vs. 42.4 feet).

The Chevrolet Traverse may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 350 pounds less than the Lincoln MKT.

The Traverse is 3.3 inches shorter than the MKT, making the Traverse easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

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 MKT doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

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

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

The Traverse has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front hip room, 3.5 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear hip room, 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room, 4.7 inches more third row headroom, .5 inches more third row legroom, 7.9 inches more third row hip room and 8.4 inches more third row shoulder room than the MKT.

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

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Lincoln MKT is limited to 4500 pounds. The Traverse offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

Consumer Reports rated the Traverse’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the MKT’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

When the Traverse Premier/High Country is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The MKT’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Standard smartphone integration for the Traverse allows the driver and passengers access to select programs on their smartphones, including reading text messages aloud, playing internet radio stations and other connected activities without taking their eyes off the road or their hands from the wheel. The MKT doesn’t offer factory integrated smartphone program access.

Insurance will cost less for the Traverse owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Traverse will cost $990 to $2275 less than the MKT over a five-year period.

The Traverse will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Traverse will retain 43.81% to 46.45% of its original price after five years, while the MKT only retains 40.37% to 41%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Traverse will be $7015 to $11799 less than for the Lincoln MKT.

The Chevrolet Traverse outsold the Lincoln MKT by over 41 to one during 2017.