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 Volkswagen Atlas 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 Atlas 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 Atlas doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.
The Traverse’s standard 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. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the Atlas and is not available with S.
Both the Traverse and the Atlas 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors and rear cross-path warning.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Traverse is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:
|
Traverse |
Atlas |
|
Driver |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
4 Stars |
HIC |
216 |
307 |
Neck Injury Risk |
15.6% |
30% |
Neck Stress |
198 lbs. |
412 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
53/40 lbs. |
67/229 lbs. |
|
Passenger |
|
STARS |
4 Stars |
4 Stars |
Neck Injury Risk |
35.2% |
39% |
Neck Stress |
128 lbs. |
129 lbs. |
Neck Compression |
51 lbs. |
117 lbs. |
Leg Forces (l/r) |
258/133 lbs. |
297/97 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Chevrolet Traverse is safer than the Volkswagen Atlas:
|
Traverse |
Atlas |
|
Front Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
Hip Force |
204 lbs. |
345 lbs. |
|
Rear Seat |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
134 |
144 |
Spine Acceleration |
39 G’s |
39 G’s |
|
Into Pole |
|
STARS |
5 Stars |
5 Stars |
HIC |
251 |
279 |
Spine Acceleration |
34 G’s |
51 G’s |
Hip Force |
554 lbs. |
800 lbs. |
New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.
For its top level performance in all IIHS frontal, side, rear impact and roof-crush tests, with its optional front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Traverse the rating of “Top Pick” for 2018, a rating granted to only 169 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Atlas was a “Top Pick” for 2017, but no longer qualifies under the tighter 2018 guidelines.