Compare the2023 Chevrolet TraverseVS 2023 Acura MDX

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 Acura MDX doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

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 MDX doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Traverse and the MDX 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, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, 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 Acura MDX:

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 Acura MDX:

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

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

There are almost 11 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Acura dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Traverse’s warranty.

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Traverse’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the MDX’s camshafts. If the MDX’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 45 more problems per 100 vehicles, Acura is ranked 21st, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Acura vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in long-term dependability. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Acura is rated below average.

The Traverse’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 20 more horsepower (310 vs. 290) than the MDX’s standard 3.5 SOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Traverse is faster than the Acura MDX V6:

On the EPA test cycle the Traverse AWD gets better fuel mileage than the MDX Type S 3.0 turbo V6 (17 city/25 hwy vs. 17 city/21 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Traverse uses regular unleaded gasoline. The MDX requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Traverse FWD’s standard fuel tank has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the MDX (19.4 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Traverse AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the MDX (21.7 vs. 18.5 gallons).

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Traverse higher (6 out of 10) than the Acura MDX (5). This means the Traverse produces up to 6.9 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the MDX every 15,000 miles.

The Traverse stops much shorter than the MDX:

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse’s wheelbase is 7.1 inches longer than on the MDX (120.9 inches vs. 113.8 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Traverse’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the MDX’s (39 feet vs. 40.5 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Traverse has a greater minimum ground clearance than the MDX (7.5 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Traverse to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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 MDX doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Traverse High Country AWD is quieter than the MDX Type S (67 vs. 68 dB).

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

The Traverse has 4.3 inches more front headroom, 1.9 inches more rear headroom, 1.9 inches more rear shoulder room, 2 inches more third row headroom, 4.4 inches more third row legroom, 7.9 inches more third row hip room and 2.3 inches more third row shoulder room than the MDX.

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

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

The Traverse can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Traverse can be unhitched and driven around locally. The MDX can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The power windows standard on both the Traverse and the MDX have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Traverse is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The MDX prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Traverse’s available exterior PIN entry system. The MDX doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its AcuraLink can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Traverse’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The MDX has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Traverse will be $8055 to $12227 less than for the Acura MDX.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Traverse and the Acura MDX, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Chevrolet Traverse outsold the Acura MDX by over two to one during 2022.