Compare the2023 Chevrolet TraverseVS 2023 Toyota Sienna

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 Sienna doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Traverse and the Sienna 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 Toyota Sienna:

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 Toyota Sienna:

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 Sienna’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are over 2 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Traverse’s warranty.

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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 25 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is ranked 14th.

The Traverse’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 65 more horsepower (310 vs. 245) than the Sienna’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Traverse is faster than the Toyota Sienna:

The Traverse FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sienna (19.4 vs. 18 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Traverse AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.7 gallons more fuel capacity than the Sienna (21.7 vs. 18 gallons).

The Traverse 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 Sienna doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

The Traverse stops much shorter than the Sienna:

For better traction, the Traverse has larger tires than the Sienna (255/65R18 vs. 235/50R20).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Traverse has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Sienna LE/XLE.

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

For greater off-road capability the Traverse has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Sienna (7.5 vs. 6.3 inches), allowing the Traverse to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Traverse’s minimum ground clearance is .6 inch higher than on the Sienna 25th Anniversary Edition (7.5 vs. 6.9 inches).

The Chevrolet Traverse may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 300 pounds less than the Toyota Sienna.

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 Sienna 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 Sienna doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Traverse has 2.7 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, .1 inches more rear headroom and .8 inches more third row headroom than the Sienna.

The Sienna’s spare tire is stored in the cargo area, where it diminishes the useable cargo capacity and interferes with loading and unloading. The Traverse’s spare is out of the way under the trunk floor.

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Toyota Sienna is limited to 3500 pounds. The Traverse offers up to a 5000 lbs. towing capacity.

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 Sienna can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Traverse uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Sienna uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The Traverse (except LS) 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 Sienna 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’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Sienna doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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

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

The Chevrolet Traverse outsold the Toyota Sienna by 39% during the 2021 model year.