Compare the2023 Honda OdysseyVS 2023 Chevrolet Traverse

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Honda Odyssey are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The Chevrolet Traverse doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

The Honda Odyssey has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Traverse doesn’t offer knee airbags.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Odyssey deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Odyssey’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Traverse’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

The Odyssey has a standard Whiplash Mitigation Front Seat Design, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Mitigation Front Seat Design system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Traverse doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Odyssey has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Traverse’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Odyssey has standard Cross Traffic Monitor, helping the driver avoid collisions. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Traverse.

Both the Odyssey and the Traverse 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 and available rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Honda Odyssey is safer than the Chevrolet Traverse:

	Odyssey	Traverse
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	176	216
Neck Stress	184 lbs.	198 lbs.
Neck Compression	18 lbs.	77 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	247	333
Chest Compression	.7 inches	.9 inches
Neck Injury Risk	32%	35.2%
Neck Stress	101 lbs.	128 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 Honda Odyssey is safer than the Chevrolet Traverse:

	Odyssey	Traverse
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	66	69
Chest Movement	.5 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	83 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	134
Hip Force	709 lbs.	716 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	12 inches	14 inches
Hip Force	472 lbs.	554 lbs.

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

Side impacts caused 23% of all road fatalities in 2018, down from 29% in 2003, when the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety introduced its side barrier test. In order to continue improving vehicle safety, the IIHS has started using a more severe side impact test: 37 MPH (up from 31 MPH), with a 4180-pound barrier (up from 3300 pounds). The results of this newly developed test demonstrates that the Honda Odyssey is safer than the Traverse:

	Odyssey	Traverse
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	127	141
Neck Tension	201 lbs.	446 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.87 in	1.3 in
Shoulder Force	223 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.26 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	5 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	625 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head Injury Criterion	142	189
Neck Tension	112 lbs.	134 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	201 lbs.
Shoulder Deflection	.98 in	1.02 in
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Odyssey is 1.4% to 3.3% less likely to roll over than the Traverse.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Odyssey its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Traverse last would have qualified as only a standard “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Odyssey’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Traverse’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Honda pays for scheduled maintenance on the Odyssey for 2 years and 24,000 miles. Honda will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Traverse.

Reliability

The engine in the Odyssey has a single overhead cam for simplicity. The engine in the Traverse has dual overhead cams, which add to the number of moving parts and the complexity of the cylinder heads.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Odyssey first among minivans in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Traverse isn’t in the top three in its category.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Honda vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Honda 15 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

As tested in Car and Driver the Honda Odyssey is faster than the Chevrolet Traverse:

	Odyssey	Traverse
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	6.8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	17 sec	17.5 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.6 sec	7 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.1 sec	4.7 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	95 MPH	94 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Odyssey gets better mileage than the Traverse:

			MPG
Odyssey
	FWD	3.5 SOHC V6	19 city/28 hwy
Traverse
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Odyssey’s fuel efficiency. The Traverse doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Transmission

A 10-speed automatic is standard on the Honda Odyssey, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a nine-speed automatic is available for the Traverse.

Brakes and Stopping

The Odyssey stops much shorter than the Traverse:

	Odyssey	Traverse
70 to 0 MPH	180 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

The Odyssey’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 60 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Traverse’s standard 65 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Odyssey has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Traverse’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

Passenger Space

The Odyssey has .5 inches more front hip room, 1.2 inches more front shoulder room, 2.5 inches more rear legroom, 7.9 inches more rear hip room, .1 inches more third row headroom, 4.6 inches more third row legroom and 2.5 inches more third row shoulder room than the Traverse.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Odyssey’s middle and third row seats recline. The Traverse’s third row seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

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

	Odyssey	Traverse
Behind Third Seat	38.6 cubic feet	23 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	92.3 cubic feet	57.8 cubic feet
Max Cargo Volume	158 cubic feet	98.2 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Odyssey easier. The Odyssey’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 22.5 inches, while the Traverse’s liftover is 30.6 inches.

The Odyssey has a standard One-Motion Magic Seat third row seat, which folds flat into the floor. This completely clears a very large cargo area quickly. The Traverse doesn’t offer seats that fold into the floor.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Odyssey. The Traverse doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Odyssey’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Traverse’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Odyssey’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Traverse’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Odyssey the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Traverse can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Odyssey’s standard sliding doors can be opened with less than three inches side clearance. The Traverse’s standard rear swing-out doors are bulky and make loading in tight spots difficult.

The Odyssey’s power side sliding doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the van. The Traverse doesn’t offer a power rear door.

The Odyssey has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Traverse doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

The Odyssey Elite’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Traverse’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Odyssey’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Traverse’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The Odyssey has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Traverse doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

The Odyssey Touring/Elite has a standard center folding armrest for the third row rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and can provide a barrier between children. The Traverse doesn’t offer a third row rear seat center armrest.

Economic Advantages

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

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Odyssey is less expensive to operate than the Traverse because it costs $673 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Odyssey than the Traverse, including $97 less for a water pump, $121 less for front brake pads, $246 less for fuel injection, $99 less for a fuel pump, $8 less for front struts, $888 less for a timing belt/chain and $14 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Honda Odyssey will be $453 to $4358 less than for the Chevrolet Traverse.

Recommendations

The Honda Odyssey has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Odyssey	Traverse
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	TRUE
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE

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