Compare the2023 Dodge DurangoVS 2023 Chevrolet Traverse

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Dodge Durango 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 Dodge Durango has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps 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.

The Durango has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Traverse doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Durango 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 Durango has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Traverse.

Both the Durango and the Traverse have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, daytime running lights, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive, crash mitigating brakes, lane departure warning systems and front parking sensors.

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

	Durango	Traverse
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	295	333
Chest Compression	.8 inches	.9 inches
Neck Injury Risk	26%	35.2%
Leg Forces (l/r)	303/32 lbs.	258/133 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 Dodge Durango is safer than the Chevrolet Traverse:

	Durango	Traverse
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	46	69
Abdominal Force	111 lbs.	161 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	50	134
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	39 G’s
Hip Force	446 lbs.	716 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	194	251

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

Warranty

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

Reliability

To reliably start during all conditions and help handle large electrical loads, the Durango has a standard 850-amp battery (700 V8). The Traverse’s 600-amp battery isn’t as powerful.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are better in initial quality than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge second in initial quality, above the industry average. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles, Chevrolet is ranked third.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Dodge above average in long-term dependability. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Chevrolet is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Dodge vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Dodge 7 places higher in reliability than Chevrolet.

Engine

The Durango’s optional 5.7 V8 produces 50 more horsepower (360 vs. 310) and 124 lbs.-ft. more torque (390 vs. 266) than the Traverse’s 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Dodge Durango V8 is faster than the Chevrolet Traverse:

	Durango	Traverse
Zero to 60 MPH	6.4 sec	6.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.9 sec	15.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	92.9 MPH	90.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Durango 3.6 DOHC V6 4x4 gets better fuel mileage than the Traverse AWD (18 city/25 hwy vs. 17 city/25 hwy).

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Durango V8’s fuel efficiency. The Traverse doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Durango has 5.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Traverse FWD’s standard fuel tank (24.6 vs. 19.4 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Durango has 2.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Traverse AWD’s standard fuel tank (24.6 vs. 21.7 gallons).

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Durango’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Traverse:

	Durango	Durango R/T	Traverse
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	15 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	13.8 inches	12.4 inches

The Durango’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Traverse are solid, not vented.

The Durango stops much shorter than the Traverse:

	Durango	Traverse
60 to 0 MPH	124 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Durango has larger standard tires than the Traverse (265/60R18 vs. 255/65R18). The Durango R/T’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Traverse (295/45R20 vs. 255/65R18).

The Durango SXT’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. The Durango R/T’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Traverse’s optional 55 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires available on the Durango can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Traverse doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The Durango offers an optional full size spare tire so a flat doesn’t interrupt your trip. A full size spare isn’t available on the Traverse; it requires you to depend on a temporary spare, which limits mileage and speed before replacement.

Suspension and Handling

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

The Durango offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Traverse’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The Durango offers an optional automatic rear load leveling suspension to keep ride height level with a heavy load or when towing. The Traverse doesn’t offer a load leveling suspension.

The Durango’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (50% to 50%) than the Traverse’s (56.6% to 43.4%). This gives the Durango more stable handling and braking.

The Durango R/T 4x4 handles at .80 G’s, while the Traverse Premier AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Durango R/T 4x4 executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Traverse Premier AWD (27.4 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Durango has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Traverse (8.1 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Durango to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Durango is 5.1 inches shorter than the Traverse, making the Durango easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Durango GT 4x4 is quieter than the Traverse High Country AWD (38 vs. 41 dB).

Cargo Capacity

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

Towing

The Durango’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Traverse’s (6200 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Chevrolet Traverse is only 5000 pounds. The Durango 4x4 offers up to a 8700 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Durango uses the Electronic Stability Control sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Traverse doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Servicing Ease

The engine in the Durango is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Traverse. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because there are no rear spark plugs and the accessory belts are in front.

Ergonomics

The Durango’s instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The Traverse does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The Durango’s front power windows open or close with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside of the car. The Traverse’s front passenger window doesn’t close automatically.

The Durango 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 Durango’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Traverse’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Durango’s optional wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

The Durango 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.

Economic Advantages

The Durango will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Durango will retain 51.72% to 54.97% of its original price after five years, while the Traverse only retains 46.47% to 47.29%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Durango is less expensive to operate than the Traverse because it costs $291 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Durango than the Traverse, including $266 less for a water pump, $55 less for front brake pads, $211 less for fuel injection, $65 less for a fuel pump and $292 less for a timing belt/chain.

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