Compare the2023 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEVVS 2023 Chevrolet Traverse

Safety
Warranty
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and second-row seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Chevrolet Traverse doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 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 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Outlander PHEV has a standard Rear Automatic Emergency Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Traverse doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

To provide maximum traction and stability on all roads, Full-Time Four-Wheel Drive is standard on the Outlander PHEV. But it costs extra on the Traverse.

The Outlander PHEV has a standard blind spot warning system that 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 Outlander PHEV has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert, helping the driver avoid collisions. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Traverse.

The Outlander PHEV’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Traverse doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Outlander PHEV and the Traverse have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, side-impact head airbags, 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 around view monitors.

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 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is safer than the Traverse:

	Outlander PHEV	Traverse
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	ACCEPTABLE	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Neck Tension	223 lbs.	446 lbs.
Torso	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.83 in	1.3 in
Shoulder Force	201 lbs.	312 lbs.
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	1071 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	125	189
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	134 lbs.
Neck Compression	67 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.31 in	1.02 in
Shoulder Force	156 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	.75 in	1.22 in
Torso Deflection Rate	3 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	469 lbs.	848 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, and daytime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Outlander PHEV the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2023, a rating granted to only 55 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Traverse last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Outlander PHEV comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Traverse’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Mitsubishi’s powertrain warranty covers the Outlander PHEV 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Chevrolet covers the Traverse. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Traverse ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Outlander PHEV’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Traverse’s (7/100,000 vs. 6/100,000).

Engine

The Outlander PHEV’s 2.4 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 66 lbs.-ft. more torque (332 vs. 266) than the Traverse’s 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV is faster than the Chevrolet Traverse:

	Outlander PHEV	Traverse
Zero to 60 MPH	6.6 sec	6.8 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.7 sec	7 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Outlander PHEV running its gasoline engine gets better mileage than the Traverse:

			MPG
Outlander PHEV
	AWD	2.4 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/27 hwy
Traverse
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/27 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy

The Outlander PHEV can travel with zero emissions for 38 miles. The Traverse can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

Regenerative brakes improve the Outlander PHEV’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Traverse doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Outlander PHEV has a standard locking fuel door and a locking charge port with a power remote release convenient to the driver and which locks and unlocks with the power locks, respectively. The Traverse doesn’t offer a locking fuel filler door. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank and a locking charge port prevents tampering and damage.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Outlander PHEV	Traverse
Front Rotors	13.8 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13 inches	12.4 inches

The Outlander PHEV stops much shorter than the Traverse:

	Outlander PHEV	Traverse
70 to 0 MPH	171 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

The Outlander PHEV’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 Outlander PHEV SE/SEL’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Traverse’s optional 55 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Outlander PHEV 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 Outlander PHEV SEL Premium handles at .85 G’s, while the Traverse RS AWD pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Outlander PHEV’s turning circle is 2.9 feet tighter than the Traverse’s (36.1 feet vs. 39 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Outlander PHEV has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Traverse (7.8 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Outlander PHEV to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Outlander PHEV is 1 foot, 8.5 inches shorter than the Traverse, making the Outlander PHEV easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Outlander PHEV is 5.4 inches narrower than the Traverse, making the Outlander PHEV easier to handle and maneuver in traffic.

Passenger Space

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

Cargo Capacity

The Outlander PHEV has a standard 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.

Towing

Standard Trailer Stability Assist on the Outlander PHEV uses the Active 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.

Ergonomics

Unlike the driver-only memory system in the Traverse Premier/High Country, the Outlander PHEV has standard driver and passenger memory, so that when drivers switch, the memory setting adjusts the driver’s seat and outside mirror angle and the front passenger seat also adjusts to the new passenger’s preset preferences.

The Outlander PHEV SEL offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Traverse doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Outlander PHEV SE/SEL’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 opens automatically.

The Outlander PHEV’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 Outlander PHEV SE/SEL’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

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 Outlander PHEV’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Traverse’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

In poor weather, headlights can lose their effectiveness as grime builds up on their lenses. This can reduce visibility without the driver realizing. The Outlander PHEV has standard headlight washers to keep headlight output high. The Traverse doesn’t offer headlight washers.

The Outlander PHEV 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 Outlander PHEV SEL offers optional massaging front seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging seats aren’t available in the Traverse.