Compare the2023 Chevrolet TraverseVS 2023 Ford Explorer

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 Ford Explorer 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 Explorer doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Traverse and the Explorer 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, 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 Ford Explorer:

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 Ford Explorer:

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 Explorer’s (6 vs. 5 years).

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Traverse’s reliability 31 points higher than the Explorer.

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 Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 10th.

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 Ford 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, Ford is rated lower.

The Traverse’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 10 more horsepower (310 vs. 300) than the Explorer’s standard 2.3 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Traverse is faster than the Ford Explorer:

On the EPA test cycle the Traverse FWD gets better fuel mileage than the Explorer 3.0 turbo V6 RWD (18 city/27 hwy vs. 18 city/26 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Traverse uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Explorer ST/Platinum/King Ranch/Timberline requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Traverse FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Explorer 2.3-liter’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 17.9 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Traverse FWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Explorer Hybrid’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 18 gallons). The Traverse AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.5 gallons more fuel capacity than the Explorer V6 Turbo’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 20.2 gallons).

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

The Traverse stops shorter than the Explorer:

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse’s wheelbase is 1.8 inches longer than on the Explorer (120.9 inches vs. 119.1 inches).

The Traverse RS handles at .84 G’s, while the Explorer XLT 4WD pulls only .81 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Traverse RS AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Explorer Limited 4WD (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28 seconds @ .63 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver while under full throttle, the interior of the Traverse High Country AWD is quieter than the Explorer ST 4WD (76 vs. 77 dB).

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

The Traverse has 2.1 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear shoulder room, 1.3 inches more third row legroom, 7.6 inches more third row hip room and 2.9 inches more third row shoulder room than the Explorer.

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

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 Explorer can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Traverse uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Explorer 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.

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

The Traverse’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford only offers heated mirrors on the Explorer XLT/Limited/ST-Line/Timberline/King Ranch/ST/Platinum.

When the Traverse Premier/High Country is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Explorer’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Traverse is less expensive to operate than the Explorer because typical repairs cost much less on the Traverse than the Explorer, including $314 less for a muffler and $485 less for a power steering pump.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Chevrolet Traverse, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Ford Explorer isn't recommended.

Motor Trend performed a comparison test in its May 2020 issue and they ranked the Chevrolet Traverse Premier two places higher than the Ford Explorer XLT.