Compare the2023 Chevrolet TraverseVS 2023 Nissan Pathfinder

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 Nissan Pathfinder doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

Both the Traverse and the Pathfinder have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, front seat center airbag, 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 Nissan Pathfinder:

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 Pathfinder’s (6 vs. 5 years).

There are almost 3 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Nissan dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Traverse’s warranty.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Traverse has a standard 170-amp alternator. The Pathfinder’s 150-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

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 42 points higher than the Pathfinder.

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 Nissan vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet third in initial quality, above the industry average. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Nissan 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 Nissan 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, Nissan is rated below average.

The Traverse’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 26 more horsepower (310 vs. 284) and 7 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 259) than the Pathfinder’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6. The Traverse’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 15 more horsepower (310 vs. 295) than the Pathfinder Rock Creek’s standard 3.5 DOHC V6.

As tested in Motor Trend the Chevrolet Traverse is faster than the Nissan Pathfinder (base engine):

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Traverse uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Pathfinder Rock Creek requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Traverse FWD’s standard fuel tank has almost a gallon more fuel capacity than the Pathfinder (19.4 vs. 18.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Traverse AWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Pathfinder (21.7 vs. 18.5 gallons).

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

The Traverse stops much shorter than the Pathfinder:

The Chevrolet Traverse’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Nissan Pathfinder only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse’s wheelbase is 6.7 inches longer than on the Pathfinder (120.9 inches vs. 114.2 inches).

The Traverse RS handles at .84 G’s, while the Pathfinder SL pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Traverse RS AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Pathfinder Platinum (27 seconds @ .65 average G’s vs. 28.4 seconds @ .59 average G’s).

For greater off-road capability the Traverse has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Pathfinder (7.5 vs. 7.1 inches), allowing the Traverse to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

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 Pathfinder 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 Pathfinder doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

The Traverse has .5 inches more front headroom, 1.1 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 2.9 inches more rear legroom, .6 inches more rear hip room, 2.6 inches more rear shoulder room, .4 inches more third row headroom, 5.5 inches more third row legroom and 1.8 inches more third row hip room than the Pathfinder.

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

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

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 Pathfinder can’t be towed flat on the ground.

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

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 Pathfinder doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Traverse’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Nissan only offers heated mirrors on the Pathfinder SV/Rock Creek/SL/Platinum.

The Traverse’s optional rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Pathfinder offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Insurance will cost less for the Traverse owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Traverse will cost $550 less than the Pathfinder over a five-year period.

The Traverse will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Traverse will retain 46.47% to 47.29% of its original price after five years, while the Pathfinder only retains 43.77% to 45.89%.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Traverse will be $1255 to $2276 less than for the Nissan Pathfinder.

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

The Chevrolet Traverse outsold the Nissan Pathfinder by 68% during 2022.