Compare the2024 Chevrolet Traverse LimitedVS 2024 Audi Q7

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

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/12/03

For enhanced safety, the Chevrolet Traverse Limited’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 Audi Q7 doesn’t offer comfort guides on its middle seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Traverse Limited are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Q7 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Traverse Limited 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 Q7 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Traverse Limited and the Q7 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 Limited is safer than the Audi Q7:

	Traverse Limited	Q7
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	15.6%	25%
Leg Forces (l/r)	53/40 lbs.	61/46 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	35.2%	44%

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Chevrolet Traverse Limited is safer than the Q7:

	Traverse Limited	Q7
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	61	225
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Max Chest Compression	18 cm	30 cm
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Femur Force R/L	.5/0 kN	5.5/.1 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	4%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia forces R/L	1.4/0 kN	4.2/.3 kN

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 Limited is safer than the Audi Q7:

	Traverse Limited	Q7
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	69	187
Hip Force	204 lbs.	350 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	134	337
Spine Acceleration	39 G’s	62 G’s
Hip Force	716 lbs.	888 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	251	290
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	40 G’s
Hip Force	554 lbs.	557 lbs.

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

Warranty

Chevrolet’s powertrain warranty covers the Traverse Limited 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Audi covers the Q7. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Q7 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 10 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are Audi dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Traverse Limited’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Audi vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in initial quality. With 55 more problems per 100 vehicles, Audi is rated below average.

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 Audi 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, Audi is rated below average.

Engine

The Traverse Limited’s 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 49 more horsepower (310 vs. 261) than the Q7 45 TFSI’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Traverse Limited uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Q7 55 TFSI requires premium, which can cost on average about 82.8 cents more per gallon.

The Traverse Limited has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Q7 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Chevrolet Traverse Limited higher (6 out of 10) than the Audi Q7 (3 to 5). This means the Traverse Limited produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Q7 every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the Chevrolet Traverse Limited, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Q7.

Brakes and Stopping

The Traverse Limited stops shorter than the Q7:

	Traverse Limited	Q7
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	121 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Chevrolet Traverse Limited’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Audi Q7 only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Traverse Limited 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 Q7 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Traverse Limited has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Q7; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed. Some tire options on the Q7 don’t have a run-flat feature, either.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse Limited’s wheelbase is 3 inches longer than on the Q7 (120.9 inches vs. 117.9 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Traverse Limited is 1.2 inches wider in the front and .4 inches wider in the rear than on the Q7.

For better maneuverability, the Traverse Limited’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the Q7’s (39 feet vs. 41 feet).

Chassis

The Chevrolet Traverse Limited may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs up to about 500 pounds less than the Audi Q7.

The front grille of the Traverse Limited uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Q7 doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Traverse Limited uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Q7 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Traverse Limited has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Q7 can only carry 7.

The Traverse Limited has 2.9 inches more front headroom, 2.4 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 3.7 inches more rear shoulder room, 2.3 inches more third row headroom, 4.3 inches more third row legroom and 8.1 inches more third row shoulder room than the Q7.

Cargo Capacity

The Traverse Limited’s cargo area provides more volume than the Q7.

	Traverse Limited	Q7
Behind Third Seat	23 cubic feet	14.2 cubic feet
Third Seat Folded	57.8 cubic feet	35.7 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	98.2 cubic feet	69.6 cubic feet

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Traverse Limited easier. The Traverse Limited’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 30.6 inches, while the Q7’s liftover is 32.5 inches.

Towing

The Traverse Limited’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Q7’s (1500 vs. 0 pounds).

The Traverse Limited 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 Limited can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Q7 can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Ergonomics

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Traverse Limited’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Q7 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Audi Connect CARE can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Traverse Limited has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Q7 only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

Consumer Reports rated the Traverse Limited’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Q7’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

The Traverse Limited (except LS) offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Q7 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Model Availability

The Traverse Limited is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Q7 doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Traverse Limited owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Traverse Limited will cost $1510 to $4495 less than the Q7 over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Traverse Limited is less expensive to operate than the Q7 because typical repairs cost much less on the Traverse Limited than the Q7, including $483 less for a muffler, $657 less for a starter, $336 less for fuel injection, $580 less for front struts, $201 less for a timing belt/chain and $22 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Traverse Limited will be $23885 to $24961 less than for the Audi Q7.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Traverse Limited and the Audi Q7, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Chevrolet Traverse Limited outsold the Audi Q7/SQ7 by over five to one during 2022.