Compare the2024 Chevrolet Traverse LimitedVS 2023 BMW X5

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

Safety

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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 BMW X5 doesn’t offer height adjustable 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 X5 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 X5 doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

Both the Traverse Limited and the X5 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 BMW X5:

	Traverse Limited	X5
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	15.6%	34%
Neck Stress	198 lbs.	308 lbs.
Neck Compression	77 lbs.	112 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	53/40 lbs.	636/584 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	4 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	333	342
Neck Stress	128 lbs.	220 lbs.
Neck Compression	51 lbs.	91 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	258/133 lbs.	527/418 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 Chevrolet Traverse Limited is safer than the BMW X5:

	Traverse Limited	X5
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	69	72
Hip Force	204 lbs.	279 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	251	308
Spine Acceleration	34 G’s	44 G’s
Hip Force	554 lbs.	796 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 BMW covers the X5. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the X5 ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are over 8 times as many Chevrolet dealers as there are BMW 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 BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet above average in initial quality. With 26 more problems per 100 vehicles, BMW is rated lower.

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 BMW 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, BMW is rated lower.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Traverse Limited AWD gets better fuel mileage than the X5 M50i (17 city/25 hwy vs. 16 city/22 hwy).

Both the Traverse Limited and the X5 have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. All Traverse Limiteds have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily. A disable switch for start/stop is only offered on the X5 M50i.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Traverse Limited uses regular unleaded gasoline. The X5 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 X5 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 BMW X5 (3). This means the Traverse Limited produces up to 23.4 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the X5 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 X5.

Brakes and Stopping

The Traverse Limited stops much shorter than the X5:

	Traverse Limited	X5
60 to 0 MPH	116 feet	127 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	136 feet	142 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 BMW X5 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 X5 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse Limited’s wheelbase is 3.8 inches longer than on the X5 (120.9 inches vs. 117.1 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Traverse Limited’s turning circle is 2.3 feet tighter than the X5’s (39 feet vs. 41.3 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 BMW X5.

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 X5 doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Traverse Limited has standard seating for 8 passengers; the X5 can only carry up to 7.

The Traverse Limited has 2.1 inches more front headroom, 1.2 inches more front legroom, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.3 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom and 4.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the X5.

Cargo Capacity

The Traverse Limited’s cargo area provides more volume than the X5.

	Traverse Limited	X5
Third Seat Folded	57.8 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	33.9 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	98.2 cubic feet	72.3 cubic feet

The Traverse Limited’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The X5’s tailgate’s top part raises up, but the bottom part lowers, getting in the way of loading and making an uneven surface for sliding cargo.

Towing

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 X5 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 X5 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its BMW Assist 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 X5 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 X5’s headlights, which were rated “Fair.”

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 X5 doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

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 $2445 to $5405 less than the X5 over a five-year period.

The Traverse Limited will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Traverse Limited will retain 49.82% to 51.87% of its original price after five years, while the X5 only retains 48.6% to 49.43%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Traverse Limited is less expensive to operate than the X5 because typical repairs cost much less on the Traverse Limited than the X5, including $198 less for a water pump, $1620 less for a muffler, $42 less for front brake pads, $311 less for a starter, $102 less for fuel injection, $46 less for a fuel pump, $419 less for front struts, $610 less for a timing belt/chain and $1564 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 $28024 to $33028 less than for the BMW X5.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Chevrolet Traverse Limited and the BMW X5, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Chevrolet Traverse Limited outsold the BMW X5 by 18% during 2022.