Compare the2024 Toyota Grand HighlanderVS 2024 Chevrolet Traverse Limited

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
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 Toyota Grand Highlander 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 Limited doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Grand Highlander 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 Limited doesn’t offer height-adjustable front seat belts.

The Toyota Grand Highlander has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Grand Highlander has a standard Secondary Collision Brake, which automatically applies the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Grand Highlander Limited/Platinum offers an optional Parking Support Brake that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Grand Highlander 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 Limited’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Grand Highlander has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Parking Support Brake on the Limited/Platinum automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. Chevrolet charges extra for Rear Cross Traffic Alert on the Traverse Limited and the Traverse Limited’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert does not include automatic braking.

The Grand Highlander’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 Limited doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Grand Highlander and the Traverse Limited have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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 and 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 Toyota Grand Highlander is safer than the Traverse Limited:

	Grand Highlander	Traverse Limited
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Structure	GOOD	MARGINAL
	Driver Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	38	141
Neck Tension	134 lbs.	446 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	ACCEPTABLE
Shoulder Deflection	.35 in	1.3 in
Shoulder Force	156 lbs.	312 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.5 in
Torso Deflection Rate	4 MPH	6 MPH
Pelvis	ACCEPTABLE	ACCEPTABLE
Pelvis Force	1049 lbs.	1116 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD
	Passenger Injury Measures
Head/Neck	GOOD	GOOD
Head Injury Criterion	143	189
Neck Tension	67 lbs.	134 lbs.
Neck Compression	89 lbs.	201 lbs.
Torso	GOOD	GOOD
Shoulder Deflection	.67 in	1.02 in
Shoulder Force	245 lbs.	290 lbs.
Torso Max Deflection	1.1 in	1.22 in
Torso Deflection Rate	6 MPH	10 MPH
Pelvis	GOOD	GOOD
Pelvis Force	446 lbs.	848 lbs.
Head Protection	GOOD	GOOD

Warranty

The Grand Highlander’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Traverse Limited’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Grand Highlander for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, tire rotations, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Chevrolet only pays for the first scheduled maintenance visit on the Traverse Limited.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Chevrolet is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Chevrolet vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in overall reliability. Chevrolet is ranked 20th.

Engine

The Grand Highlander’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder produces 44 lbs.-ft. more torque (310 vs. 266) than the Traverse Limited’s 3.6 DOHC V6. The Grand Highlander Hybrid Max’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 52 more horsepower (362 vs. 310) and 134 lbs.-ft. more torque (400 vs. 266) than the Traverse Limited’s 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Car and Driver the Grand Highlander Hybrid Max 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid is faster than the Chevrolet Traverse Limited:

	Grand Highlander	Traverse Limited
Zero to 60 MPH	5.6 sec	6.8 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	14.9 sec	17.5 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	6.1 sec	7 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	2.9 sec	3.4 sec
Passing 50 to 70 MPH	4.2 sec	4.7 sec
Quarter Mile	14.3 sec	15.1 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	98 MPH	94 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Grand Highlander gets better mileage than the Traverse Limited:

			MPG
Grand Highlander
	FWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	37 city/34 hwy
		2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/28 hwy
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	36 city/32 hwy
		2.4 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	26 city/27 hwy
		XLE 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/27 hwy
		Limited/Platinum 2.4 turbo 4-cyl.	20 city/26 hwy
Traverse Limited
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	18 city/26 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/25 hwy

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

The Grand Highlander has a standard locking fuel door with a power remote release convenient to the driver. The fuel filler door is not lockable on the Traverse Limited. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank.

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Toyota Grand Highlander higher (7 out of 10) than the Chevrolet Traverse Limited (6). This means the Grand Highlander produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Traverse Limited every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Grand Highlander offers an available continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Grand Highlander’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Traverse Limited:

	Grand Highlander	Traverse Limited
Front Rotors	13.4 inches	12.6 inches
Rear Rotors	13.3 inches	12.4 inches

The Grand Highlander stops much shorter than the Traverse Limited:

	Grand Highlander	Traverse Limited
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	135 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Grand Highlander’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52% to 48%) than the Traverse Limited’s (56.6% to 43.4%). This gives the Grand Highlander more stable handling and braking.

The Grand Highlander Platinum AWD handles at .80 G’s, while the Traverse Limited Premier AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Grand Highlander Limited AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Traverse Limited Premier AWD (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Grand Highlander’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Traverse Limited’s (38.1 feet vs. 39 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Grand Highlander has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Traverse Limited (8 vs. 7.5 inches), allowing the Grand Highlander to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Grand Highlander is 4.5 inches shorter than the Traverse Limited, making the Grand Highlander easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

As tested by Car and Driver, the interior of the Grand Highlander Platinum AWD is quieter than the Traverse Limited High Country AWD:

	Grand Highlander	Traverse Limited
At idle	31 dB	41 dB
Full-Throttle	73 dB	76 dB
70 MPH Cruising	67 dB	67 dB

Passenger Space

The Grand Highlander has .7 inches more front legroom, .2 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom and .1 inches more rear hip room than the Traverse Limited.

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

Cargo Capacity

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

	Grand Highlander	Traverse Limited
Third Seat Folded	57.9 cubic feet	57.8 cubic feet

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Grand Highlander. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Grand Highlander’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Traverse Limited’s (5000 vs. 1500 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control (TSC) on the Grand Highlander uses the Enhanced Vehicle 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 Limited doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Grand Highlander Platinum has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, tachometer 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 Limited doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Grand Highlander’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 Limited’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window closes automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Grand Highlander the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Traverse Limited can only close the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Grand Highlander Limited/Platinum’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Traverse Limited’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 Grand Highlander’s headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Traverse Limited’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Grand Highlander Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Grand Highlander to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Grand Highlander Limited/Platinum has standard front air conditioned seats and the Grand Highlander Platinum also has them in the second row. This keeps the passengers comfortable and takes the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Traverse Limited doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats for the second row.

The Grand Highlander 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 Limited doesn’t offer a middle row seat center armrest.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Toyota Grand Highlander has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Traverse Limited LT/RS/Premier/High Country offers wireless charging.