SUVs come in many shapes and sizes, but the Chevrolet Traverse and Ford Explorer are two of the best on the market, hauling all the stuff and people you could hope for. They give you the utility of a minivan without cramping your style, but can you choose between the two? It may come down to the trade-off between fuel economy and cargo space.
Price
How long are you going to be paying off your new SUV? Hopefully not too long, and that’s why price is a huge deciding factor for most customers. Obviously, you want to pay as little as possible for the best car you can get, but sometimes a better vehicle really is worth shelling out more.
The 2023 Ford Explorer is the more expensive of the two with a starting MSRP of $36,760 for the base model with front-wheel drive. The 2023 Chevy Traverse is only slightly cheaper option at $34,520.
Fuel Economy
The less you fill up, the more money is in your pocket. Depending on how much you drive, the Explorer’s relative fuel efficiency could save you. With the front-wheel-drive, the Explorer’s four-cylinder base engine gets you 21 mpg in the city and 28 mpg on the highway. The V6, on the front-wheel-drive 2023 Chevrolet Traverse, gets 18 mpg in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. Of course, if you opt for the V6 on the Explorer, you can expect a similar fuel economy.
Cargo Space
The real reason people purchase an SUV is so that they can have plenty of passengers and haul stuff around. You want a vehicle that gives you plenty of space, and in this case, the 2023 Chevrolet Traverse is the winner. According to Chevy, it has a maximum of 98.2 cubic-feet of maximum cargo space, while the Ford claims their 2023 Explorer only has 87.8 cubic-feet of cargo space.
Towing
You may also need to tow boats, U-Hauls, or other vehicles. The Traverse leads in this category, though not by much. The 2023 Traverse has a maximum tow of 5,00-pounds when properly equipped. The 2022 Explorer exceeds that number, with a maximum loaded trailer weight of 5,600-pounds when properly equipped.
Safety
You want to know that your family is safe no matter what happens. The 2023 Chevy Traverse includes all the safety features you’d expect like antilock disc brakes and traction control, but it also has full-length side curtain airbags and a rearview camera. OnStar is also standard and includes automatic crash notifications, on-demand road assistance, remote door unlocking, and turn-by-turn navigation. While the 2023 ratings have not been fully released, government crash tests for 2021 gave the Traverse a five out of five-star score for performance and crash test ratings.
The 2023 Ford Explorer also comes with standard safety features such as stability and traction control, trailer sway control, front-seat side airbags, side curtain airbags, a front passenger knee airbag, and MyKey. A rearview camera is also standard. Government tests also gave the 2021 Explorer a five out of five-star rating.
