Ford Explorer vs. Chevrolet Traverse: Domestic SUV Duke-Out

Bad news first: Both the 2020 Ford Explorer and 2019 Chevrolet Traverse feature a number of off-putting compromises. Neither is revolutionary on the road, and both come with interiors that must be better in order to justify their price points. Luckily, if you’re a parent in need of an American three-row SUV—in both name and country of origin—with a lot of room for the kiddos, one of these three-row family haulers is still much better than the other.

At just six months old, the 2020 Explorer is an infant—even in car years. When it launched, much hullabaloo was made about the return to a rear-wheel-drive layout, multiple powertrain options, and redesigned-from-the-ground-up chassis. Even sporty ST and fuel-sipping Hybrid versions are available. It seems like Ford wants there to be an Explorer for everyone. The one for us was a 2020 Explorer XLT rear-driver with the base 300-hp 2.3-liter turbo-four that rang in at $47,715. The engine also makes an impressive 310 lb-ft of torque and is paired with a 10-speed automatic.

But despite being brand new in almost every way, the Explorer feels like a step backward for Ford. The biggest reason for this is interior quality, or rather, a serious lack thereof. Inside, there is an abuse of hard, scratchy plastics on the doors and dash, leatherette materials that feel more like rubber than leather, and a myriad of mismatched panels and exposed wiring that belie the Explorer’s price tag. The seats in particular suffer from this lack of quality. The leatherette Ford used to cover them is vegan, and they feel entirely synthetic as a result. Road tester Chris Walton described them as “gooey.”

Turn the Explorer on, and the quality control problems extend beyond the Ford’s physical faults. Ford’s Sync3 infotainment was buggy in this particular tester—even Apple CarPlay was reluctant to work properly. In my four days with the car, CarPlay crashed eight times, most frequently right after startup—and that was just while I was driving it. Features editor Christian Seabaugh reported similar problems on his drives.

“This SUV feels like it was designed to pass a quick once-over by a customer in a dealership,” Seabaugh said. “But the second anyone has to live with it, they’ll be disappointed.”

Life doesn’t get much better inside the Traverse, however.

Plastics rule the day inside the big Chevy, despite what our Premier trim level might lead buyers to believe. You can have your pick of whichever you like, too: Gloss-black, scratchy, smooth plastic that masquerades as metal trim; they’re all here. Even just two years into its life span, the Traverse feels dated on the inside.

Aside from not feeling like a $47,990 vehicle thanks to Chevrolet’s liberal use of low-quality plastics, the interior is also baffling at first. The climate control buttons are crammed together, and there’s no clear demarcation between them. As a result it’s difficult to use the system without looking. The Traverse’s setup is nowhere near as intuitive as those in the Kia Telluride or Honda Pilot.

At this point I’d like to recall one of MotorTrend’s SUV of the Year judging criteria: Performance of Intended Function. It’s the law by which we judge every vehicle we get behind the wheel of. And if you’re looking for a big three-row SUV, you probably need it to haul the family to and from school, practice, work, the vet, and so on. But most of all, you need it to be easy.

Now it’s time for the good news: The Chevrolet Traverse Premier is both better at its intended function and easier to live with than the Ford Explorer.

On the road the Ford’s ride is choppy, as if the car is constantly squirming underneath you—regardless of how smooth or rough the road may be. Not only that, but the Explorer’s steering is vague and it can be hard to place through the bends, which is strange because rear-wheel-drive vehicles are supposed to steer and handle better than front-drivers.

The Ford’s powertrain is sloppy, so much so that even casual drivers would notice. The 2.3-liter I-4 felt strained under the Explorer’s weight, a problem the Traverse’s 3.6-liter V-6 didn’t have. It wheezes into life under load until the turbo bursts onto the scene at around 3,500 rpm. Then the Explorer finally picks up, but it’s all done at around 6,000 rpm and the process starts again. Shifting up early to keep the engine in its powerband would be ideal, but the Ford’s transmission lollygags its shifts when it finally decides to pick one of its 10 gears.

The powertrain in the Traverse is much more cohesive. Its 3.6-liter V-6 makes 310 hp and 266 lb-ft of torque, and drives the front wheels (all-wheel drive is available, too) through a nine-speed automatic, its transmission makes better use of its gears. Despite a little gear whine that makes its way into the cabin, it’s snappier and smarter than the Explorer’s powertrain. Its mid-range and passing acceleration is stronger, and while it’s not perfect, driving the Chevy simply takes less guessworkthan the Ford. Its steering weights up normally and makes the car feel both more pointed and authoritative on the road.

“The Traverse’s suspension is very softly sprung, which results in lots of lean in hard corners,” Seabaugh said. But you don’t want your SUV to drive like a sports car—unless you do, in which case, you’re reading the wrong comparison. Luckily the Traverse’s ride is a nice mix of comfortable and controlled. Overall, the ride is both more comfortable and better sorted than the Explorer’s.

Perhaps most surprising of all was the fuel economy numbers. Sometimes the theory that smaller, turbocharged engines are inherently more efficient falls to pieces—especially in big vehicles like these. The Traverse, despite its EPA rating of 18/27/21 mpg city/highway/combined, actually returned better fuel economy than the Ford, which is rated at 21/28/24mpg. Despite the downsizing, the Ford’s trip computer reported just 18.9 mpg during our test drive, while the Chevy’s registered19.7 mpg. The difference isn’t massive, but it’s a win for the Traverse.

The Traverse’s infotainment system works better, too. There’s no input lag, and the screen is responsive and features crisp animations. Not only that, but CarPlay crashed not once during our time with the car. This head unit appears in a number of other Chevrolet products, but it works well, and Chevy didn’t change something that was natural and easy by replacing physical controls with digital ones, like Ford did.

The Traverse also features cooled seats at this price, something our Explorer didn’t have. If you live where it gets a little toasty, cooled seat are a godsend. On the flip side, our Explorer came with adaptive cruise control, a nicety the Traverse didn’t offer. At this price you’ll just have to pick which one you value more: a cool derriere or an effortless cruise down a long highway.

In back, life is pretty similar in both the Traverse and Explorer. Both come with climate control systems that rear-seat passengers can adjust via controls in the center console, and both have heated captain’s chairs in the second row, too. If you’re in need of a bench back there, both of these SUVs offer second-row bench seating.

Because both of our testers came with the optional captain’s chairs, getting into the third row was relatively easy. That said, the Traverse has a handle that lets you fold down one of the second-row seats on just the right side of the car, like an old school minivan. That’s not only nonsensical, it’s lazy. The Ford’s seats are easier to fold down, too. But once you get in the back you’re cramped in the Ford, whereas the Chevy’s back row feels almost cavernous. I have no doubt three youths could fit back there with little trouble. The Ford, on the other hand, might cramp the soccer team, as it has less leg and shoulder room overall.

Although both of these vehicles have their obvious faults, the Traverse is easier to live with and easier to use than the new Explorer. We don’t believe in inconvenient personal transport here at MotorTrend, and the Explorer is too difficult to recommend because of its glaring faults. The Chevrolet is the more complete package and wins this comparison because of it.

	2020 Chevrolet Traverse Premiere (FWD)	2020 Ford Explorer XLT (RWD)
DRIVETRAIN LAYOUT	Front-engine, FWD	Front-engine, RWD
ENGINE TYPE	60-deg V-6, alum block/heads	Turbocharged I-4, alum block/head
VALVETRAIN	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl	DOHC, 4 valves/cyl
DISPLACEMENT	222.7 cu in/3,649 cc	138.1 cu in/2,264 cc
COMPRESSION RATIO	11.5:1	10.0:1
POWER (SAE NET)	310 hp @ 6,800 rpm	300 hp @ 5,500 rpm
TORQUE (SAE NET)	266 lb-ft @ 2,800 rpm	310 lb-ft @ 3,500 rpm
REDLINE	6,750 rpm	6,500 rpm
WEIGHT TO POWER	14.0 lb/hp	14.6 lb/hp
TRANSMISSION	9-speed automatic	10-speed automatic
AXLE/FINAL-DRIVE RATIO	3.49:1/2.16:1	3.58:1/2.58:1
SUSPENSION, FRONT; REAR	Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar	Struts, coil springs, anti-roll bar; multilink, coil springs, anti-roll bar
STEERING RATIO	17.3:1	16.5:1
TURNS LOCK-TO-LOCK	3.3	3.1
BRAKES, F; R	12.6-in vented disc; 12.4-in vented disc, ABS	13.6-in vented disc; 12.6-in disc, ABS
WHEELS	8.0 x 20-in cast aluminum	8.5 x 20-in cast aluminum
TIRES	255/55R20 107H (M+S) Continental Cross Contact LX20	255/55R20 107H (M+S) Pirelli Scorpion Zero
DIMENSIONS
WHEELBASE	120.9 in	119.1 in
TRACK, F/R	67.3/67.0 in	66.9/66.9 in
LENGTH x WIDTH x HEIGHT	204.3 x 78.6 x 70.7 in	198.8 x 78.9 x 69.9 in
GROUND CLEARANCE	7.5 in	7.9 in
APPRCH/DEPART ANGLE	13.3/21.3 deg	20.1/22.0 deg
TURNING CIRCLE	39.0 ft	38.7 ft
CURB WEIGHT	4,346 lb	4,367 lb
WEIGHT DIST, F/R	58/42%	50/50%
TOWING CAPACITY	5,000 lb	5,300 lb
SEATING CAPACITY	7	6
HEADROOM, F/M/R	41.3/40.0/38.2 in	40.7/40.5/38.9 in
LEGROOM, F/M/R	41.0/38.4/33.5 in	43.0/39.0/32.2 in
SHOULDER ROOM, F/M/R	62.1/62.2/57.5 in	61.8/61.9/54.6 in
CARGO VOLUME, BEH F/M/R	98.2/57.8/23.0 cu ft	87.8/47.9/18.2 cu ft
TEST DATA
ACCELERATION TO MPH
0-30	2.4 sec	2.2 sec
0-40	3.5	3.5
0-50	4.7	5.0
0-60	6.4	6.8
0-70	8.1	9.1
0-80	10.4	11.8
0-90	13.0	15.5
0-100	16.7	—
PASSING, 45-65 MPH	3.2	3.6
QUARTER MILE	14.8 sec @ 94.9 mph	15.3 sec @ 89.6 mph
BRAKING, 60-0 MPH	116 ft	121 ft
LATERAL ACCELERATION	0.81 g (avg)	0.81 g (avg)
MT FIGURE EIGHT	27.2 sec @ 0.64 g (avg)	27.7 sec @ 0.64 g (avg)
TOP-GEAR REVS @ 60 MPH	1,750 rpm	1,600 rpm
CONSUMER INFO
BASE PRICE	$46,995	$37,770
PRICE AS TESTED	$47,990	$47,715
STABILITY/TRACTION CONTROL	Yes/Yes	Yes/Yes
AIRBAGS	7: Dual front, front side, front center, f/m/r curtain	8: Dual front, front side, front knee, f/m/r curtain
BASIC WARRANTY	3 yrs/36,000 miles	3 yrs/36,000 miles
POWERTRAIN WARRANTY	5 yrs/60,000 miles	5 yrs/60,000 miles
ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE	5 yrs/60,000 miles	5 yrs/60,000 miles
FUEL CAPACITY	19.4 gal	17.9 gal
5 x 25-MI LOOP, VEH. REPORTED*	19.7 mpg	18.9 mpg
REAL MPG, CITY/HWY/COMB	Not tested	20.1/29.4/23.5 mpg
EPA CITY/HWY/COMB ECON	18/27/21 mpg	21/28/24 mpg
ENERGY CONS, CITY/HWY	187/125 kW-hrs/100 miles	160/120 kW-hrs/100 miles
CO2 EMISSIONS, COMB	0.92 lb/mile	0.82 lb/mile
RECOMMENDED FUEL	Unleaded regular	Unleaded regular
*Onboard trip computer averages

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from MotorTrend https://www.motortrend.com/cars/chevrolet/traverse/2020/2019-chevrolet-traverse-vs-2020-ford-explorer/