Certified Benz & Beemer Compares 2013 Chevrolet Traverse VS 2013 Jeep Grand Near Phoenix, AZ

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the Chevrolet Traverse are height-adjustable, and the middle and rear 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 Jeep Grand Cherokee has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The Traverse offers an optional 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 Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Traverse has standard OnStar ®, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to get turn-by-turn driving directions, remotely unlock your doors if you lock your keys in, help track down your vehicle if it’s stolen or send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Traverse and the Grand Cherokee have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, height-adjustable front shoulder belts, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding and available all-wheel drive.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Chevrolet Traverse is safer than the Jeep Grand Cherokee:

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 is safer than the Jeep Grand Cherokee:

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

The Traverse comes with free roadside assistance for 5 years 100,000 miles. Chevrolet will send help if you run out of gas, need a jump start, lock your keys in or need any assistance on the road. Jeep doesn’t give free roadside assistance for the Grand Cherokee.

The Traverse’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Grand Cherokee’s (6/100,000 vs. 5/100,000).

There are over 49 percent more Chevrolet dealers than there are Jeep dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Traverse’s warranty.

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Traverse have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 5.7 V8 in the Grand Cherokee.

The Traverse has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

To reliably power the ignition and other systems and to recharge the battery, the Traverse has a 170-amp alternator. The Grand Cherokee’s standard 160-amp alternator isn’t as powerful.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without their vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports predicts that the Traverse’s reliability will be 23% better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee V6 and 48% better than the Jeep Grand Cherokee V8.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2013 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are better in initial quality than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 21 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 22nd, below the industry average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2013 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Chevrolet vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Chevrolet 12th in reliability, above the industry average. With 53 more problems per 100 vehicles, Jeep is ranked 29th.

The Traverse LS/LT’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 6 lbs.-ft. more torque (266 vs. 260) than the Grand Cherokee’s standard 3.6 DOHC V6.

As tested in Consumer Reports the Traverse LS/LT is faster than the Jeep Grand Cherokee V6:

For more instantaneous acceleration and better engine flexibility in any gear, the Traverse’s engines produce their peak torque at lower RPM’s than the Grand Cherokee:

On the EPA test cycle the Traverse LTZ FWD 3.6 V6 (288 HP) gets better highway fuel mileage than the Grand Cherokee RWD V6 (17 city/24 hwy vs. 17 city/23 hwy).

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Chevrolet Traverse uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Grand Cherokee with the 5.7 V8 engine requires mid-grade for maximum efficiency, which can cost 5 to 40 cents more per gallon.

The Traverse stops much shorter than the Grand Cherokee:

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Traverse’s wheelbase is 4.1 inches longer than on the Grand Cherokee (118.9 inches vs. 114.8 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Traverse is 3.9 inches wider in the front and 3.4 inches wider in the rear than on the Grand Cherokee.

The Traverse LT AWD handles at .78 G’s, while the Grand Cherokee Laredo 4x4 pulls only .73 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Traverse LT AWD performs Car and Driver’s emergency lane change maneuver 4 MPH faster than the Grand Cherokee Overland 4x4 (57.7 vs. 53.7 MPH).

The Traverse LTZ AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 (27.8 seconds @ .61 average G’s vs. 28.7 seconds @ .57 average G’s).

The Traverse has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Grand Cherokee can only carry 5.

The Traverse has 45.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Grand Cherokee (150.8 vs. 105.4).

The Traverse has .5 inches more front headroom, 1 inch more front legroom, 1 inch more front hip room, 2.8 inches more front shoulder room, .2 inches more rear headroom, 1.6 inches more rear hip room and 3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Grand Cherokee.

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

Optional MyLink for the Traverse allows the driver and passengers access to select programs on their smartphones, including playing internet radio stations and other online activities without taking their eyes off the road or their hands from the wheel. The Grand Cherokee doesn’t offer factory integrated smartphone program access.

Bluetooth wireless connectivity is standard on the Traverse, connecting the driver and passenger’s cell phones to the vehicle systems. This allows them to use the vehicle’s stereo and hand controls to place calls safely and easily. Bluetooth costs extra on the Grand Cherokee.

The Traverse will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. Kiplinger’s estimates that the Traverse will retain a greater percentage of its original price after two and four years than the Grand Cherokee.

Intellichoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Chevrolet Traverse will be $337 to $1167 less than for the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Chevrolet Traverse has won recognition from these important consumer publications: