[JustinB]

Getting close to purchasing a 2020 SUV and I'm stuck between the Traverse and Pilot. Any thoughts? Anyone have any issues with newer a model Traverse? I like the way the Traverse looks on the outside, but I give a slight edge to the Pilot interior. Both ride nice, but the Pilot is a bit quieter. The Traverse has a bit more power. I appreciate any differentiating factors you guys could provide.

 

[Mecom Racer]

I love my 2019 Traverse!

 

[Capucine]

Justin: any big difference in pricing between the two?

 

[cintocrunch]

The Traverse is larger than the Pilot... which could be a benefit or a hindrance depending on the buyer.

 

[mbg]

(Per-purchase important to me) I found the Traverse to be the only one in it's class that could fit 4 foot wide sheet goods. Takes minutes to convert from 7-person vehicle to 2-person vehicle with HUGE storage capabilities.

(Since I've owned my 2019 for about 1+ years) Love the power, fuel economy, and huge interior storage capabilities.

 

[Pilot48]

I don’t know about the Honda Pilot. But, I think my 2019 has too much road noise for the price point. 2019 LT2 45k dollars. Aside from that, I like it. It’s my third Traverse and I drive about 17k per yr in a metro area.

 

[19SatVerse]

I tested several competitors and obviously I chose the Traverse. IMO, based on these...
- More Power
- More standard features/Premier
- More room/I'm 200 lbs + seats are just wider.
- 20" wheels

I drove to Denver, Colorado Springs, Royal Gorge, Vail, Pikes Peak, through the mountains from St. Louis. Very smooth and nice ride. 300+ hp had no issues in the mountains.

Good luck on your decision.

 

[Polvocalanjrmd]

For me, I needed the roomiest third row seating and cargo space (with third row up) and the 2019 Traverse was best in class.

 

[Montereyjack2$]

I test drove a 2018 Pilot and drove it to a nearby freeway onramp and then accelerated to merge with traffic. It took a full 4 seconds after flooring the gas pedal before the engine gained power and downshifted so that the Pilot would start to accelerate. The 25 to 65 mph time was at least 12 seconds and I repeated this exercise on the return leg back down the freeway. Accelerating from 55 mph in the slow lane to pass in the left lane was also a problem with the transmission being exceedingly slow to downshift and the vehicle to accelerate.

I repeated the same trip with the 2018 Traverse that was being sold by a dealer across the street from the Honda one, and acceleration to merge with traffic was smooth and fast. No problems quickly accelerating to pass a truck either. No way would I ever drive the Pilot as where I live it would dangerous on the freeways.

The Traverse we have had for a year and it is without a doubt the best vehicle I have owned in my life. Everything works perfectly, the ride is better than with my Mercedes, and a very large amount of cargo space. The third row seats fold completely flat and I have a 48" x 48" cargo space behind the second row seats. There is a lot more cargo space with the Traverse than with the Chevy Tahoe or Silverado SUV's.

Visibility is great for driving but in parking situations I rely a great deal on the cameras to show what is around the car. Even with the cameras it is difficult to see over the hood on an incline or to see what is at the side of the vehicle when pulling into a parking space. I added convex mirrors on the side mirrors which helped greatly to watch approaching cars on the freeway. Much easier to see what is around me and to park with my 3/4 ton pickup truck.

 

[cs_coltsnation]

I don’t know about the Honda Pilot. But, I think my 2019 has too much road noise for the price point. 2019 LT2 45k dollars. Aside from that, I like it. It’s my third Traverse and I drive about 17k per yr in a metro area.

I have the same dilemma.

Traverse vs Highlander, we know the Traverse wins on the 3rd row seating and cargo space. Looking at used models on both ends - under 50K miles. 2018 and 2019 Chevy Traverse or 2018 and 2019 Honda Pilot. Honda Pilot is a tad more roomier than the Highlander. I have a 2007 Honda CR-V still running and giving me less issues than my 2011 Nissan Quest, but I have already put about $7K in repairs on the Quest in the last 3 years, so it is a love-hate relationship of "should I let it go or not in a trade in because of all the parts I have already replaced (clutch compressor, struts and shocks, alternator etc.)". The Quest is what I want to replace. Has anyone else been in that situation before?

My true issue is - if I am looking to have a vehicle for 150,000 miles without major issues, do both the Traverse and Pilot fit the bill? Also, does a vehicle priced well without a dealer or manufacturer certification as a used car worth a shot?

Not going to lie, when I drove the 45K miles Traverse at a dealership, it drove better than a 30K Honda Pilot, w.r.t bumps on the road and acceleration. However, there was some tightness in turns for the Traverse, anyone else have an opinion on that? Used car shopping, not sure if I wait for 2023 or jump in before the Federal Reserve bumps up the interest rates by another 0.75% at the end of July 2022, which I heard is bound to happen. Are dealers even negotiating these days on used cars? I heard 2021 was brutal where the dealers had the upper hand. Here we are in the summer of 2022, wondering what the experience of shoppers is for used cars.

 

[cintocrunch]

I have the same dilemma.

Traverse vs Highlander, we know the Traverse wins on the 3rd row seating and cargo space. Looking at used models on both ends - under 50K miles. 2018 and 2019 Chevy Traverse or 2018 and 2019 Honda Pilot. Honda Pilot is a tad more roomier than the Highlander. I have a 2007 Honda CR-V still running and giving me less issues than my 2011 Nissan Quest, but I have already put about $7K in repairs on the Quest in the last 3 years, so it is a love-hate relationship of "should I let it go or not in a trade in because of all the parts I have already replaced (clutch compressor, struts and shocks, alternator etc.)". The Quest is what I want to replace. Has anyone else been in that situation before?

My true issue is - if I am looking to have a vehicle for 150,000 miles without major issues, do both the Traverse and Pilot fit the bill? Also, does a vehicle priced well without a dealer or manufacturer certification as a used car worth a shot?

Not going to lie, when I drove the 45K miles Traverse at a dealership, it drove better than a 30K Honda Pilot, w.r.t bumps on the road and acceleration. However, there was some tightness in turns for the Traverse, anyone else have an opinion on that? Used car shopping, not sure if I wait for 2023 or jump in before the Federal Reserve bumps up the interest rates by another 0.75% at the end of July 2022, which I heard is bound to happen. Are dealers even negotiating these days on used cars? I heard 2021 was brutal where the dealers had the upper hand. Here we are in the summer of 2022, wondering what the experience of shoppers is for used cars.

'18 was the first model year for the 2nd gen Traverse... most issues on new models occur in the first couple model years. '19 was the refresh for the 3rd gen Pilot, or gen 3.5. I'm on the Pilot forum and saw quite a few complaints for '16-'18 PIlots, not many at all for '19+ Pilots. Just looking at pure reliability, being on both boards, the Pilot gets the nod from me. That being said, the Traverse certainly has advantages like additional 3rd row room, cargo capacity, more prevalent availability of 2nd row captain's chairs, more varied options packages, etc. While our Pilot and Traverse are both a generation older than the ones you are looking at, we'd certainly consider either one for our needs again.

 

[cs_coltsnation]

'18 was the first model year for the 2nd gen Traverse... most issues on new models occur in the first couple model years. '19 was the refresh for the 3rd gen Pilot, or gen 3.5. I'm on the Pilot forum and saw quite a few complaints for '16-'18 PIlots, not many at all for '19+ Pilots. Just looking at pure reliability, being on both boards, the Pilot gets the nod from me. That being said, the Traverse certainly has advantages like additional 3rd row room, cargo capacity, more prevalent availability of 2nd row captain's chairs, more varied options packages, etc. While our Pilot and Traverse are both a generation older than the ones you are looking at, we'd certainly consider either one for our needs again.

For example, I am comparing 2 cars at the same price points, both in my state of Indiana:

https://www.teamhondaon30.com/inven...-leather-fwd-sport-utility-1gnerhkw8lj193838/

2019 Honda Pilot EX-L Indianapolis IN | Carmel Fishers Noblesville Indiana 5FNYF6H52KB063125

As you can see above, the Chevy Traverse LT Leather has far more bells and whistles for the same price than the Pilot EX-L, both 2019 models, and more seating and cargo space, and both are 3 years old, neither of them are Manufacturer Certified. The Chevy is at a Honda dealership, and the Honda is at an Acura dealership. If not for my wife's bias against American cars (she loves Hondas and Toyotas if we want to keep our vehicle for 150K miles at least ), I would be leaning towards the Traverse. Every time we drove a Ford Explorer as rentals, I loved it far more than she did. She is only 5'4" and felt the Ford Explorer taxed her a bit more on long drives. Every time I have driven a Pilot, I can feel the bumps and potholes. The leather on Explorers is real nice and comfy but is not as tight as time goes on and starts showing far more wrinkles with higher mileage (noticed it when we drove a 50K miles Ford Explorer Limited for a test drive). The leather on the Traverse, Pilot and Highlander seems to be stitched tighter and holds up more as time goes on, when we drove ones with 30-40K miles (have to admit that Traverse and Highlander drove better than the Pilot in that mileage range).

If you saw the above 2 listings, which would you lean towards and why?

 

[cintocrunch]

For example, I am comparing 2 cars at the same price points, both in my state of Indiana:

https://www.teamhondaon30.com/inven...-leather-fwd-sport-utility-1gnerhkw8lj193838/

2019 Honda Pilot EX-L Indianapolis IN | Carmel Fishers Noblesville Indiana 5FNYF6H52KB063125

As you can see above, the Chevy Traverse LT Leather has far more bells and whistles for the same price than the Pilot EX-L, both 2019 models, and more seating and cargo space, and both are 3 years old, neither of them are Manufacturer Certified. The Chevy is at a Honda dealership, and the Honda is at an Acura dealership. If not for my wife's bias against American cars (she loves Hondas and Toyotas if we want to keep our vehicle for 150K miles at least ), I would be leaning towards the Traverse. Every time we drove a Ford Explorer as rentals, I loved it far more than she did. She is only 5'4" and felt the Ford Explorer taxed her a bit more on long drives. Every time I have driven a Pilot, I can feel the bumps and potholes. The leather on Explorers is real nice and comfy but is not as tight as time goes on and starts showing far more wrinkles with higher mileage (noticed it when we drove a 50K miles Ford Explorer Limited for a test drive). The leather on the Traverse, Pilot and Highlander seems to be stitched tighter and holds up more as time goes on, when we drove ones with 30-40K miles (have to admit that Traverse and Highlander drove better than the Pilot in that mileage range).

If you saw the above 2 listings, which would you lean towards and why?

For me personally, both are a couple years into the model run so most of the bugs should be sorted out. I am 6'3" and a big boy, so seat comfort is paramount to me and would likely drive my decision if neither shines in the ride and handling department. Does the captains chairs vs. bench do anything for you? We tend to use the Traverse for long distance travels since the captains chairs means it's easier for my oldest to get to her seat in the 3rd row. Do storage cubbies mean anything, the Honda will have 200% more useful cubbies and spots to stash things.

Do you have kids living in the 2nd and 3rd rows? My kids prefer the roof mounted vents in the Traverse to the console (2nd row) and pillar (3rd row) mounted vents in the Pilot.

Another item for consideration - the Pilot J series engine is an absolute gem, but they do use a timing belt that requires replacement every 7 years or 105k miles at the current dealer pricing around $1,500.

 

[cs_coltsnation]

For me personally, both are a couple years into the model run so most of the bugs should be sorted out. I am 6'3" and a big boy, so seat comfort is paramount to me and would likely drive my decision if neither shines in the ride and handling department. Does the captains chairs vs. bench do anything for you? We tend to use the Traverse for long distance travels since the captains chairs means it's easier for my oldest to get to her seat in the 3rd row. Do storage cubbies mean anything, the Honda will have 200% more useful cubbies and spots to stash things.

Do you have kids living in the 2nd and 3rd rows? My kids prefer the roof mounted vents in the Traverse to the console (2nd row) and pillar (3rd row) mounted vents in the Pilot.

Another item for consideration - the Pilot J series engine is an absolute gem, but they do use a timing belt that requires replacement every 7 years or 105k miles at the current dealer pricing around $1,500.

We have just 1 daughter. However, sometimes we get to drive her friends occasionally (a couple of times a year) or vacation with another family of four once every year. I am not sure if that should even be a consideration, those infrequent situations of car pooling, in my car buying. I do know that in 4 years, my daughter will be in college and there will be back and forth trips emptying out her room after each semester, that I learnt is bound to happen from other friends of mine with college aged kids. Then, I would have at least 2 mid-sized vehicles (the 2007 CR-V I will give her) and whatever new vehicle I buy to help haul stuff. 4 years is a long ways away, so not sure if I need to base all my decisions on those considerations.

 

[sue.halterman]

check out the NHTSA for the pilot and traverse.. The pilot has like 3 times the complaints that the traverse has. own a 2012 GMC Acadia with 192k a few end of life issues around 120k like tranny and oil pump, otherwise its has been normal mileage based maintenance... so bought a 2022 Chevy Traverse has the same engine with newer 9 speed tranny and absolutely love it.

 

[Nanookvd]

check out the NHTSA for the pilot and traverse.. The pilot has like 3 times the complaints that the traverse has. own a 2012 GMC Acadia with 192k a few end of life issues around 120k like tranny and oil pump, otherwise its has been normal mileage based maintenance... so bought a 2022 Chevy Traverse has the same engine with newer 9 speed tranny and absolutely love it.

Likewise. I have a 2012 Acadia with 153k near trouble-free miles. Looking at the Traverse since it is still the same platform and I've always done the maintenance/repair work on my vehicles.

Curious if anyone looked at VW Atlas or Hyundai Pallisade? Considering the Toyota Highlander as well.

 

[repairman54]

In '20 when we bought out High Country, we looked at the Denali also. Same money, but how much you got for that the Traverse was a no brainer. Pilot is an econobox in comparison.

 

[snobrdrdan]

Curious if anyone looked at VW Atlas

I did and wanted one for the wife back in 2018, since I'm a VW fanboy, but the lease was worse on it versus the Traverse and the VR6 engine was lethargic in comparison (and worse gas mileage too).
I wanted to love it, but couldn't.

The facelift version of it does look a little better, but it's still the same power train unfortunately.

 

[Nanookvd]

I did and wanted one for the wife back in 2018, since I'm a VW fanboy, but the lease was worse on it versus the Traverse and the VR6 engine was lethargic in comparison (and worse gas mileage too).
I wanted to love it, but couldn't.

The facelift version of it does look a little better, but it's still the same power train unfortunately.

Thanks. We'll take one for a test drive and pay attention to the power train a little more closely. I know our 12' Acadia always had good power when needed. We have our 19' Passat we love but I like a little variety in my garage. Did you pre-order your 2022 Traverse or purchase off the lot? I'm curious how the "build-a-bear" process works, typically lead-time from order to delivery, & things to watch out for in the transaction, deposit, etc.

 

[snobrdrdan]

Thanks. We'll take one for a test drive and pay attention to the power train a little more closely. I know our 12' Acadia always had good power when needed. We have our 19' Passat we love but I like a little variety in my garage. Did you pre-order your 2022 Traverse or purchase off the lot? I'm curious how the "build-a-bear" process works, typically lead-time from order to delivery, & things to watch out for in the transaction, deposit, etc.

I had a few different NMS Passats as well, btw....specifically 3 of them with the same 3.6 (VR6) that's in the Atlas. The Passat had a (awesome) DSG trans and was lighter, and was a great driving experience.
The slush box in the Atlas & the extra weight didn't give that same enjoyment though...I had to wring out that V6 to get it to move which = worse MPG's & slow.
The 2.0T is an option in the Atlas, but harder to find & I never got to drive one but has the low end torque and should get better mileage as well.

The 3.6 in the Traverse has plenty of power though, for what it is. The 9 speed automatic isn't terrible, but isn't the best either....it just does the job.

Our 2022 wasn't on the lot. I had to go to a couple of different dealers trying to find one that was available that had been ordered by the dealer(s) already & was coming in soon (aka built & in transit to the dealer).
We found it at the end February last year and it was just waiting for shipment, but then it got delayed due to an issue & the sales guy said he had no clue when it was going to show up. We had a deposit to hold it for us though.
Then, out of the blue, it showed up a couple days later & we took it.

I think most of the kinks/issues have been worked out now though and you should be able to order one and get it in a decent time frame (2-3 months?). Your dealer should be able to tell you though.