2020 Toyota Highlander vs 2021 Chevrolet Traverse

The 2020 Toyota Highlander had a design that was somewhat unremarkable from the side, with a few updates from the previous model year, such as a more slanted tailgate glass and more pronounced body panel creases. The trapezoidal theme was evident in various parts of the vehicle, including the tailgate's license plate cutout, rear bumper, headlights, grille, and lower front bumper. Higher trims like the Limited and Platinum featured projector-beam LED headlights and fog lights, as well as new 20-inch wheels. The interior of the Highlander was where it truly shined, with quality fit and finish, silver-painted accents, and a multi-layered dash. The Limited trim boasted a three-tone interior with padded surfaces and rich textures, making it one of the nicest interiors in its class.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse, on the other hand, relied heavily on styling details to differentiate its trim levels. The exterior was a generic SUV design with a tall roof, chunky wheel arches, and a big grille. While it had a cleaner design compared to the Toyota Highlander, it lacked the personality of competitors like the Ford Explorer and Kia Telluride. The Traverse's interior mirrored its exterior's restrained styling, with an optional Dual SkyScape two-panel sunroof as a standout feature. Materials in the higher-level RS trim were fairly good but not quite worthy of the car's roughly $50,000 MSRP. The Traverse's interior storage options were limited, making it less practical for carrying lots of people or cargo compared to a minivan.

The 2020 Toyota Highlander came equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, available in both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations. This engine delivered 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque, providing brisk acceleration and a smooth, quiet ride. The eight-speed automatic transmission made full use of the engine's power, although it required a heavy foot to initiate a kickdown. The Highlander's steering was loose, and its soft suspension had too much rebound, making it feel like an older Buick at speed. However, it offered a wonderfully isolating experience that calmed drivers on long road trips. The AWD models on the Limited and Platinum trims included torque vectoring and selectable driving modes, enhancing the vehicle's handling. Fuel economy was impressive, with the FWD model achieving 21 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined, while the AWD model achieved 20/27/23 mpg.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse was powered by a 3.6-liter V6 engine producing 310 horsepower and 266 pound-feet of torque. The only transmission option was a nine-speed automatic. While the Traverse didn't feel as powerful as its specs suggested, it provided sufficient power for highway merging and overtaking. The nine-speed automatic transmission performed well overall but occasionally had rough shifts. The Traverse excelled in highway road manners, offering a quiet cabin and a bump-absorbing suspension. However, it lacked agility on twistier roads, partly due to its AWD system, which required manual activation. The Traverse had a 5,000-pound maximum towing capacity, which was average for the segment.

The 2020 Toyota Highlander offered seating for eight or seven with second-row captain's chairs. The second-row seats were versatile, with generous legroom and easy access to the third row. The Highlander featured three-zone climate control, a 120-volt outlet for the rear, and a large panoramic moonroof on the Platinum trim. Cargo space was generous, with 16 cubic feet behind the third row, 48 cubic feet behind the second row, and 84 cubic feet with both rows folded. The Highlander also had eight cupholders, four bottle holders, and two shelves integrated into the dash for additional storage.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse provided seating for seven or eight, depending on the configuration. Headroom and legroom in all three rows were above average. The Traverse excelled in cargo space, offering 23.0 cubic feet with all three rows in place, 57.8 cubic feet with the third row stowed, and 98.2 cubic feet with all rear seats folded. A power liftgate was optional on the LT Cloth trim and standard on higher trims, while the Premier and High Country models featured a gesture-activated liftgate. However, the Traverse was stingy on interior storage options, making it less practical for carrying lots of people or cargo compared to a minivan.

The 2020 Toyota Highlander featured an outdated infotainment system with low-resolution screens and a convoluted process for using onboard apps. The 12.3-inch touchscreen, optional on the Limited and standard on the Platinum, had limited usable area. However, the Highlander came standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration. It also featured a large 10-inch head-up display and a 7-inch display in the instrument cluster. The semi-automated driving system was effective, and the optional JBL audio system had 11 speakers. Standard features included SiriusXM, HD radio, WiFi, and four USB-A ports.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse came with a standard 7-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, and Bluetooth. Higher trims offered an 8-inch touchscreen, navigation, a 4G-LTE WiFi hotspot, and a Bose 10-speaker audio system. The Traverse's infotainment system was user-friendly, with large smartphone-like icons and retained analog controls for audio volume and climate control. The Traverse also featured a rearview camera mirror and an optional HD surround-view camera system. Chevy provided two USB ports for each row as standard equipment, with wireless phone charging available on the Premier and High Country models.

The 2020 Toyota Highlander came standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which included automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and rear emergency braking. The Highlander received a 2020 Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and had not yet been rated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse received top "Good" scores in all crash tests from the IIHS, as well as a "Superior" rating for front-crash prevention tech. However, it received "Acceptable" and "Poor" headlight ratings and an "Acceptable" rating for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. The NHTSA gave the Traverse a five-star overall safety rating, with four stars in frontal and rollover crash tests and five stars in side-impact crash tests. Chevy offered less standard driver-assist tech than competitors, with features like adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keep assist available as optional extras.