In the life of the modern Ottawa family, there are times when a car just doesn't seem like enough to meet your needs, and a full-size SUV seems like more than you want to try to handle. Thankfully, the midsize SUV, capable of holding three seating rows, was introduced as a driving option for families not too long ago, which gives you the best of both worlds.

At the top of the lists of available midsize SUVs, you'll often find both the Chevrolet Traverse and the GMC Acadia. Both are great family vehicles that have inherited the impressive engineering legacy of General Motors, but which one makes the most sense for you to invest in? Taking a closer look at each of the 2023 editions of these vehicles reveals that there is a clear winner, and that winner is the 2023 Chevy Traverse. Let's go over some of the numbers, and what they mean.

The Practical Advantages

Not every family has half a dozen kids, but that doesn't mean you won't be trying to pack as many kids — or even adults — into your vehicle as possible from time to time. The 2023 Chevy Traverse has third row seating with the astonishing option of carrying up to eight passengers, while the 2023 GMC Acadia comes close, with the option to carry up to seven passengers. The 79-inch width of the Traverse compared to the 75-inch width of the Acadia will make a big difference in the comfort of your average passenger.

Chevrolet understands that when you do have a vehicle full of kids on their way to a hockey or soccer practice on busy Ottawa streets, the most important thing is their safety. The serious list of safety features for both the Chevy Traverse and the GMC Acadia includes airbags, a rear vision camera, electronic stability and traction control, lane-keep assist and lane departure warning, forward collision alert, front pedestrian braking, and lane change and blind zone alert. For safety, both vehicles offer a complete list of state-of-the-art features, and it's important to know they are there.

There will come a day when you'll need to help someone move, or move out, or you'll need to make something like an emergency run for the overlooked bananas for the school's ice cream social that's starting in half an hour. That's when you're really going to appreciate the room that Chevrolet's engineers built into the Traverse cargo. The GMC Acadia offers a maximum cargo space of 79 cubic feet. But the maximum cargo space for the taller and wider Chevy Traverse is over 98 cubic feet. That's an amazing difference, and a lot more room for bananas.

The Power Advantages

There could also come a day when the things you need to take with you on the road will only fit on or in a trailer. That's when you'll appreciate what the 2023 Chevy Traverse has under the hood. The 3.6L V-6 engine that comes standard in the Chevy Traverse has 310 horsepower, compared to the 228 horsepower of the standard 2.0L turbocharged engine in the 2023 GMC Acadia.

This means that not only will you be able to get to 60 mph /95 kph faster in a Chevy Traverse, you'll be able to tow up to 5,000 lbs, compared to the 3,500 lbs that the Acadia is capable of towing. You'll definitely appreciate the difference when you have a lot to haul, and especially when your road is going to take you up some long and steep hills.

The power of the Chevy Traverse means that its fuel efficiency will be slightly lower than the Acadia's 22 mpg or 10.6L/100 km for city driving and 29 mpg or 8L/100 km on the highway. But the Traverse still gets a respectable 18 mpg or 13.6L/100 km in the city and 27 mpg or 9.6L/100 km on highways, and its edge in power is what's going to let you take more people and things along with you, as well as help you get out of unexpected trouble.

The Price Advantages

Although prices can vary because of differing vehicle options, the starting MSRP for the base model Traverse LS is $48,511, while the starting MSRP for the base model Acadia SLE is $51,597.

For the mid-range Traverse LT with cloth seats, the MSRP is $51,930, while the MSRP of the equivalent Acadia SLT is $57,410.

At the higher end, Acadia gains a slight edge. The MSRP for the Traverse RS is $62,740, and the Acadia AT4 MSRP is $60,558. Overall, you're simply getting more for your money with the 2023 Chevy Traverse.

Another factor to consider is what will happen down the road. In 2022, Chevrolet consistently earned significant awards from J.D. Power, where GMC wasn't able to. These were the 2022 J.D. Power Quality Award for the fewest problems reported by new vehicle owners, and the 2022 J.D. Power Dependability Award for fewest problems reported by owners of 3-year-old vehicles. This means that Chevy is leading the way in transportation industry quality, so your 2023 Chevy Traverse is more likely to have less problems and hold its value over time.

Although both the 2023 Chevrolet Traverse and the 2023 GMC Acadia are desirable midsize SUVs, the Chevy Traverse stands out as the favorite, both from the testimony of Traverse owners and in reviews by industry professionals. On ConsumerAffairs.com, Traverse owners gave an average rating of 4/5, while Acadia owners gave an average rating of 3.3/5. The professionals at AutoTrader Canada gave the 2022 Traverse a 7.9/10 overall rating, while giving the 2022 Acadia a 7.6/10 overall rating.

At Jim Tubman Chevrolet in Ottawa, we'd be delighted to get you lined up with the Chevy Traverse that fits your family best. Please let us know what you need, and we'll get right on it.

By Jil McIntosh, Driving.ca - My Chevy traverse has a rattle in it.  It's a brand-new vehicle and it shouldn't have a rattle, but there it is.  Over a rutted road, there's an annoying, plasticky, nasty rattle that won't go away.  I touch parts and panels, trying to figure out what's making the noise.  And after all that, it turns out to be a loose cap on my water bottle.

I remember when SUVs were just trucky boxes of noise on wheels.  They've all been getting more car-like for quite a while, but it's still impressive when one's quiet enough inside that I can hear a wobbly lid.

The Traverse is all new for 2018, starting with a stiff new platform that gives it a comfortable and - as I discovered - very quiet ride.  The vehicle's overall length remains virtually the same from the last-generation model, but the wheelbase is longer, which provides more interior space.  The third-row cushions are still uncomfortably hard and flat, but there's now enough legroom there for most adults, and of course children will love being back there.  There's also an impressive amount of cargo space, even when the back seats are up, which is often a weak point for many three-row vehicles.

Naturally, the styling also morphs with this new model, with a more angular design that gives it a bigger-than-it-is look that GM's rep described as "more masculine" (although I'm not quite sure what made the last one apparently more feminine-looking).  in any case, it's a handsome beast.  The large windows provide good visibility, and while slightly bigger mirrors would improve that even more, all models come with a standard rear-view camera, and mid-level trims and up add a 360-degree view.

The new 3.6-litre V6 engine is the usual more-power-less-fuel improvement over the old Traverse, making 310 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque.  Eventually it will be joined by a turbocharged four-cylinder engine, with 255 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, which will come solely in the new RS trim level, and only in front-wheel drive.  It's mostly aimed at urban drivers who don't want a bigger engine, although the fuel savings will be minimal.  The V6 with FWD is rated at a combined city-highway rating of 11.0 L/100 km, the four-cylinder at 10.5.  Even the all-wheel V6 isn't that huge a jump over the front-wheel model, with a combined rating of 11.8 L/100 km.

The V6 Traverse comes in five trim levels, starting at $34,895 for the LS and climbing to an eye-watering $58,495 for the top-line High Country.  The two lowest levels come in FWD or AWD, while everything else is all-wheel.  Even so, the all-wheel can be switched into front-wheel only through a dial on the console.  I'd leave it in all-wheel anyway, because the Traverse runs primarily in front-wheel, but distributes power to the back whenever needed to maintain traction, giving peace of mind with a very small difference in fuel economy.

The High Country exclusively includes a more sophisticated all-wheel system with torque  vectoring, which gives it more stability on sharp curves.  It may eventually find its way into lower trims, but for now it's kept at the higher level primarily because it's a costlier system to build.

There's a lot of technology in this new model, but one feature that grabbed my attention is a program in the electric power steering.  Turning the steering wheel the right way in a skid can help get you safely back on track.  if the Traverse detects it's going sideways, it will make the wheel easier to turn in the correct direction, and harder if your wrong move will make the skid worse.

The V6 is a smooth performer, as is the nine-speed transmission that's mated to it.  It includes start-stop, which shuts the engine off at idle to reduce fuel consumption and emissions, but while most manufacturers give you the option of temporarily disabling it, GM doesn't.  I much prefer having the choice.

My noise bottle cap aside, the traverse is a pleasant driver.  It feels smaller than it is, helped by the responsive steering and tight turning radius.  The seats are supportive, both on the leather- clad High Country and cloth-upholstered LT trim levels that I drove.

The wide centre console makes the front foot wells a bit tight, but there's good legroom for second-row passengers.  One middle seat can be slid forward while upright, so a child seat can remain in place while providing third-row access, and it's a relatively wide opening to get back there.

Connectivity is the big deal these days, and all models come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, seven- or eight-inch infotainment screen, Wi-Fi hot spot and a rear-seat reminder lest a child be forgotten back there.  The screen itself slides up to reveal a hidden storage cubby, and you can set a PIN to lock it.

Canadians have consistently been buying more SUVs than cars, and so automakers have been putting their efforts into making their people-movers better.  There are a few minor flaws, but overall, this Traverse revamp is pretty impressive.  It's roomy, it looks good, and it drives well, and that's what most people prioritize in a family vehicle.  Just be sure to secure all drink-container lids before driving.