2019 Chevrolet Traverse vs. 2019 Subaru Ascent Comparison Review

The trend continues into the aesthetics. Black is the standard interior color for both vehicles. Subaru does offer light and dark brown alternatives on higher trims, but if you want anything but a black or gray uniform with the Traverse, you’ll have to buy the $55,000 High Country trim. As a result, the Ascent in our test feels richer, warmer, and more inviting than the more utilitarian Traverse.

On top of that, the Ascent gets Subaru’s latest Starlink frameless infotainment screen with sleeker, modern graphics—the Traverse makes do with Chevrolet’s previous-generation MyLink infotainment system and its aging graphics.

Functionally, though, the Traverse claws back an advantage. Simply put, if you need space, the Chevrolet has it. Longer and wider, the Traverse provides substantially more cargo space with the third-row seats up or down. It also offers more space in the third row for older kids and teenagers. We appreciated Subaru’s placement of grab handles on the inside shoulders of the second-row seats to ease your exit from the way back, however.

Both our test vehicles were equipped with second-row captain’s chairs that recline and slide forward and back. We found them equally easy to load child seats and children into and out of, but older children loading themselves will have to climb up a bit more getting into the Traverse. Buckling a child seat into the LATCH points on the Traverse is substantially easier, as the Ascent’s are covered by leather flaps that are difficult to pull out of the way. The Chevrolet’s additional width and space between the captain’s chairs suggest seating a parent or grandparent between two child seats on a second-row bench seat would be less of a squeeze than in the Subaru.

The two remain evenly matched when it comes to the driving experience. For a vehicle without sporting pretensions, the Traverse handles with surprising confidence and response. The Ascent is slightly taller and feels it, not quite the corner-carver the Traverse is but nearly as good. The sporty Traverse has a firmer ride, but both handle bumps and broken pavement very well for their size and weight. Combined with quiet cabins, they’re equally comfortable at home or on long road trips for away games with the grandparents. The Ascent’s larger windows offer marginally better outward visibility, but the Traverse’s optional video rearview mirror lets you see around passengers and cargo, an occasionally useful feature when you have a packed house.

Both powertrains offer plenty of torque and easy freeway on-ramp performance with excellent assistance from smartly tuned transmissions. The Ascent’s superior city and combined fuel economy, however, is compelling.

With such similarly performing contestants, we returned to value, where the Subaru’s greater standard feature list gives it the edge. We also valued its welcoming interior more than the Chevrolet’s additional space. The Ascent advances as the better representative of the three-row SUV class.

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