2020 Lincoln Navigator vs 2021 Chevrolet Traverse

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator stood out with its luxurious design, featuring chrome and brightwork that differentiated it from the Ford Expedition, its platform mate. The Lincoln Embrace lighting system, lattice-type grille insert, and illuminated star logo added to its premium appeal. The Navigator also offered a new Reserve Monochromatic Package with body-color enhancements and 22-inch black-painted wheels, available in White, Ceramic Pearl, and Infinite Black. The test vehicle, a standard-length Navigator Reserve with 4WD, was priced at $92,385 and included the Luxury and Reserve Monochromatic option packages. Inside, the Dark Slate leather interior boasted 30-way Perfect Position front seats, a mid-century modern-styled dashboard, and a panoramic glass roof, creating a convincingly luxurious flagship SUV.

In contrast, the 2021 Chevrolet Traverse had a more generic SUV design with a tall roof, chunky wheel arches, and a big grille. Chevy used styling details to give different trim levels their own identities, such as blacked-out trim on the RS model and chrome on the High Country model. The Traverse shared a platform with the Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia, and Cadillac XT6 but aimed for a more blue-collar feel. The interior featured restrained styling, with an optional Dual SkyScape two-panel sunroof and fairly good materials in the RS tester, though not quite worthy of its $50,000 MSRP. The Traverse's design emphasized practicality over luxury, making it a solid choice for those seeking a functional three-row crossover.

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator featured a twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine producing 450 horsepower and 510 lb-ft of torque, paired with a 10-speed automatic transmission. The Navigator offered multiple drive modes, including Conserve, Normal, Excite, Slippery, Deep Conditions, and Slow Climb (with the towing package). It had a maximum towing capacity of 8,700 pounds with RWD and 8,300 pounds with 4WD, aided by Pro Trailer Backup Assist. The Navigator's acceleration was strong, though fuel economy averaged 16.4 mpg. The SUV's adaptive damping suspension provided excellent body motion control, though impact harshness was noticeable with 22-inch wheels. Around town, the Navigator felt huge but was made more maneuverable with a tight turning radius, parking assist system, and numerous camera views.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse came with a 3.6-liter V6 engine generating 310 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque, mated to a nine-speed automatic transmission. The V6 powertrain provided adequate power for highway merging and overtaking, though it didn't feel particularly strong off the line. The Traverse impressed with its highway road manners, offering a quiet cabin and bump-absorbing suspension. However, it lacked agility on twistier roads, partly due to its AWD system, which required manual activation and didn't provide noticeable torque vectoring. The Traverse had a 5,000-pound maximum towing capacity with the tow/haul mode engaged, which was average for the segment.

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator required a climb to enter, but once inside, passengers enjoyed ample space and comfort. The test vehicle's 30-way Perfect Position front seats, power-adjustable pedals, and heated steering wheel provided exceptional comfort. The second row offered a choice between a three-person bench or two captain's chairs, with the latter option including a large center console. The third-row seat provided class-leading legroom and thigh support. Cargo volumes were also class-leading, with 19.3 cubic feet behind the third row, 57.5 cubic feet behind the second row, and 103.3 cubic feet maximum. The longer Navigator L offered even more cargo space.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse offered seating for seven or eight, with above-average headroom and legroom in all three rows. The RS tester had heated front seats, while higher trims offered ventilated front seats and heated outboard rear seats. The Traverse excelled in cargo space, with 23.0 cubic feet behind the third row, 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, with a gesture-activated liftgate on the Premier and High Country models. However, the Traverse was limited in interior storage options compared to minivans.

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator's Sync 3 infotainment system was slow to load content, but it offered Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Lincoln Connect services, a 4G LTE WiFi hotspot, and wireless device charging. "Phone As A Key" technology allowed the smartphone to function as the vehicle key. The voice recognition system worked reasonably well but wasn't as advanced as some competitors. The test vehicle's 20-speaker Revel Ultima audio system provided a compelling audio experience. Additional technologies included a surround-view camera system and a head-up display, though the optional Lincoln Play rear-seat entertainment system was not included.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse's standard infotainment system included a 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 8-inch screen in the RS tester was easy to use, with large smartphone-like icons and analog controls for audio volume and climate control. The Traverse also featured a rearview camera mirror and an optional HD surround-view camera system. Standard USB ports were provided for each row, but wireless phone charging was only standard on the Premier and High Country models.

The 2020 Lincoln Navigator came with the standard Lincoln Co-Pilot360 collection of advanced driving assistance systems, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assistance, blind-spot warning, rear cross-traffic warning, and automatic high-beam headlights. The Reserve trim added adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability. The Navigator received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, though the RWD model had a three-star rollover resistance rating. The IIHS had not tested the 2020 model.

The 2021 Chevrolet Traverse received top "Good" scores in all IIHS crash tests and 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 adaptive cruise control only available on the top High Country trim. Other features like automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert were optional extras.