Chevrolet Traverse vs Buick Enclave
Summary
Legroom is identical row for row: 44.29 in in front, 41.46 in in the second row, 32.13 in in the third. Cargo behind the third row is identical too, at 22.9 cu ft, and both tow 5,000 lb.
The Enclave's measurable edges are third-row headroom, 38.54 in against 38.27, and cargo behind the second row, 57.1 cu ft against 56.6. The Traverse takes maximum cargo by a tenth, 97.6 against 97.5 — a rounding-scale difference in both directions.
The real split is seats and money: the Traverse seats eight and offers a second-row bench, the Enclave seats seven with captain's chairs only. The Traverse runs $40,800 to $58,100; the Enclave $46,600 to $65,300.
The numbers, side by side
| Spec | Chevrolet Traverse | Buick Enclave |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | ||
| MSRP range | $40,800 – $58,100 | $46,600 – $65,300 |
| Space | ||
| Row 1 legroom | 44.29" | 44.29" |
| Row 2 legroom | 41.46" | 41.46" |
| Row 3 legroom | 32.13" | 32.13" |
| Row 3 headroom | 38.27" | 38.54" |
| Cargo behind row 3 | 22.9 cu ft | 22.9 cu ft |
| Cargo behind row 2 | 56.6 cu ft | 57.1 cu ft |
| Max cargo | 97.6 cu ft | 97.5 cu ft |
| Exterior | ||
| Length | 204.49" | 207.6" |
| Width (excl. mirrors) | 79.57" | 79.6" |
| Height | 69.57" | 70.98" |
| Capability | ||
| Max towing | 5,000 lbs | 5,000 lbs |
| Seating | ||
| Max seats | 8 | 7 |
| Second row | Captain’s chairs or bench | Captain’s chairs |
The dimensions are the same dimensions
44.29, 41.46 and 32.13 in of legroom — GM publishes those three figures for both vehicles, unrounded and identical. Cargo behind the third row matches at 22.9 cu ft. Third-row headroom differs by 0.27 in in the Buick's favour, 38.54 against 38.27, and cargo behind the second by half a cubic foot, 57.1 against 56.6.
Neither of those gaps is something a person notices. This comparison is not decided on space.
Seats: eight vs seven
The Traverse offers a second-row bench as well as captain's chairs, so it seats up to eight. The Enclave is captain's chairs only and seats seven. If the eighth belt matters, the comparison ends here — the Buick cannot be configured to match.
Third-row child-seat hardware is the same on both: no LATCH lower anchors in row three, three top tethers, and curtain coverage verified in row-enumerated manual prose. GM ships the two vehicles a safety chapter that is word-for-word the same.
Price
$40,800 to $58,100 against $46,600 to $65,300 — $5,800 apart at the floor and $7,200 at the ceiling, with the ladders overlapping across most of their length. A loaded Traverse and a mid-grade Enclave land at similar money.
What the Buick premium buys is the Enclave cabin and trim, which this site does not rate because it cannot verify materials the way it verifies a dimension. What it does not buy is room.
When each one fits
Chevrolet Traverse: The same three rows, an eighth seat, a second-row bench option, and $5,800 back.
Buick Enclave: A quarter-inch more third-row headroom, half a cubic foot more behind row two, and the Buick interior. Choose it for how it is finished, not for what it holds.
Compare legroom yourself
Find your match
Six questions, deterministic scoring, top three matches across the full directory.
Take the quizWill you fit either third row?
Open the fit estimator preloaded with the Chevrolet Traverse and check both models against your height.
Best family 3-row for tall adults
The guide lens closest to this pairing — the whole cohort re-sorted on that axis, answer stated up top.
Deciding across the whole segment, not just these models? See Best Family 3-Row SUVs — every published model, ranked from verified specs. A cross-segment pairing gets both rankings, because neither one alone covers the models on this page.