Between the 2025 Ford Explorer and 2025 Chevy Traverse, which is the best SUV for high-flying Colorado families? Whether you’re planning cross-country highway road trips or backroad mountain excursions, we’re here to help you choose the best three-row midsize crossover for the job!
Key Takeaways
- Compared to the 2025 Explorer, choosing the 2025 Traverse can help you keep costs down.
- Both SUVs are big on modern comfort, but the Explorer’s updates give it the edge!
- With more power and a rear-wheel-drive performance, the Explorer feels most at home in the Colorado Rockies.
- Although both crossovers tow up to 5,000 pounds, the rear-wheel-drive Explorer feels more secure with a trailer attached!
You can keep your budget in check with the Chevy Traverse. This three-row crossover SUV starts at just $40,700 — a very friendly price for the segment. With its long list of standard features — including all-new technology — the new Ford Explorer starts at $39,855.
Everyday Comfort & Convenience: 2025 Ford Explorer
Both the Explorer and the Traverse come standard with incredible lists of features, including modern comforts like heated front seats and three-zone automatic climate control. And as you move up each SUV’s trim-model ladder, you can enjoy even greater luxury, thanks to upgrades like leather upholstery and a panoramic sunroof.
So why is the Explorer our first choice for comfort and convenience? As part of a major makeover for the 2025 model year, the Explorer introduces an all-new infotainment system, the Ford Digital Experience! Every trim model gets a digital gauge cluster, 13.2-inch central touchscreen, and built-in Google navigation and voice controls. The standard list of safety aids has also expanded to include features the Traverse doesn’t even offer, such as intersection collision mitigation and evasive steering assist! And on higher trim models, the Explorer delivers more luxury than the Traverse can muster, with massaging front seats!
Mountain-Ready Performance: 2025 Ford Explorer
Not only does the Explorer offer two powerful engine options, but it’s also available with trail-friendly all-wheel drive, making it our first choice for rugged excursions. Its 400-horsepower V6 (optional for the Platinum and standard on the ST) gives you the full Colorado mountain experience! Don’t plan on hitting the trail? We still recommend adding all-wheel drive to your Explorer to help keep your family safe during the icy winter season!
2025 Ford Explorer Powertrain Specs
- 2.3L turbocharged four-cylinder engine (300 hp, 311 lb-ft)
- Optional 3.0L turbo V6 (400 hp, 415 lb-ft)
- 10-speed automatic transmission
- Rear-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive
The Traverse comes standard with a powerful turbocharged engine that’s on par with the Explorer’s base setup. However, unlike the Explorer, this Chevy SUV doesn’t offer any extra-powerful options. And on mountain highways, its front-wheel-drive performance isn’t nearly as much fun as the Explorer’s rear-wheel-drive setup. However, the Traverse does offer all-wheel drive, a traction-boosting winter necessity around these parts.
2025 Chevy Traverse Powertrain Specs
- 2.5L turbocharged four-cylinder engine (328 hp, 326 lb-ft)
- Eight-speed automatic transmission
- Front-wheel drive or optional all-wheel drive
Best for Towing: 2025 Ford Explorer
Technically, both the 2025 Ford Explorer and Chevy Traverse can tow max loads of 5,000 pounds. But because your rear wheels require more traction when you’re towing, the Explorer’s rear-wheel-drive setup gives it the edge when it comes to towing performance. Compared to the front-wheel-drive Traverse, Ford’s three-row crossover feels more secure as you tow your camper into the mountains!
Which would you say is the best SUV for Colorado mountains and highways in 2025? If you’re like us, you want the 2025 Ford Explorer to handle all your family road trips. But you don’t have to take our word for it. Experience this three-row crossover for yourself — visit us at Brighton Ford in Brighton CO for a test-drive!