![]() ![]() When? The first few - 739 - were sold in the U.S. It'll mainly compete with the Jeep Renegade, Mazda CX-3, Fiat 500X and Honda HR-V coming this year. It's available with front-wheel drive (FWD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). Trax is a four-door, crossover SUV that the maker says holds five passengers. What? Chevrolet's entry into the mini-ute, aka city-ute or urban-ute, slice of the sport-utility market that's drawing a number of new entries. While it's among pioneers at the moment, it'll be interesting to see how well Trax comes across once the Renegade, Honda HR-V, Mazda CX-3, Fiat 500X and other small utes lurking in the wings hit the market. Jeep Renegade small utility, coming in a few weeks, appears to be several inches wider than most, so might address the issue better than some in the new segment. Test Drive has long maintained that interior width is a big part of a premium or luxury feel. ![]() But if you're used to something even a bit wider, Trax and its ilk will seem a squeeze. urbanites will argue in favor of slim machines for the same reason. Narrowness: Often an issue in Asian-origin vehicles - Trax and Encore are made in South Korea - and some European models because their streets are tight and narrowness is an asset. Under the spurs, the 1.4 sounded better, especially when warm. It wasn't, at least not enough to be a significant flaw. And when it's cold, it revs the engine more than expected before shifting.Ĭhevy says that's as intended, trading revs for driveability and preventing engine lugging when the engine's cold.Įngine noise: The turbo 1.4-liter four-cylinder was coarse enough to give the illusion Trax was quaking and shivering at stoplights. It doesn't seem to be in the wrong gear at the wrong time, but it moves among them with a bit of slur. Sloppy shifts: Its six speed automatic is nobody's idea of a precision device. Tire noise: Roar and rumble on coarse and damaged asphalt. Not our cuppa, but that approach has made Toyota rich. Often, that's the basis for a vehicle that makes a good daily driver and one you can live with for many years, one that doesn't get tiresome. You'll neither celebrate nor scorn those attributes. Steering, brakes, cornering, ride comfort all are OK. The Trax drives OK, and kind of underwhelms in its OK-ness. The analog tachometer - big, round, traditional - doesn't blend well visually with the digital display next to it, but there's plenty of info brightly presented. That plays to Trax buyers expected need for connectivity.įront passenger seat that has a storage bin underneath and folds flat for long cargo.Įntertaining instrument panel. Or, you can buy a daily link for when you're on vacation, for example. Three months free, then requires a subscription. Test Drive's Trax test vehicle was an LT model with FWD with LT Plus Package, leaving the bottom line at $23,815.Ĭrisp rearview camera, sharper than on some luxury models we've driven lately.ĤG LTE connectivity that allows the vehicle to be a mobile hot spot. Starting price of $20,995 puts Trax $3,995 less than the base Encore. Trax differs from Encore in that Trax is a "value story," as Chevy puts it. And both Trax and Encore are related to the Chevy Sonic sub-compact car. Trax is derived from the Encore, even uses some of the same premium noise-killing techniques. With all-wheel drive (AWD) it is rated 31 mpg, still above the magic "30" sellers think buyers want. The advertised mileage for Trax is 34 mpg on the highway with front-wheel drive (FWD). Also, people who live outside cities are moving to small utes from small cars, automakers say.Ĭhevy's specific, saying Trax buyers will be "hyper-social, young, more often females than males, who live in urban areas and demand (car) connectivity." Buyers are expected to be urbanites who need small machines, but also utility. ![]()
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