![]() Visibility from the driver's seat is excellent, though the tiny rear window and raked roofline detract a bit from seeing what’s happening behind you. During our test drive around San Diego and its suburbs, the Trax did an exceptional job of sucking up the bumps and uneven road surfaces while we wove our way through the small enclaves along the coast. ![]() On the road, this little crossover SUV is surprisingly composed, at 45 mph or less. Also available is 4G LTE with built-in WiFi hotspot and, for iPhone users, Siri Eyes-Free, which allows drivers to place calls, compose or hear text messages and select music through voice command. The MyLink infotainment system with 7-inch touchscreen and rearview camera is standard. Fold the front passenger seat down and you can carry something up to 8 feet in length. That's more room than the Juke, but way smaller than the Soul's 61.3 cubic feet of stowage. With the rear seats folded flat, it expands to 48.4 cubic feet. However, its tall design - 65.9 inches - makes the utility feel roomier than it actually is.Ĭargo volume with all seats raised is a generous 18.7 cubic feet. Its minute size makes the utility easier to park in tight spots than, say, almost any other SUV on the market. While the Trax is small, with a total length of only 168.5 inches and a width of 69.9 inches, it doesn’t feel that way. The rest is a sea of hard plastic, no part of which feels youthful or edgy.īut it is practical. You can see hints of the Sonic in the dash, however: the motorcycle-inspired gauge cluster with analog tachometer and digital speedometer, three-spoke steering wheel, multiple storage bins, and dual glove boxes. It’s OK, but it isn’t going to impress anyone. The design is not unattractive, but it’s not sexy, sleek, or adventurous like its competitors from Nissan and Kia. Chevy calls the look “bold ” I call it conservative at best. The Trax also uses the same suspension as the Encore, only tuned slightly different to improve the Trax’s ride.Īlthough it shares a lot of mechanical bits and pieces with the Encore, the Trax styling cues are all Chevrolet. Front-wheel drive is standard, while all-wheel-drive is available as a $1,500 option. Like the Encore, the Trax comes with only one engine: a turbocharged 1.4-liter four-banger that produces 138 hp and 148 lb-ft of torque, mated to a six-speed automatic. Based on Chevy’s Gamma II global small-car platform, the Trax is essentially a Buick Encore with a simplified interior, different sheet metal, and slightly lower price tag (the Encore starts at $24,990, while the Trax costs $20,995). The “quintessential” Trax buyer: A college-educated 25 to 34-year-old woman earning at least $55,000 a year. The Chevy Trax Is a gateway vehicle, according to Majaros, designed to hook first-time car buyers. That’s a meteoric rise, and why the automaker is also getting in the subcompact SUV game with the all-new 2015 Chevy Trax. Chevy’s market research says that the “small SUV” market will be up 80 percent by 2016. Most notable examples are the Buick Encore, Kia Soul and Nissan Juke, as well as the upcoming Jeep Renegade and Honda HR-V. Subcompact SUVs offer lots of cargo space, good fuel economy, and a commanding view of the road, all for a reasonable price.” “But are often put off by the cost of even a medium-sized utility vehicle. “People still like the ride height and utility of an SUV,” says Steve Majaros, General Motors director of marketing for cars and crossovers. Now a group of even smaller utility vehicles has emerged - the subcompact SUV - and automakers expect big returns. Clearly carbuyers don't mind thinking small. Small SUVs and crossovers account for more than 11 percent of all new car sales here in the United States, up from 7 percent in 2007 - the fastest-growing type of automobile. While I agree this statement is one-dimensional, there is a measure of truth to it, especially in compact sport utility vehicle segment. Good things come in small packages, or so jewelers and automakers would have you believe.
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