Typically, when I review a vehicle, it is most often borrowed from a car company’s press office; but this review is a little different, as it is of my own vehicle.
Furthermore, I bought this vehicle after taking it on a test drive (or two) from a car dealership, and not based on my opinion of it after living with a press fleet unit for a week.
I’ve now had my 2024 Chevrolet Trax RS for an entire year, and have covered over 8,800 km with it in this time. Question is, am I happy with my purchase, or do I regret it?
Well, let’s break it down in the format of a regular review, and examine this vehicle in detail.
Styling: Well… I think most humans will agree, we are visual creatures! We don’t approach things that we don’t like looking at!
So, when I spotted this “Nitro Yellow” Trax at the dealership, it peaked my interest. In the “RS” trim with its sporty x-fighter themed front grille and bumper treatment, and snazzy 18-inch alloy wheels, it encouraged me to look into this vehicle in even more detail.
Is the styling perfect? Well, I wish there was an actual, visible exhaust outlet at the rear (it is completely hidden from view), and that the rear glass was a bit more upright – that would have created more cargo room – but these are minor gripes!
Most people – which has included some strangers, who walked up to ask about the Trax – say that this is a attractive vehicle.
Interior: Open the door and step inside, and just this action scores positive points from me! Why, because I was in a car accident a few years ago, which resulted in rods and plates, screws and pins in my body – so you can imagine that getting in an out of most cars is now quite difficult! Sports cars and sedans are too low, a proper SUV or pickup trucks are too high – strains a normal body can handle easily, but not for someone with injuries like mine.
In the Trax, I open the door and just walk into the vehicle – I don’t have to drop down or climb in. So, it is perfect for me. Couple that with the fact that the driver’s seat is fairly comfortable, and the Trax just keeps on scoring points with me.
I also find that there is ample room inside, front and back, and the flat floor means that three people (kid sized) will be comfortable in the second row. Yes, the rear seats do fold down, for when you need to expand on your cargo area – so that’s also a plus.
One of the best features, the infotainment system has wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay (although the latter is said to be discontinued in future GM vehicles), which means I have access to features from my phone, including navigation – that’s neat.
Also neat are the heated front seats and heated steering wheel that came with my 1RS package – ideal for our winters.
Any gripes? Yes, the quality of some of the plastics is not great – but this thing was built for a budget, so some concessions had to be made!
Powertrain: This is the one area I originally had concerns about, because you see, the Trax just has a 1.2L three-cylinder motor. Thanks to a turbocharger, you get 137 hp and 162 lb-ft of torque, but that still doesn’t seem like a recipe for excitement! Power is just fed to the front wheels (no AWD option available) via a six-speed automatic – thank god it doesn’t have a CVT, that might have been a deal breaker, and a big reason I didn’t consider many of its competition.
Performance: This is not a “blood and guts” speed machine that would accelerate like the Millennium Falcon in hyperdrive – but it is more than adequate! According to “Car & Driver” magazine, it’ll do the 0-96 km/h (Zero to 60 mph) sprint in 8.8 seconds – which doesn’t sound all that great, but thanks to the turbo, progress on the road actually feels swifter than the numbers suggest.
Driving Dynamics: As someone who really enjoys the act of driving, you’d think that a three-cylinder econo-box might not be something I’d enjoy; but you know what, the new Chevrolet Trax is surprisingly good.
The handling is very predictable, as you’d expect from a front-wheel drive vehicle, and at least in the dry, the grip from its Goodyear Assurance tires seems adequate. Also, the steering is reasonably communicative, which helps on windy roads!
It also rides road imperfections rather well, but best of all is how quiet this Trax is on the highway. My previous car, a 2013 Mazda3 GX, had been a fairly reliable and economical mode of transportation, but the ride quality was horrible, and road noise at highway speeds was often unbearable! The latter is the main reason I had to change it. The Trax is nearly whisper quiet because it has active noise cancellation tech as standard on all trims – so this compact crossover is almost as relaxing as a luxury car, not kidding!
All in all, the Trax is a very decent vehicle for daily driving duties!
Fuel Economy: Well… in the first year of driving, I’ve averaged 8.4 L/100 km. That’s not bad at all!
Pricing: The base Trax LS is $24,530. The RS trim starts from $26,030, while the top of the range ACTIV model is yours from $31,030. Given car prices these days, the 2024 Chevy Trax is a bargain!
Verdict: The 2024 Chevrolet Trax – a vehicle that is built in South Korea – is really rather good! It made a good impression on me when I test drove it, but in the back of my head, I worried that it might not be as impressive to live with over the long run!
