2013 Chevrolet Trax: Thank Heaven for Genetics

Although it may not seem like it, humans are evolving slowly but surely. And the same is true for the cars we design. Take the Chevrolet Trax, for example. It’s an evolution of the Sonic sub-compact, but it’s considerably more attractive. Hope springs eternal.

Chevrolet likes to play up the fact that the Trax is an SUV, but don’t forget that it’s built on the Sonic’s sub-compact platform. Of course, the engineers lengthened and widened it, but the fact remains that the Trax is a very small SUV!

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With rounded angles, bulging fenders and a roof-rack, this vehicle has unquestionable presence. During our week-long test drive at the wheel of a rather basic 1LT base version with front-wheel drive, we received a lot of positive feedback on its look and its size. It seems bigger than it actually is, and many people have already fallen in love with this mini-SUV, a little like I did a few decades ago with the Eagle Summit. At the time, it was midway between a minivan (that was before it put on a few pounds and could still be called “mini”) and a car. The Trax is somewhere between a compact SUV and car. Size-wise, its main rivals are the Kia Soul, Nissan Juke, Suzuki SX-4, Toyota Matrix and Honda Fit.

A matter of litres

The passenger compartment reflects its external dimensions: it’s roomier than the Sonic’s interior, but not as big as that of the Equinox, Chevrolet’s second-smallest SUV (not counting the Orlando crossover). The trunk, once the rear seatbacks are up, has a capacity 530 litres, which is less than the Soul, Matrix and Fit but more than the Juke and SX4. When the seatbacks are lowered, the Trax only beats the Juke where loading capacity is concerned. The passenger compartment itself is not very big and the rear passengers will pay the price, although the headroom is very good. In front, the seats are surprisingly comfortable. Strangely, while the usual driver’s seat adjustments are manual, the lumbar support control is electric.

Esthetically, the dashboard incorporates the same themes we’ve already seen on the Sonic, especially the gauges, which are very nice, particularly at night. Certain plastics look rather cheap and, once, the audio system simply shut off only to come back to life a couple of minutes later. To be fair, it was bitterly cold that morning. Fortunately, the heater does a respectable job. In the plus column, I was able to connect my BlackBerry on the first try, which is no small feat for me. People like me who are constantly leaving things here and there will be very grateful to Chevrolet for the numerous storage spaces.

I hate winter

Mechanically speaking, it has the 1.4-litre four-cylinder turbocharged engine used in the Cruze and the Sonic, but in the Trax, it also features 138 horses and 148 lbs-ft of torque. Adrenaline junkies will be left wanting but you can bet that the target market will be perfectly content with the 10.3 seconds it takes the Trax to reach 100 km/hr. Note that under 4,000 rpm, accelerations won’t create too much noise in the passenger compartment. The turbo doesn’t suffer from any unwarranted lag, but this positive won’t give it any more power when the small vehicle is transporting four people and their baggage. Oh, I forgot to tell you that although Chevrolet put three seatbelts in back, the one in the middle should only be used as decoration. During my week-long test drive, I recorded a disappointing average of 9.1 litres/100 km (55.74 litres for 612 km). In the Trax’s defense, it was very cold, the car was not yet fully broken in (about 3,400 km) and I didn’t take it easier on the accelerator than I usually do.

While the six-speed automatic transmission has nothing to be ashamed of, I didn’t really like the manual shifting button situated on the side of the stick shift knob. The transmission has a good gear ratio allowing just 2,000 rpm at 100 km/hr and 2,300 at 120, which is very good for an engine with such a small capacity. There’s also a manual gearbox, but I haven’t tested it yet. My test vehicle was equipped with front-wheel drive; personally, I would invest the extra $2,000 to get all-wheel drive, even if it means opting for a less equipped vehicle. Gadgets are fun, but in six inches of snow, no one cares about whether you have seven speakers or not.

Comfort before sportiness

Once you feel the roll on corners and the bounces on bumps, you’ll quickly realize that the suspension was built for comfort. As with engine performance, Trax buyers aren’t exactly looking for thrills when cornering. The steering is precise, but it suffers, like many of its contemporaries, from a lack of feedback. The brakes are very efficient despite a desperately soft pedal.

The Trax is counting on its looks, comfort and appealing size to attract buyers – and I must admit that it has what it takes to make you think twice. However, as with most American vehicles (pretty much all of them, come to think of it), you have to be careful with the options. At the time that I wrote this article, a Trax LS (base version) was selling for $20,295, which isn’t exactly cheap, especially when you consider that for this price you don’t get alloy wheels, air conditioning (on option), cruise control or all-wheel drive. A fully loaded Trax costs more than $31,000. At that price, an Equinox LS with AWD suddenly becomes a lot more attractive.