Chevy’s Trax crossover gets a slight makeover for 2017
After just two years on the market, Chevrolet has made numerous updates to the Trax subcompact sport utility for 2017, giving it a new front end and grill, new halogen headlights, sculpted taillights (with LEDs on uplevel models), and a reworked rear fascia.
There are changes inside, too, including a premium interior with a new instrument cluster with analog speedometer and tachometer readouts, and a new driver-information center.
For 2017, the Trax comes in three trim levels, LS, LT and Premier. The Premier model replaces the LTZ at the top of the line.
The base front-wheel-drive LS starts at $21,895 (plus $895 freight); the LT is $23,795, and the front-drive Premier starts at $26,995.
All-wheel drive is available for an additional $1,500 on all three trim levels.
Essentially a Chevrolet version of the Buick Encore, but with fewer standard amenities, the Trax can hold up to five people and a whole lot of cargo. It’s among the new crop of subcompact crossovers that are growing in popularity even with the currently low gasoline prices.
The Trax combines fuel efficiency with styling and utility, then adds a measure of driving fun with a peppy 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder gasoline engine.
EPA ratings are among its best attributes: 25 mpg city/33 highway/28 combined for front-drive models, and 24/30/27 for all-wheel drive.
Other changes for 2017 include a dual cockpit design with chrome accents, keyless entry and available pushbutton start, and a new Chevrolet MyLink 7-inch color touch-screen audio system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
The new headlights are halogen reflectors on the LS model, and halogen projector beams on the LT and Premier. There is a new 18-inch aluminum wheel design that comes on the Premier version.
New safety features include a Driver Confidence Package that brings Side Blind Zone Alert, Rear Cross Traffic Alert and Rear Park Assist; and a Driver Confidence II Package, which tacks on Forward Collision Alert and Lane Departure Warning. The new Driver Information Center has a 3.5-inch monochrome display to the right of the speedometer. It includes digital readouts and Ice Blue back lighting
Buick’s Encore, which arrived for 2014, is a bit more upscale than the Trax, and costs slightly more, as well. Its 2017 prices range from $22,990-$31,390 for front-wheel drive models, but a lot of the specs are the same, including the engine, transmission, and fuel economy.
The Trax is 167.2 inches long, with a wheelbase of 100.6 inches. That makes it slightly larger than the Chevy Sonic subcompact hatch, which is 159 inches long, with a 99.4-inch wheelbase.
Trax is somewhat heavier than the Sonic, as well. Base curb weight of the Sonic hatchback is 2,690 pounds, while the front-wheel-drive version of the Trax weighs about 2,800 pounds, and the allwheel-drive model 3,200 pounds.
But the Sonic has a slight edge on cargo space. With the Trax, there is 18.7 cubic feet of space behind the rear seat, compared with 19 cubic feet for the Sonic. Both have more cargo capacity than most midsize sedans. And with the rear seat folded, the Trax can accommodate 48.4 cubic feet of cargo. The front passenger seatback also can be folded to accommodate long items such as surfboards.
Under the hood of the Trax and Encore is the same turbocharged 1.4-liter engine, rated at 138 horsepower and 148 foot-pounds of torque. It’s connected to a six-speed automatic transmission.
This engine gave my Trax plenty of power to cruise along the interstate highways with the traffic flowing at 80-plus mph. In normal everyday driving situations, there was never any indication that this car was underpowered. Chevy says top speed of the 2017 Trax is 116 mph, and that it can go from zero to 60 mph in just over nine seconds (just over 10 seconds with all-wheel drive).
But you’re not giving up much more than some of the interior space with the shift to the smaller Trax. This is not a stripped-down econo-box; standard features even on the cheapest version include a rearview camera, electric power steering, and remote start.
There are 10 standard air bags (including knee and front-and-rear seat-mounted and roof-mounted side air bags); electronic stability control; and four-wheel antilock brakes.
The mid-level LT model we drove included the OnStar 4G LTE system, which has a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot as well as MyLink technology and a seven-inch color touch screen. Trax also includes Siri Eyes Free.
Plenty of interior storage areas are provided, including upper and lower gloveboxes (with a USB port and auxiliary audio jack in the upper glove box), and there is another storage cubby with a pop-up lid in the top center of the dash.