Either should be more than adequate for daily use.įor about $22,000, the 2020 Chevrolet Trax nets buyers a 3-year warranty and a new car smell, but not much else. The Trax has only drum brakes in the rear on front-wheel drive models, with discs included in the bump to all-wheel drive. This isn’t a car to drive on long road trips if your attention tends to wander. The steering is pleasantly quick, which makes for nimble maneuvering in town, but it can make the Trax darty and seemingly less stable on the highway. Shifts are sluggish, likely to preserve highway fuel economy, but at the expense of the driving experience. It’s strange to think that a 6-speed transmission has become archaic, but some time spent with the Trax will remind you of that fact. If you need all-weather confidence, all-wheel drive is just $1,500 away. The turbocharged torque makes it punchy enough for around-town driving, but that’s about as good as the experience gets. It’s powered by a 1.4-liter, turbo-4 packing 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque. We rate it 3 out of 10, which is as much a comment on the dearth of performance to be found in this class of crossover as it is an indictment of the Trax itself. The Trax’s performance can be summarized thusly: it exists. It cannot be equipped with automatic emergency braking at any price. It would be easier to forgive the Trax for the cost of its higher trim levels if it was offered with more tech, especially in the safety department, but sadly the Premier’s advanced safety features are limited to forward-collision warnings. Buick’s variant, the Encore, is a little nicer inside (and consequently more expensive) but just as tight of a fit. The small Trax is maneuverable enough, especially in the city, but its highway stability suffers thanks to its short wheelbase and high center of gravity.Ĭompared to subcompact cars, the Trax offers a higher seating position and thus better views of the road, but the view of the inside is a bit drab. With all-wheel drive, it maxes out at a 29-mpg highway EPA rating. While it may be small, it’s still ostensibly an SUV, and its fuel economy suffers as a result. All versions are powered by a 1.4-liter turbo-4 paired to a 6-speed automatic. It still comes in three variants (LS, LT and Premier) available in front- or all-wheel drive. At its base price of just $22,295 (including $995 for destination), it’s a reasonably decent buy.Ĭhevrolet didn’t make many changes to the Trax for the 2020 model year. Like many Chevrolets, a loaded-up Trax starts to lose its luster compared to similarly positioned competitors. Infotainment technology can sometimes cause confusion and a chapter on that will help out if you are stuck with the satellite radio or sat-nav.The Trax earns most of its points on value alone, and even that is questionable once you start adding on options. Up next is an instrument cluster chapter which details the gauges and the warning lights along with their meanings.
This owner's manual opens up with an introduction and clickable contents before moving swiftly onto the keys, doors and windows to make sure you can get inside properly. The Trax was suppose to be replaced by a new model in this model year but the project has been pushed back and buyers can still get their hands on new 2020 models. This 2020 model of the car has benefited from the 2017 face-lift which brought with it daytime running LED lights and dual taillights for increased safety. The car wasn't originally available in the USA but after a few years of successful export sales Chevrolet brought it into its home territory. This model shares its platform with the small hatchback Aveo by the same company yet appears to be a much bigger vehicle. The subcompact crossover SUV genre of car is perfect for small families and as a replacement for a hatchback sort of car though with more storage room. To take advantage of the quickly growing SUV market the Chevrolet Trax was put into production to corner the subcompact crossover part of it.