2017 Chevrolet Trax FWD Tested Review

At six-eleven, the New Orleans Pelicans' inside DeMarcus Cousins towers over the 64.8-inch-tall Chevrolet Trax hybrid. Like the NBA All-Star focus, however, the Chevy's stature is vital to its capacity. As are huge numbers of its nearest rivals, the Trax is basically a raised adaptation of a subcompact hatchback, for this situation the Chevrolet Sonic. 

2017 Chevrolet Trax FWD Tested Review

2017 Chevrolet Trax FWD Tested Review

Chevrolet beyond any doubt has considered the lift important with the Trax. Towering over the Sonic by five inches, the Trax is among the tallest of its associates—just the square shaped Jeep Renegade is a hair taller, at 66.5 inches, while the Mazda CX-3 is a few inches shorter. As you can most likely figure by its clumsy extents, the Trax likewise is among the tightest of these little SUVs; with only five crawls up top, it would be as tall as it is crosswise over (something that is certainly not valid for Cousins). 

A visual refresh for 2017 has alleviated the Chevy's dorky position, and the new Trax is more nice looking than it was some time recently. More extensive headlights make the front end look more extensive, while the bigger grille opening ties the Trax in with Chevy's bigger and as of late updated Equinox and Traverse SUVs. The taillights look more current, and a fake slide plate extends trying to pass on an impression of roughness, in spite of the Trax's economy-auto underpinnings. 

Large Runabout 

In no little part because of its stature, the Trax has an upright seating position that bears incredible perceivability out front through the substantial windows. By our measures, the Trax's seating stature is over that of the Jeep Renegade considerably an inch, and it's more than four inches higher than that of the Mazda CX-3. Headroom is ample front and back—we'd bet that even Cousins could fit in the rearward sitting arrangement with a touch of space to extra, regardless of the possibility that his knees were spread awkwardly. 

Regardless of the additional tallness, nonetheless, the Trax's payload zone isn't too considerably bigger than the Sonic's. Nineteen cubic feet are accessible behind the back seats, not exactly in the Honda HR-V and the Kia Soul, both of which give 24 cubic feet. On the off chance that you need to extend that space, you'll see that the Trax's back seats aren't the least demanding to overlay; you should flip up the base pads before collapsing the seatbacks forward, an additional progression that most adversaries don't require. 

The refreshed inside benefits from a few new elements. Push-catch begin, forward-impact cautioning, and path takeoff alarm are presently part of the choices list, while a 7.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto comes standard on even the base LS. The dashboard's materials are enhanced fairly, albeit certain pieces, for example, the shifter and the atmosphere controls still look and feel shoddy, a more grievous offense in our tried $27,290 Trax Premier than in lower-estimated models like the envisioned Trax LT. 

Escaping Its Own Way 

Chevrolet didn't refresh what's in the engine, a range where the Trax required work. A turbocharged 1.4-liter inline-four giving a negligible 138 strength is the main motor decision. A for the most part very much acted six-speed programmed and an aggressive 148 lb-ft of torque enable the little motor to convey a not too bad measure of peppiness around town, at any rate in the lighter front-wheel-drive Trax we tried. At the point when it's a great opportunity to proceed onto the interstate or execute a pass, however, the little 1.4 battles against the Trax's 3151-pound control weight—as affirmed by the slow 9.3-second walk to 60 mph. A 145-pound-heavier all-wheel-drive Trax we tried in 2015 was slower still, at 9.4 seconds. 

The little relocation motor is apparently expected to permeate the Trax with little auto like mileage, yet it misses the mark in such manner too. We gauged only 30 mpg in our 75-mph expressway mileage test, three shy of the EPA's thruway rating. The essentially more capable Kia Soul Turbo, which gets to 60 mph about three seconds faster than the Trax, likewise hit 30 mpg in our testing. The all the more intense and more productive turbo 1.4-liter four that is discretionary in the firmly related Buick Encore (and furthermore profits by direct infusion) would be an appreciated expansion to the Trax lineup. We trust Chevrolet is dealing with including it within the near future. 

The Chevrolet compensates for its accelerative lacks with aggressive taking care of and braking execution. With a respectable 0.83 g of grasp around the skidpad and a short, 164-foot prevent from 70 mph, the 2017 Trax is far less tippy and unsafe than its styling recommends. Body roll is held under wraps and the ride is easily firm, while the brake pedal gives dynamic feel. The little Chevy likewise is famously flexibility, with fast controlling and a short wheelbase that make stopping a secure. The CX-3 is more amusing to drive, however the Trax is equipped where it matters most and gives a general impression of strength. 

2017 Chevrolet Trax FWD Tested Review

2017 Chevrolet Trax FWD Tested Review

Not a Standout 

That thought of ability without excitement totals up the Trax general. There's very little that truly emerges about Chevrolet's littlest SUV—it's not the least expensive in its class, nor the most engaging, nor the roomiest, nor the most attractive. It wouldn't be our first decision in this section (that'd be the 10Best Trucks and SUVs–winning Kia Soul), and in case you're determined to a Chevy, the Sonic, albeit vertically tested, strikes us as a superior purchase. 

Possibly the Trax, at that point, is less similar to DeMarcus Cousins and more like a secondary school ball player who simply hit a development spurt. It has the stature, yet the Chevy still needs to build up its abilities before it can progress to the geniuses.

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