In the past couple years, the subcompact crossover has seemingly sprung up from nowhere to become one of the fastest growing segments in the U.S. light vehicle market. After the Nissan Juke demonstrated that Americans were interested in this type of vehicle, seemingly everyone is jumping in and of the automakers that haven’t yet, most probably will in the next few years. GM’s first entry in the class was the Buick Encore which was followed last year by the more affordable Chevy Trax. Now barely a year after going on sale, the Trax is getting a major refresh for 2017.
While it might seem strange to revamp the Trax so soon after launch, America was actually one of the last markets to get the little utility. Other regions of the world had the Trax on sale for more than two years before it arrived on our shores. Trax marketing manager Betsy Flegg acknowledged that the mid-cycle refresh was already well into development when the crossover went on sale here, but it was important to get it to market here to take advantage of the growth opportunity.
Under the skin, most of the 2017 Trax is carried over from the 2016 model and there’s not much wrong with that. It continues to be powered by GM’s 1.4-liter turbocharged four that has been used in numerous other models including the first-generation Cruze and Sonic. Only a six-speed automatic is offered.
The upgrades are limited to the parts of the Trax that you can see and touch. Up front, the new face has clearly been lifted from the redesigned Malibu and Cruze and that’s a good thing. Reshaped headlamps and the new grille give the Trax a distinctly more upmarket look than the blocky design of the original. Three trim levels continue to be offered starting with the base LS, mid-level LT and Premier replacing LTZ at the top. The LT and Premier get some extra shiny trim and LED daytime running lamps across the bottom of the headlamps.
The hood is more sculpted than before and the front fender panels are new stampings to accommodate the reshaped lamps but retain the same wheel arch profile. The rest of the sheet metal is carried over although the taillamps also get a new internal look similar to the revised 2016 Equinox.
The Trax is among the roomiest of the small crossovers with far more volume than the Juke or Mazda CX-3 and on a par with the Honda HR-V. Its biggest weakness was a rather cheap feeling and looking dashboard and underpowered infotainment system. Both of those gripes seem to have been addressed with an all-new look that is definitely in keeping with its sedan siblings. The plastics have been given a major upgrade that makes the Trax more like the Encore which is also getting an upgrade this year.
A new electrical architecture brings with it a new MyLink infotainment system that will support Apple CarPlay and Android Auto right out of the gate so no more messing around with the third rate BringGo phone-based navigation. Trax drivers will now be able to use Google or Apple maps along with those companies cloud-based voice recognition systems.
The new electrical system also means support for some new driver assist systems. At the front, a camera-based system will provide lane departure and impending collision alerts when you close on another vehicle too quickly. Radar sensors in the rear corners handle blindspot monitoring and cross-traffic alerts which are particularly handy when backing out of a parking spot between a pair of Tahoes.
With ample room for adults, and a fresh new look and features, the Trax should have little difficulty finding more than the 63,000 customers it had in the U.S. last year.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/samabuelsamid/2016/02/10/chevrolet-trax-heads-into-second-full-year-in-america-with-major-refresh/
2016-02-10T05:01:00+00:00