2024 Author: Eric Donovan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:13
Chevrolet just launched the Trax. The small off-road vehicle has everything to promote the sales of the GM subsidiary. Our test with a 1.4 liter turbo gasoline engine shows what the SUV has to offer.
By Frank Mertens
There are times when manufacturers are reluctant to make sales forecasts. Who knows how the market will develop in times of crisis? Nobody wants to make a statement by which they will later have to be measured. Steffen Raschig, the managing director of Chevrolet Germany, does not want that either. A little less restraint would look good on him these days. After all, you don't want to wrest a statement from him about the weak sales situation, you just want to know what he expects from the Trax, which has been on the market since the beginning of June.
But Raschig remains vague, although the Trax is in the so-called B-SUV segment, which runs better than others. Because it is “one of the few vehicle segments that are growing in Europe”, as Raschig states.
Chevrolet Trax at an attractive price
It doesn't want to be more specific. One would have expected a little more courage. Because the small SUV
has everything to give Chevy sales a significant boost. On the one hand there is the attractive price of 16,990 euros for the 1.6 liter gasoline engine with 115 hp.
This is, for example, 2000 euros less than the almost identical Mocha from sister brand Opel. Although you don't see them as competitors, Raschig wants to believe. Rather, he has other importers in mind, for example from France and Asia. Which is of course true, as our test with the 1.4 liter turbo gasoline engine showed, which we drove in the highest equipment variant LT including all-wheel drive.
Equipped in this way, the Trax already costs 22,790 euros, but it also comes with almost everything you could want for a pleasant driving experience: air conditioning, adjustable seats, power windows, leather steering wheel and 18-inch alloy wheels.
Small SUV with extensive equipment
The scope of equipment then also includes the new MyLink infotainment system with a 7 inch touchscreen. It enables the smartphone to be linked to the vehicle via Bluetooth or a USB connection. It's simple and works fine. In addition to a hands-free function, it also allows you to play your own music or videos and can also be used as a navigation system. All you need to do is download the Bringgo application (for Android and Apple). The navigation software makes a good impression. The map display is visually appealing, the address input is easy and the route guidance did not reveal any major weaknesses.
The same can be said for the interior of the Trax. The processing quality is solid, the optics appealing, the instrumentation clearly structured. If there is anything to criticize, it is the seats. You could use more adjustment options. A thigh support - which you can order optionally from Opel in connection with an EGR seat - is in
vain in the equipment list from Chevrolet, nor any driver assistance systems such as a blind spot or collision warning as in the Opel.
Technology from corporate shelves
Small but subtle differences between the two GM brands. But these are small foods that ultimately help Chevrolet offer the Trax so cheaply. You won't miss anything in the Trax. The technology comes from the same corporate shelf - and it makes a good impression. The 1.4 liter turbo gasoline engine with 140 hp has a maximum torque of 200 Nm and is at 1850 tours. That is enough for a rock-solid unit with which you can get from A to B without any problems, without getting into a rush of speed. Nevertheless, the Trax is fast: 100 km / h is reached in 9.8 seconds, the top speed of 194 km / h. Beyond 150 km / h it gets noticeably louder in the interior, but that is similar in the competitive environment. But the four-cylinder requires revs to get going.
The prospect is an average consumption of 6.4 liters, a theoretical value. At the end of the test drive, 8.1 liters were on the on-board computer despite a well-functioning start-stop system. However, our test car had just 1,600 kilometers under its belt.
Chevrolet Trax - no regrets
The manual six-speed transmission of the Trax can be operated without hooking. The steering is a little too soft, it could provide a little more feedback. The chassis is well tuned, not too soft and not too hard and ultimately contributes to a good overall impression. The Trax cuts a good figure and does not need to hide behind models like the Skoda Yeti or even a Mini Countryman, even if they are sometimes in front of the Trax with a view to the processing. But the lower price makes it easy to forget. Accordingly, the Trax will cause unrest in the segment and appeal to price-sensitive customers in particular.
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