2024 Chevrolet Trax First Drive Review: Value-Packed Straight-Shooter

The sculpted haunches give a more muscular and athletic appearance than before, and the rear spoiler's presence underscores that sporty vibe. A set of 17-inch steel wheels are standard on the entry-level LS; all other trims come with 17- to 19-inch alloys. Without question, the top-of-the-line 2RS has the best-looking wheel design of the bunch.

The angled taillights are nothing new in automotive design as a whole, but looking at them in person reveals attention to detail normally found on more premium, expensive models. The Trax's lead designer showed us some of the first hand-drawn sketches, and we were impressed by how much of the early vision made it to production. That's generally quite rare. Kudos, Chevy.

The first thing we noticed when stepping inside the new Trax is the driver-focused layout. Taking a page from BMW, the entire unit encasing the 11-inch infotainment screen (an eight-inch unit is standard on the LS and 1RS) is angled towards the driver. Best of all, gone are the cheap plastics that adorned past Chevys, and this is not limited to higher trims; the base LS is included too. We must mention, however, that this writer's brand-new Pixel 6a failed to connect to Bluetooth, but there was no issue when switching to an iPhone. Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, and Android Auto functionality are all standard.

Moving up the trim ladder eliminates things like the vinyl-wrapped steering wheel, which is swapped out for a flat-bottom, leather-covered unit in the RS only. An eight-inch driver's digital gauge cluster is standard on the LT, 2RS, Activ, and RS. We only briefly sat in the LS, which gets cloth seats, but even these have a high-quality feel. Additionally, the faux chrome (read: more plastic) didn't feel cheap. The RS, meanwhile, has leather upholstery, additional dash padding, and textured surfacing that covers the dash panels. The 2RS we tested had red interior accents, while the Activ sports Evotex seats with yellow accents. Each trim, essentially, gets its own unique look.

Interior space is plentiful, and passengers get three inches more rear legroom than before - some of the most impressive legroom figures in the segment. Cargo space has also increased by almost 12%: an impressive 25.6 cubic feet is available behind the second row, compared to 18.7 cubes in the outgoing model. Folding the seats flat generates a total of 54.1 cubes, up from 48.4 cu. ft. Thank the new and longer platform for plenty of interior space for those Costco runs and dog park trips. We had no issues packing a couple of suitcases, camera and video gear, and other miscellaneous items into the trunk without having to fold the rear seats.

Chevy consistently pointed out that the Trax is value-packed with standard features like heated front seats for the 1RS, 2RS, and Activ, active noise cancellation, Teen Driver, and an HD rearview camera. Cruise control is standard across the board, too, and you can opt for adaptive cruise control on higher trims, which is a first for the Trax.

The front-wheel-drive-only Trax actually has a driving personality now, though it's not necessarily a thrilling experience. The first thing we noticed was the peppy turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder engine, which delivers 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. That's a solid improvement over the Hyundai Venue and its 121 hp and 113 lb-ft, but not quite up to par with the Mazda CX-30's 191-hp base engine. Even the base Hyundai Kona makes 147 horses.

Acceleration is fairly brisk as the six-speed automatic transmission helps deliver power at the lower end of the rev range, but we felt it had a hard time keeping up as we continued towards the 65 mph highway speed. We think an extra couple of gears could fix that.

All Trax trims have the same engine and gearbox, so the lineup more truthfully consists of appearance packages rather than models with different powertrains, unlike its CX-30 rival, where you get the option of a turbocharged mill. Focusing on value requires shortcuts, however. Fuel economy, according to Chevy, is rated at 28/32/30 mpg city/highway/combined. That's a 16% and 10% gain over the last Trax for the city and combined cycles, respectively. The 0-60 mph is also improved, but we weren't provided with numbers.

Chevy was anxious for us to drive the fully-loaded RS out on twisty roads around Asheville, and we happily obliged. The 2RS we sampled proved to be pretty enjoyable because of a slightly tighter steering feel. Is it sports car-like? Not really. But, it still exceeded our expectations of a typical entry-level model.

All-wheel drive isn't likely to ever feature on the Trax because that would interfere in Trailblazer territory - fair enough. We didn't notice any significant wind noise or major body roll, and the ride quality overall was very good. The Trax is no autocross toy, but as basic transportation with some attitude, it's more than adequate.

Braking proved to be quick and responsive when a DHL truck in front of us suddenly slammed on its brakes. A wild turkey also crossed the road without warning shortly afterward, and it didn't end up as roadkill. Fortunately, the Trax comes with a host of standard safety equipment like automatic emergency braking, forward collision alert, lane keep assist, and a following distance indicator. Lane change alert, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking assist are options.

The 2024 Trax carries a starting price tag of just $20,400 for the base LS, before adding the $1,095 destination charge. That's incredible value, considering the massive leap forward that this generation represents over its predecessor. Chevy even told us it was once considering changing the Trax name because of the vast differences but ultimately decided against it.

All trims begin at less than $25k, and Chevy predicts that the majority of buyers will go for the mid-range LT, which starts at $22,300. The 1RS is priced at $22,100, while the 2RS and Active cost $23,900. The Hyundai Venue, however, costs even less still at just $19,650 as a starting point and caps off at just under $23k fully loaded. The much better-equipped Kona goes for upwards of $23,950, but you also have the option of adding a more potent engine higher up in the range. The Trax dominates the cheapest Hyundai compact SUV in key categories like power and interior space, but spending a little more, in this segment, means some big gains over what the Trax provides.

It's clear Chevrolet has done its homework with the second-generation Trax. Stylish and sporty inside and out, the Trax is not only bigger than its predecessor, but it also feels and drives like a much more solid vehicle in a higher price category. And that's what matters most here: Value without being cheap. Traces of the "old GM" is long gone when cheap materials barely a step above cardboard were accepted. That won't cut it today when competitors like the CX-30, all-new Toyota Corolla Cross, and Hyundai Kona are out there.

As Chevy and GM as a whole, for that matter, continue to abandon the sedan and hatchback segments, subcompact crossovers like the Trax have to step up their game in order to bring new buyers into the GM fold and, equally important, lure away those who left the automaker for various reasons over the years. Where the old model was left in the dust by rivals, the 2024 Chevrolet Trax has what it takes to give some rivals a run for their money.