Done properly, a subcompact SUV fulfills its promise of budget-friendly pricing, interior versatility, easy access, available all-wheel-drive, impressive fuel economy, and an elevated driving position. Then there's the Chevrolet Trax.
In creating its cute-ute, Chevy's strategy appears to have been to produce a mere placeholder beneath the Equinox using a model cheaply cobbled from the underwhelming, built-to-price Sonic. From that mediocre measure, the Trax is a success.
The Korean-built Trax is a tiny, upright crossover that aims to attract the young and young at heart. And while it shares its basic bones with more refined Buick Encore, the plodding Trax is a disposable, forgettable appliance.
Standing tall, the Trax provides easy access and chair-height seats. However, once squished inside the narrow confines, the driver is wedged between a too-close left foot rest and an intrusive center console. The seats themselves rival folding chairs when it comes to cushioning -- slender with overly firm side bolsters. The tight quarters mean the driver may well rub elbows with a front passenger.
Given the Trax's small outside shadow, rear seat accommodations are commendable. The seat provides adequate space for two adults, with relatively good leg and head room. The seat is hard, however, with a short bottom cushion that limits support for the long haul.
Blue stitching and patterned fabric do little to dress up the dour interior of our mid-grade LT version. The rock-hard cabin materials are the stuff of cost-cutting memos. The instrument cluster is dated, with a digital display that possesses all of the design elegance of a 1980s calculator watch. And the Trax literally stank, with an off-putting chemical odor that lingered for several months.
The miserly impression carries to the prominent touch-screen infotainment system. Free of any helpful buttons or knobs, and slow to react, the screen distracts from driving due to its tiny on-screen fonts and multiple menu offerings.
Chevrolet should serve its customers better than providing the Trax with its strained 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. This gruff powerplant delivers agonizingly glacial acceleration, better measured in epochs than seconds; it is one of the slowest vehicles we've recently tested. Factor in a reluctant automatic transmission that stiffly punctuates shifts with big helpings of engine noise, and the Trax becomes tiresome to drive. Providing the driver with an oversized tachometer serves as a flog-o-meter for just how hard the underhood gerbils are working.
Fuel economy is respectable at 25 mpg overall. However, the larger, quicker, similarly priced, and vastly superior Subaru Forester returns 26 mpg. For the sacrifices that the Trax demands, it is fair to expect better fuel efficiency.
Handling benefits from this cute-ute's tidy size, giving the Trax a light veneer of agility. Although neither sporty nor nimble, it is very secure and highly maneuverable as evidenced from the commendably high speed posted in our accident avoidance test.
However, the ride is never settled. The Trax manages to find unseen bumps in the road, transforming even smooth asphalt into Braille -- forever communicating that you should have bought a different car. GM gets no excuses here, because the more upmarket Encore rides rather well.
Versions of the Trax were sold for several years in Third World markets before reaching our shores. It seems little was done to treat America's customers any better. The lack of some common modern amenities highlight that time is ticking on the Trax's freshness date. Advanced electronic safety gear is unavailable and the options list is limited, missing commonplace niceties like integrated navigation, a sunroof, and even power recline for the driver's seat.
Ultimately, the Trax provides a disappointing driving experience that oozes cheapness. That's an unattractive proposition at our tested all-wheel-drive LT's $26,000+ sticker price. Larger, more refined, and better driving SUVs are available for just a few hundred dollars more.