Topic: First Drive: 2013 Chevrolet Trax

[Sir Osis of Liver]

If GM can sell this Chevrolet Trax as a designated Canadian model why did they not just re-badge the
very popular Pontiac Vibe as a Chevy  and keep it on sale in the Great White North?

because it is a Toyota, not a Pontiac? Perhaps corporate issues there?

Or because Chev/GM don't seem to be able to work with existing lines at improving them. They would rather flood the market with more of the same. I wish that they would work on brand development...instead of flashy new names for more of the same, why not keep what they have and improve upon it. Other manufacturers seem to have no issue keeping names like Civic, Elantra, Corolla, Taurus, CRV, Escape, outback...

Malibu, Impala, Camaro, Suburban and Silverado are new names? Chev has some new names, but they have some pretty old ones too.

For whatever reason marketers like to turn over names periodically. When's the last time anyone bought a new Corona (now Camry), Celica (now Scion FR-s), Tercel or Echo (now Yaris)?

[Rupert]

Seriously nice vehicle. If the price is right it could make tracks here...maybe even with seniors if easier to enter and exit. Like it a lot, which is hard for me to say about a GM product. It has to be sub 20k decently equiped though. Am I the only one who does not like the grille that they keep on using. Would like to see back seats folded...is the surface flat (horizontal) and hard. Does not matter if there is a small step, this helps to locate luggage, but horizontal is good in my book. You can make a filler piece to keep a dog cage level.

[ChaosphereIX]

If GM can sell this Chevrolet Trax as a designated Canadian model why did they not just re-badge the
very popular Pontiac Vibe as a Chevy  and keep it on sale in the Great White North?

because it is a Toyota, not a Pontiac? Perhaps corporate issues there?

Or because Chev/GM don't seem to be able to work with existing lines at improving them. They would rather flood the market with more of the same. I wish that they would work on brand development...instead of flashy new names for more of the same, why not keep what they have and improve upon it. Other manufacturers seem to have no issue keeping names like Civic, Elantra, Corolla, Taurus, CRV, Escape, outback...

Ok got my answer. Vibe can no longer be made because:

1) Was a joint venture between Toyota and GM that was allowed to lapse
2) The plant is shut down and lines closed
3) Was hideously expensive to develop and GM made no money off of it - had to pay Toyota for every unit sold and profits were next to nothing
4) Car was terrible on gas and engine development from Toyota was not satisfactory to GM's vision of a next gen platform.
5) Could not put in remote start or OnStar in the car, now standard and expected features in a GM
6) Matrix even now is being discontinued, so even Toyota is giving up on the platform

so the Trax is the new small utility in the GM stable, and would make absolutely no sense to call it a Vibe - which is not the greatest name if I am perfectly honest - but it does make sense for a different car with different platform, features, price point, and target demographic to have a different name...no?

[ChaosphereIX]

Seriously nice vehicle. If the price is right it could make tracks here...maybe even with seniors if easier to enter and exit. Like it a lot, which is hard for me to say about a GM product. It has to be sub 20k decently equiped though. Am I the only one who does not like the grille that they keep on using.

Will never be under $20k decently equipped, you are dreaming. What car IS decently equipped that is not a small economy car. Even economy cars these days are over $20k for desirable equiptment levels. You want this to have all the goodies, AWD, turbo engine, touch screen, bluetooth, and Nav etc. and to be under $20k? Cars cost more money nowadays, get used to it. Decently equiped will range in mid 20s, mid to high 20s for AWD.

[Adam D]

If GM can sell this Chevrolet Trax as a designated Canadian model why did they not just re-badge the
very popular Pontiac Vibe as a Chevy  and keep it on sale in the Great White North?

because it is a Toyota, not a Pontiac? Perhaps corporate issues there?

Or because Chev/GM don't seem to be able to work with existing lines at improving them. They would rather flood the market with more of the same. I wish that they would work on brand development...instead of flashy new names for more of the same, why not keep what they have and improve upon it. Other manufacturers seem to have no issue keeping names like Civic, Elantra, Corolla, Taurus, CRV, Escape, outback...

Ok got my answer. Vibe can no longer be made because:

1) Was a joint venture between Toyota and GM that was allowed to lapse
2) The plant is shut down and lines closed
3) Was hideously expensive to develop and GM made no money off of it - had to pay Toyota for every unit sold and profits were next to nothing
4) Car was terrible on gas and engine development from Toyota was not satisfactory to GM's vision of a next gen platform.
5) Could not put in remote start or OnStar in the car, now standard and expected features in a GM
6) Matrix even now is being discontinued, so even Toyota is giving up on the platform

so the Trax is the new small utility in the GM stable, and would make absolutely no sense to call it a Vibe - which is not the greatest name if I am perfectly honest - but it does make sense for a different car with different platform, features, price point, and target demographic to have a different name...no?

Good job! I take back my previous comments.   

[ChaosphereIX]

np Adam, all it took was a phone call up the chain 

[SaskSpecV]

Seriously nice vehicle. If the price is right it could make tracks here...maybe even with seniors if easier to enter and exit. Like it a lot, which is hard for me to say about a GM product. It has to be sub 20k decently equiped though. Am I the only one who does not like the grille that they keep on using.

Will never be under $20k decently equipped, you are dreaming. What car IS decently equipped that is not a small economy car. Even economy cars these days are over $20k for desirable equiptment levels. You want this to have all the goodies, AWD, turbo engine, touch screen, bluetooth, and Nav etc. and to be under $20k? Cars cost more money nowadays, get used to it. Decently equiped will range in mid 20s, mid to high 20s for AWD.

OK, I'll bite on this one - how is the Trax NOT a small economy car?  Yes, it has available AWD and a higher seating position.  But is it not based off the Sonic platform, just like the Encore?  It's like saying a Subaru CrossTrek XV isn't a lifted Impreza!

And hey, if buyers want all the toys, they've got to be willing to pay for them.  Problem for GM (and other MNFRs too) is that they still think many of the "toys" are optional AND massive profit centres (i.e. high mark-up - like as Grant mentioned, the $2000 premium to move up to the LTZ, which nets you 1" larger wheels, heated seats, and fog lamps - probably about $500 extra cost for GM).  Whereas some other MNFRs - notably the Koreans but also Nissan, Mazda, and even Honda - are starting to make more and more "toys" (i.e. heated seats, fog lights, bluetooth, etc.) standard equipment

There's nothing wrong with this vehicle, and the Canadian marketplace certainly likes smallish hatch/crossovers.  But the sales numbers will determine whether it is a success - and I'm thinking the incentives will be required to get sales volumes up with the class leaders.

[dkaz]

I had a salesperson try to talk me out of A/C once saying it wasn't required in Vancouver. Salesperson didn't want extra commission I guess lol. A/C seems to be one of those things I lived without for years but can't live without anymore. Especially with kids, my son hates it when I travel faster than 40km/h with the windows down.

Nice vehicle overall, good fuel economy, but the bigger Mazda CX-5 gets the same fuel economy. Still, this vehicle is about $3,250 less once you add A/C, but only $250 less than that CUV they drive in The Walking Dead, and also the Mitsu RVR.

[CanuckS2K]

This will make it 6 CUV/SUVs from Chev........do they really need that many? 

[dkaz]

This will make it 6 CUV/SUVs from Chev........do they really need that many?

Ask not if they really need that many, but how many more can they make? 

[kenm]

There are still a lot of base model vehicles "available" without A/C, if you can find one. It's done so that they can advertise those low starting prices that are a total fantasy. My local Chryco dealer is advertising Darts at a starting price of $15,995. 

[conwelpic]

its odd that the Trax and the Encore is suppose to be basically the same vehicle, but in the article it says the Trax will be coming from Mexico and the Encore is coming from Korea.

Can't find inside specs on the Trax (no details on the Canadian Chevy site yet), but checked the Encore specs on the US site and in comparison to my Soul (it was mentioned as cross-shopping for the Trax), the Soul has more head and leg room, particular in the rear seat area and also a slightly larger cargo area.  The Trax will have the availability of AWD, which the Soul does not have at present.  The wheel base is almost identical but the overall length is shorter on the Soul.  It will be interesting to see what Kia does with the new overhauled Soul coming out in spring as a 2014 model.

[Minou]

"...But this kind of driving was the kind that makes one happy that the vehicle is equipped with all-wheel drive and an active safety nanny like Stabilitrak. In its natural environment, the less challenging urban jungle, it might not matter if you chose FWD or AWD, but if circumstances lead you into the wild woodlands of west Quebec, you will never regret the added expense of all-wheel drive..."

How about winter tires?  Looks like they are still unheard of in Ontario...

I'd never touch a small, short and high vehicle like this without decent winter tires, no matter how many driven wheels it has.

For the price of a well equiped AWD one, give me a real car/CUV/Whatever such as a 2013 FWD RAV4 XLE or similar with snows.

[ChaosphereIX]

agreed, the Trax and Encore are GM world vehicles, and made in both places - you are right. Same thing with the Cruze which is made in like 5 countries to almost identical specs.

The Soul I think will be a rival to the Trax, not the Tuscon/Sportage - those are WAY too big. You really have to be next to the Trax/Encore to appreciate its small package. It is smaller than the Soul for sure, although specs wise they are close. I agree the Soul [we have a '12 on our used lot] has more interior room for the most part, but Trax can come with AWD, and also can have a turbo engine. It is really torque, not HP, that makes a difference in real-world driving. The Soul is gutless, even with the 2.0L engine [the one we have].

[ChaosphereIX]

"...But this kind of driving was the kind that makes one happy that the vehicle is equipped with all-wheel drive and an active safety nanny like Stabilitrak. In its natural environment, the less challenging urban jungle, it might not matter if you chose FWD or AWD, but if circumstances lead you into the wild woodlands of west Quebec, you will never regret the added expense of all-wheel drive..."

How about winter tires?  Looks like they are still unheard of in Ontario...

I'd never touch a small, short and high vehicle like this without decent winter tires, no matter how many driven wheels it has.

For the price of a well equiped AWD one, give me a real car/CUV/Whatever such as a 2013 FWD RAV4 XLE or similar with snows.

if he was in Quebec testing the Trax, by law it should have had snows on it

[Vanstar]

I think you might have made an error on cargo space. It was suggested that the Trax has more cargo space, but the stated numbers say otherwise. On another note, I can't imagine why any car manufacturer would produce a vehicle without air conditioning. I can see it perhaps in their ultra small econo box, but this isn't an econo box.

Quebec, that is why.

EVERY manufacturer HAS to have at least one vehicle in Canada for Quebec without air conditioning.  People is more northern Quebec love compact vehicles with manual transmissions and no air conditioning.  It is why the Rio has a no A/C option, why the new Sentra can be had without A/C, etc.

Also for the West Coast. In the year 2012, I had the ac/c running in my car for a total of maybe two hours. You see lots of entry level, non-a/c cars here as most cars of this class are used for short trips in heavy traffic. It rarely gets hot enough in Vancouver for a/c.

[Fobroader]

Wow, its a GM version of the Suzuki SX4.....

[Rupert]

   If a full size van with a world class engine, made in Canada, can start at below $19,000 then a small vehicle can surely be decently equiped at that price. Vehicles this size have been and still are. If this is not going to happen, it could be a problem in my opinion. Money on the hood confuses....maybe it should be taken off the Monroney doc.
   I don't need AWD or heated buns or onboard chat boxes or map screens. So does that mean it has to be a stripper.

[Ex-airbalancer]

What no cd player

Never mind, I think I have used the CD player I have maybe 5 times in the last 3 years

[dewey9315]

"...But this kind of driving was the kind that makes one happy that the vehicle is equipped with all-wheel drive and an active safety nanny like Stabilitrak. In its natural environment, the less challenging urban jungle, it might not matter if you chose FWD or AWD, but if circumstances lead you into the wild woodlands of west Quebec, you will never regret the added expense of all-wheel drive..."

How about winter tires?  Looks like they are still unheard of in Ontario...

I'd never touch a small, short and high vehicle like this without decent winter tires, no matter how many driven wheels it has.

For the price of a well equiped AWD one, give me a real car/CUV/Whatever such as a 2013 FWD RAV4 XLE or similar with snows.

if he was in Quebec testing the Trax, by law it should have had snows on it

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that it's only law to have winter tires if the vehicle is registered in Quebec. If the pics from the review has Ontario plates, it wouldn't require snowies.