Topic: 2024 Chevrolet Trax 2RS

[Blueprint]

Here's a recipe for a successful reboot of a brand from the bowtie brigade:

- take a name you already have that is slapped on a vehicle nobody wants
- apply it to something that nails buyers' wants
- make the thing as stylish as an Euro urban buggy
- give it loads of std features
- sell it for less than the drab thing the name was applied to before

Wait - less expensive than before?

https://www.autohebdo.net/editorial/20231208/chevrolet-trax-2rs-2024-essai-routier/

[Blueprint]

The 2024 Trax opens at $21,699 before PDI, and at that price you'll get a/c, power windows/locks, wireless phone mirroring and heated seats. You can buy three Trax LS for the average price paid by Canadians for a new vehicle in the first 6 months of 2023. This is also $13,000 less than a Civic hatchback to really put the price in perspective.

The 1RS adds a few cosmetics and a heated steering wheel for an extra $1,500. The value-leader is the LT, $26,099 (+ auto a/c, smart key etc.), while my 2RS tester and the loaded Activ are both $28,199 (all prices before options and PDI).

That's a lot of bang for your buck.

[Blueprint]

How can they price it that low?

First, this is a GM-Daewoo product, assembled in South Korea. The platform is derived from the Trailblazer / Encore, but elongated and designed for fwd only. The rear suspension is a twist beam, the front classic struts. Only one drivetrain is offered, and thank God the CVT has been replaced by a conventional 6-speed auto that is probably cheaper to build.

The one "exotic" bit is the engine, a turbocharged 1.2 litre inline 3. GM ditched its small atmo fours, sadly, and this 3-pot is shared with many products, and provides tax relief in certain markets due to its diminutive size and CO2 emissions.

The only mechanical variation between Traxes is where the rubber meets the road: 17" on LS, 19" on 2RS and 18" all others - easy-peasy to manage on the assembly line, less variations, lower production costs.

[OliverD]

Definitely tons of value here. Easy to say that it should offer AWD and a more powerful motor but that would sort of defeat the purpose. Plenty of other options in Chevrolet's lineup if that's what you're looking for.

[Blueprint]

Here's the baby elephant in the room.

How is life with a 3 cylinder? Not that bad. The wee thing only makes 137 hp, but its max torque is on tap at 2,500 rpm and believe or not there's torque steer here and that juice carton was able to chirp the 19" Continental winter tires. It's plenty peppy around town and on urban highways, humming a "½ 911" tune, giving it personality. At a steady pace, the Trax is as silent as a luxury car, hearing no wind, tire or engine noise.

The limitations come during a full-on on-ramp or passing lane attack, where foot meets the carpet and go "that's all ya got?" Not an ideal 2-laner, but the Trax is far, far better at highway speeds than the lame Kicks will ever be.

Fueled on regular, this 3-pot, like all 3-pots, drinks like a large 4-banger. My observed avg in the cold was 9.0 l/100 km, and the lifetime value on Trip 2 was 8.2, inline with NRCan stats.

[Blueprint]

Definitely tons of value here. Easy to say that it should offer AWD and a more powerful motor but that would sort of defeat the purpose. Plenty of other options in Chevrolet's lineup if that's what you're looking for.

Bingo, Trailblazer offers a larger 1.3 litre version of the engine, a 9-speed auto and optional awd, plus an available 1,000 lbs towing capacity that amounts to 1,000 more pounds than any Trax.

[Blueprint]

Here's where the fwd-only approach pays dividends.

See that floor? It's as flat as Saskatchewan. 3-accross is easier here thanks to that, and the long wheelbase yields plenty of knee and leg room back there. While a bit stark, the rear cabin is a perfect place to install child seats. The hard door planels and lack of a center armrest in any trim are tell-tales of the price cap.

[Blueprint]

Up front, you can't eyeball the cost cutting. The 11" screen and digital IP are slick, with surfaces that remain fingerprint-free. Shapes are geometrical, interesting and every trim has its own signature - here red touches because 2RS - giving al Traxes a bit of that boutique MINI vibe. Most plastics are hard, but they don't look hard (cough-cough, Kicks). And just look at that steering wheel - nice piece to hold in your hands, and even though the flat bottom is cliché by now, it makes one feel special. Logical controls, well-placed vents and simple HVAC interface with spinning dials. Even the radio kicks ass pretty well.

[Blueprint]

Families on a budget that want a can-do-it-all vehicle will be well-served here. Overall cargo volume is about the same as a Crosstrek, and larger that a Sequoia with its 3rd row down. This thing hauls 33% more stuff than a Kicks. All trims from LT up get a hard cargo cover.

[Blueprint]

And just look at the thing. It's as if Chevy blended the value of the Dacia Duster with the trendsetting style of the Citroën Cactus C4. The Trax would bend right in amongst stylish europeans.

[Blueprint]

Stylish, well-equipped, practical, versatile and priced like a Black Friday door crasher, the Trax is an incredible value in a market where new vehicle prices are rocketing out of reach for many consumers. We'll have to see how that 3-cylinder ages, but otherwise this is a simple platform with basic components that should age well. It drinks a little bit more gas than it should, but at least it uses regular. Whatever vehicle I review next will have an uphill battle to dislodge the Trax as my vote for vehicle of the year for 2024.

[PoweredSilenceGT]

Looks to be one of the best values today. Any data points for the reliability of that boosted 3 banger?

[Blueprint]

Looks to be one of the best values today. Any data points for the reliability of that boosted 3 banger?

It arrived with the Trailblazer and Encore GX, so fairly young still. Heard issues with the previous Trax/Encore/Cruze/Spark turbo fours, but no recalls or anything on the 3-pot yet.

[sszoomzoom]

Saw one in person in the same colour.
Looks very good.
Not sure why would they use 3 cilinders if fuel economy is really not that much better.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

Saw one in person in the same colour.
Looks very good.
Not sure why would they use 3 cilinders if fuel economy is really not that much better.

Was explained in the review.  Many countries add extra tax, the larger the displacement of your engine (Japan, for example).  As this is a world car, in order to make it attractive in every market, they go with the smaller displacement engine. 

Also, a 3 cylinder is cheaper to build than than a 4 cylinder.  You've got 25% less internal engine components...

[Blueprint]

Saw one in person in the same colour.
Looks very good.
Not sure why would they use 3 cilinders if fuel economy is really not that much better.

It's all about tax brackets in other markets. The 1.2 litre size is the key here. Who knows, the cylinder count may be a factor in certain countries too. Making it a world engine and not using, say, an atmo 2.4 4-banger for NA lowers production costs.

I've driven turbo 3-pots in Ford, GM and MINI products and the fuel economy was never as good as with simple atmo fours. Their odd-cylinder soundtrack create a personality that modern small fours lack though.

[ktm525]

How is the vibration? Curious how GM got around the inherent vibrating mess than most 3 cylinders are.

[Great_Big_Abyss]

How is the vibration? Curious how GM got around the inherent vibrating mess than most 3 cylinders are.

They're using balance shafts. 

That being said, this is exactly the segment where increased NVH would be acceptable.

[Blueprint]

How is the vibration? Curious how GM got around the inherent vibrating mess than most 3 cylinders are.

They're using balance shafts. 

That being said, this is exactly the segment where increased NVH would be acceptable.

There's also active noise cancellation tech involved, even in the base model. All of this yields impressively low sonometer readings on the highway - Car and Driver pins them at 67 dba IIRC, luxury-car territory.

[bridgecity]

This all sounds too good to be true (well equipped subcompact CUV for under 30k), which given the current auto market I hope isn't the case.  Call me a negative nelly but I picture these things falling apart/blowing up after a few years.