And even with the Activ’s 18-inch wheels, the ride harshness and impacts over broken pavement weren’t bad during my quick spin, though a more demanding test would be the cratered highways in the Chicago suburbs where we normally test.Ģ024 Chevrolet Trax Activ | photo by Christian Lantry Interior Comfort The new footprint helps the Trax drive like a more substantial car than its budget price suggests, with confident road holding and stability at highway speeds. The Trax has a longer wheelbase (the distance between the front and rear wheels) than the old model, which can help ride quality, and a wider track (the distance between the right and left wheels) for improved handling. We’ll have to spend more time with the Trax to get an idea of its real-world fuel economy. The downside of the six-speed might be in fuel economy because while the new Trax’s 30-mpg combined gas mileage rating is improved versus the old one’s 27 mpg rating, it’s less than a Nissan Kicks (33 mpg), front-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla Cross (32 mpg) or Hyundai Venue (31 mpg). I prefer this experience to the sluggish responsiveness and screaming engine noise that comes with many affordable cars that use a continuously variable automatic transmission. How it gets there is slightly different than the class, however, because the drivability of the engine and transmission is more pleasant thanks to the traditional six-speed automatic that makes crisp upshifts and eager downshifts to get the car moving. Anything that surprises in this price range is notable when cars like the Hyundai Venue, Honda HR-V, Toyota Corolla Cross or Nissan Kicks don’t have much happening under the hood. But given the smaller power number on paper, I was surprised by how punchy it actually was around town. The new engine dishes out an initial punch before it runs out of steam around 45 mph, so while good for around town, there’s not much going on if you need to call upon the engine for highway maneuvers. The Trax’s only engine and transmission is a 137-horsepower, turbocharged 1.2-liter three-cylinder and six-speed automatic, which strangely is less powerful than the outgoing Trax’s 155-hp engine. The Trax no longer offers all-wheel drive, so it has technically lost its SUV designation in our classifications, but call the line officially blurred because by all other SUV measures, including ride height, seating position and cargo versatility, the Trax is similar to other small utility vehicles. Related: 2024 Chevrolet Trax: Burgeoning Space, Tech Shrinking Price, HP How It Accelerates When the average new car transaction price is around $45,000, this is impressive, but does it drive like a cheap car? Our first opportunity to drive the Trax came at the Midwest Automotive Media Association’s 2023 Spring Rally in Elkhart Lake, Wisc., and I drove the uplevel Activ trim level that, amazingly, was still only around $26,000 - even with some options packages. It’s also less expensive than its predecessor last seen as a 2022 model. This is notable because the Trax has been completely redesigned for 2024, is significantly larger and has more technology. With a starting price just over $21,000 with destination charge, the 2024 Chevrolet Trax is one of the top 10 least expensive new cars out there.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |