Video: 2015 Chevrolet Trax Review

As for the Trax, its got a bunch of very nice, very practical features, but a few things that shoppers should keep in mind. So the first standout positive feature of the Trax is its visibility. This is a very easy car to see out of. Part of that is yes, it's a SUV. So you sit a little bit higher off the ground. But the other part of it is these windows, the thickness of the pillar and the windshield. It's all really well-designed to see out of. Now, obviously that's practical, but it's also fun, it gives you the confidence you need to kind of dart through a little gap in traffic or parallel park on a busy street. When it comes to driving the Trax, one of the things that stands out is the power or really the lack of it. You can get the Trax without the front wheel drive or all wheel drive, but all versions are powered by the same 1.4 liter, 138 horsepower, four cylinder engine. And it's just not a lot of oomph, there. There is a six speed automatic transmission that kicks down pretty quickly. So it's all right for scooting around town. But when you get out on the highway, there's just not a lot of power there to make passes. You really have to anticipate what you wanna do. Mileage is also something shoppers are gonna want to consider. The EPA estimates the Trax with front wheel drive gets 26 miles per gallon in the city, 34 miles per gallon on the highway and 29 miles per gallon combined. And that drops with all wheel drive to 24 miles per gallon in the city, 31 on the highway and 27 combined. Those figures, while they compare well to say a larger SUV like the Equinox don't always do as well, when you compare them to other small hatchbacks, notably the Ford Focus or the Honda Fit, or even the Subaru Impreza. And in the case of the Impreza, you also get all wheel drive. When it comes to interior space, the Trax is actually surprising for such a tiny car. There's a fair amount of room upfront. I was driving it with a guy about my size. We were snug, but it wasn't like we were bumping elbows the whole time. So that was nice. Around back, it's much the same story, but here's another area where shoppers are gonna want to think for a minute. I have enough room to be comfortable on a short trip, you know, plenty of headroom. But if I was gonna try to ride from Chicago to Omaha, I probably wouldn't be so comfortable. One reason that people might consider a SUV or really any car is the cargo area, and hear the Trax is something of a pleasant surprise for a car this small, this is actually a fairly generous cargo area. I think it would be fine for a weekend trip but, if it's not enough room, the back seat folds flat, though, it is one of those older designs where you have to lift the seat bottom up and fold the back down to get more room. And then the front passenger seat also folds flat. It's lined on the back with plastic. So you have a long area from the back of the tracks to the front, though it's not level. It will help if you're carrying longer things like fishing rods or javelins. So as a tiny SUV, the Trax largely succeeds in its mission. It's a well-packaged little vehicle with surprising amount of room, both for passengers and for cargo. It's also got excellent visibility and a high seating position. But, even though it is an SUV and not a sports car, I think you could do with a little bit more power. And there's the thing, once you start comparing the Trax to other small cars and hatchbacks, you start to realize they offer the same or slightly better cargo room, the same or slightly better mileage. So at the end of the day, what's gonna tip the scales in favor of the Trax is gonna be the high seating position, that the small hatchbacks don't offer, the excellent visibility, which they don't all have, as well as the SUV body style. (trunk closes)