Video: A Quick Spin in the $26,000 2024 Chevrolet Trax: How Does it Drive?

So it's a small affordable SUV, not really an SUV, well it used to be an SUV, 'cause it had all-wheel drive, but by our measure now it doesn't have all-wheel drive. So we're gonna call it a car. And it's actually one of the most affordable cars out there. It's on our top 10 most affordable list with a starting price of $21,000 with destination. And the car that we're driving is the top active trim level. And even with the optional packages, it is still only $26,000. So, what do you get for $26,000? How does it drive? Well, this is our first impressions driving it. We've just got a quick drive here and it's a really interesting car because for its redesign, it's bigger than it used to be. It also has more technology, but it's more affordable. And with average transaction prices and 40, $50,000, it's really refreshing to see a car redesigned with such attention to technology and roominess and value as the new Trax. So under the hood is a turbocharge three-cylinder engine that makes 137 horsepower and it pairs with a six-speed automatic transmission. And that's less power than before. So it doesn't have quite as much power and it's a six-speed automatic. Now the six-speed automatic is nice because it's just a traditional automatic transmission. It's not a CVT and it has that just very traditional feel, but that does come at the sacrifice of fuel economy. It's 30 miles per gallon combined which is a little less than competitors. And this is gonna compete with the Nissan Kicks and the Hyundai Venue and the Kia Soul because like I said right now it is front-wheel drive only. There is no more all-wheel drive. And this is the top trim level. So it has the available 18-inch wheels. And I gotta say initial ride quality impressions are the impact harshness is a little rough. We still have some more roads coming up that are more broken that will give a better indication of how it rides. But this isn't really a cushy plush ride maybe like some of its competitors. I think about the Hyundai Venue for sure. But like I said, this is the model with the 18-inch wheels. The car is very different than the old one. So as far as how it drives, it has a longer wheel base which is the distance between the front wheels and the rear wheels. And that's supposed to improve ride quality. And then it also has a wider track width, which is the distance between the passenger and driver's side tires. And that's supposed to improve handling. Well, I'm not gonna get a great feel for handling on this route. We will get up to some higher speeds and be able to see how well it rides at higher speeds. It does feel substantial though which is impressive because it is such an affordable small car that does feel like a big car. And I gotta say the acceleration is actually not bad. At low speeds here up to like 45 miles an hour, it's very responsive. And that six-speed automatic transmission is also very responsive. You hit the accelerator and it kicks down and it goes and that's pretty impressive for not a whole lot of power and also not a whole lot of gears. Six gears is not a lot in a modern transmission where you can have up to 10 fixed gears or a continuously variable automatic transmission that has almost an infinite number of gears. So the six speeds a little limiting overall, but acceleration is good. It's better than I expected for just 137 horsepower. So we're going over some of that broken pavement right now and it's not too bad, it's a little noisy, but about what I would expect for this price range and this size vehicle. What exceeds expectations though at this price range is the interior, well specifically the digital instrument panel and the 11-inch touchscreen. That's what exceeds expectations. These are super high quality, high resolution lots of clarity. These looks like screens that you would find in much more expensive vehicles. And this has wireless Apple CarPlay, wireless and Android Auto. And one of the optional packages actually gives you wireless charging. So this is a pretty stout multimedia offering. And that, of course is specific to this vehicle which has two optional packages and is the top active trim level. All right, so we're gonna punch it here up to the speed limit. Ooh, is that a tire chirp? (engine accelerates) All right, so up to 60 miles an hour and it did okay, not gonna throw you back in your seat, but that's not what this vehicle is meant to do. And we are at 60 miles an hour and then it rides pretty nicely. You know, it's a very windy day here and this is a taller riding vehicle even though it's only front-wheel drive, it still has a decent amount of ground clearance and I'm kind of feeling the wind push it around here that I didn't then some of the sedans and coops that I was driving today. So it is a little higher profile than a traditional hatchback but compared with the previous tracks, it's actually lower overall. The roof is a little bit chopped and even though other dimensions have increased. Visibility is not bad though, it does feel like the windshield is laid back quite a bit and it does have kind of a sportier interior to it because of that almost chopped roof and laid-back windshield. All right, so first impressions, you know on paper this looks like a really cool, affordable package. And after driving it, I gotta say I think it delivers. I definitely wanna spend more time in it and we will when we get it into our regular review program. And we will do our standardized cargo testing, standardized child safety seat testing. And it first impressions are drives pretty nice about what I would expect, a little better actually in acceleration. And we're gonna spend more time in it to give it a more thorough report. But first impressions are this is pretty good for $26,000. For more content like this, be sure to subscribe and turn on notifications.