The 18-inch aluminum wheels, which are new for the Premier trim, grip the ground fairly well, even around tight corners, and a direct-acting stabilizer bar helps keep body roll to a minimum. My commute through some of the more well-worn streets Jersey City has to offer was noticeably improved compared to my daily driver, a 2014 Cruze, a fact that Chevrolet should appreciate as it targets urban-dwelling young professionals, such as myself. A forgiving suspension handles potholes and blemishes expertly with minimal rattling inside the cabin. (Joanna Tavares)įor what the Trax lacks in sportiness, it makes up for in comfort. The 18-inch aluminum wheels on the Premier trim hug the road fairly tight. So, while it could benefit from some better technology offerings, the Trax is, in most respects, a very safe vehicle. In addition to its solid scores with the IIHS, the Trax also earned a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, receiving perfect scores on front and side crashworthiness, as well as a four-star rating for rollover safety. A rearview camera comes standard and features a beeping parking assistance system that, while a bit overly sensitive for the tightly packed streets of New York, is probably quite helpful under normal parking circumstances. Other optional driver assistance features include lane departure warnings (which were not included in my test vehicle) and passive blind spot monitoring, which illuminates a pair of lights on the side-view mirrors if a vehicle is coming up along either side-I found this particularly useful given the sizeable no-see zone created by the Trax's large C-pillars. The Trax comes available in either all-wheel or front-wheel drivetrains. OnStar also offers a three-month trial of its Guidance Package, which includes its own hands-free driving and turn-by-turn direction services, but from my experience, it's probably not worth the money to re-up on those features if you have a smartphone. All three trim levels include a 4G LTE wireless trial from OnStar that consists of three months of service or 3 gigabytes of data, whichever gets exhausted first. The Trax also connects to the m圜hevrolet mobile app, which allows drivers to remotely lock and unlock doors, check vehicle diagnostics and fire up the engine.Īlso, the Trax, like most of GM's latest vehicles, can be turned into a roving Wi-Fi hotspot that can connect to up to seven devices. This isn't a surprise given its price range and, in my opinion, the limited number of baked-in apps and features actually keeps the MyLink infotainment system simple and accessible-even for tech novices-without feeling dated.Īpple CarPlay and Android Auto handle many of what I suspect will be the most-used functions for those with applicable smartphones, including navigation, hands-free calling and texting, and music playing. Some of the advanced tech features offered in some of GM's more premium models, such as built-in mapping, traffic alerts and weather monitoring, are not available to Trax buyers. With 10 standard air bags, the Trax earns high safety ratings from both the IIHS and the NHTSA. I appreciate that Chevrolet is trying to keep costs low, but I imagine there's room in the budget for knobs that are a little more tactilely pleasing. They felt cheap and did not turn fluidly. My only real criticism with the control system is the quality the controls themselves, particularly those that adjust climate settings. With just three climate control dials, four buttons below the infotainment screen and a volume knob, Chevy keeps it simple.Ĭhevrolet's signature MyLink infotainment system, which is operated via a seven-inch touchscreen, is also fairly basic as well, only offering a few applications that are fairly intuitive. This is not a problem suffered by the Trax. With as much technology as automakers cram into their vehicles these days, it's not uncommon for a contemporary center stack to more closely resemble an airplane cockpit than an automobile, with dizzying arrays of knobs, buttons, switches and what have you. With no center console, one of the only areas for small item storage is a cubby at the bottom of the center stack.
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