2024 Chevrolet Trax Grows in Size, Not Price
The entry-level SUV returns with more space, more tech, and more safety equipment
By Keith Barry
Chevrolet is bringing back the Trax as a compact, entry-level SUV for the 2024 model year after skipping 2023. The primary selling point of the new Trax is that it won’t cost stacks: A starting price of just $21,495 (including a destination fee) puts it in the same company as much smaller crossovers, including the Hyundai Venue, Kia Seltos, and Nissan Kicks.
Curiously, the new Trax is almost a foot longer than the current model. It’s slightly less expensive than the smaller Trailblazer, which sits just above the Trax in the automaker’s lineup and starts at $23,295, including the destination fee. A GM spokesperson tells CR that both vehicles share the same underlying design, but they expect Trailblazer buyers to opt for higher trim levels and more options than Trax buyers. Unlike the Trailblazer, the Trax won’t offer all-wheel drive.
The new Trax also gains much-needed safety features, including automatic emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection as standard. The outgoing Trax is one of the few vehicles on the market not to offer AEB, let alone forward collision warning (FCW).
There will be no 2023 Chevrolet Trax. The new design debuts as a 2024 model, which goes on sale in spring 2023.
What it competes with: Honda HR-V, Hyundai Venue, Kia Seltos, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Nissan Kicks, Toyota C-HR
What it looks like: A baby Blazer
Powertrain: 137-hp*, 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine; 6-speed automatic transmission; front-wheel drive
Price: $21,495-$24,995 (including destination)
On sale: Spring 2023
*Estimated
The 2024 Chevrolet Trax gets a sportier look in RS trim.
Photo: Chevrolet
CR's Take
We complained that the original Trax “oozes cheapness.” Chevy’s own marketing materials repeatedly emphasize that the new Trax remains an entry-level vehicle, so we’re not expecting luxury-level appointments, sports-car handling, or a whisper-quiet interior. But Honda pulled off just such a move with its redesigned HR-V, marking a notable improvement over the first-generation model.
The Trax’s size, attractive interior design, and low price are intriguing. We’re especially glad to see that the Trax now has key safety features as standard equipment. If Chevy can coax decent fuel economy out of it, avoid any reliability pitfalls, and cover up obvious cost-cutting (such as visible plastic seams or a lack of sound deadening), the Trax might be a good value for those who need SUV-like cargo space, but don’t need all-wheel drive. However, we’re not optimistic that it will have much verve from its tiny engine.
Outside
Chevy says the new Trax combines the “practicality of a compact car and the utility of an SUV.” It certainly has SUV-like looks that are influenced by its big brother, the Blazer, including its prominent grille and slim LED daytime running lights. Longer and wider than the current Trax, the new model has a wagon-like silhouette. That’s because the new vehicle’s roofline is four inches lower, even though its ground clearance is just over an inch higher than the current Trax. The rear glass is steeply raked, which may cut into the cargo space slightly. Exterior options include black accents and wheels.
A rear view of the 2024 Chevrolet Trax. We're interested in seeing if that raked hatchback will impede visibility or cargo space.
Photo: Chevrolet
Inside
The Trax’s tidy interior looks like a cross between the Blazer and Trailblazer, with a sleek, integrated infotainment screen and round vents. There are straightforward climate controls and a traditional shift lever. Yellow or red interior trim accents are optional.
In LS and 1RS trims, the Trax gets an 8-inch center infotainment screen. Higher trim levels get an 11-inch screen and a digital display behind the steering wheel as well. Wireless charging is optional. The infotainment system itself appears to be running a version of Chevrolet’s latest software.
Chevy says the new Trax offers three more inches of rear legroom and 12 percent more cargo space. The rear seat has a 60/40 split-fold (shown at bottom) as is the norm but the lower roofline might make it hard to fit taller items in the rear.
The interior of the 2024 Chevrolet Trax, featuring red interior accents and an upgraded infotainment screen.
Photo: Chevrolet
What Drives It
There’s only one engine offered: A 1.2-liter turbocharged three-cylinder that GM says is good for 137 horsepower. Although this same engine is available on the base Trailblazer, we have yet to try it, as the version we tested came with an optional, larger 1.3-liter turbo engine. Power is down slightly compared with the 155-horsepower four-cylinder in the outgoing model.
The Trax’s transmission is a six-speed automatic that’s been around in some form since 2008. We tested this same transmission in some other vehicles and found it to be quite smooth. Most of the Trax’s competitors have continuously variable transmissions (CVTs) that tend to promise better fuel economy than a six-speed. Neither GM nor the EPA has released mpg numbers for the new Trax, but the old Trax with all-wheel drive got 25 mpg overall in our tests.
The redesigned Trax lacks all-wheel drive. Like the much smaller Nissan Kicks and Hyundai Venue, the Trax only comes in front-wheel drive, which may hurt sales in the snow belt.
Safety and Driver Assistance Systems
If there’s one change we’re glad to see, it’s the addition of standard AEB with pedestrian detection. The current Trax was in a dwindling group of new vehicles without this important safety feature.
Other standard safety features include lane keeping assistance, lane departure warning, and automatic high-beam headlights. Optional features include adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning, and rear cross traffic warning.
The split rear folding seat of the 2024 Chevy Trax
Photo: Chevrolet
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