2016 Chevrolet Trax Road Test & Review

2016 Chevrolet Trax

The 2016 Chevrolet Trax is the bowtie brand’s offering in the subcompact crossover market segment, which made its American debut for the 2015 model year. Look closely, you’ll likely see more than a passing resemblance to Buick’s Encore, as they are quite closely related.

However, with a starting price some $4,000 lower, the Trax is less luxurious than the Encore. Don’t take this to mean the Trax is sparsely equipped, though. The diminutive crossover is packed with an abundance of high tech comfort and convenience equipment. Further, Trax is cute, versatile, and returns reasonable fuel economy.

For the 2016 model year, Trax gets four new exterior colors: Crimson Metallic, Sable Metallic, Cyber Gray Metallic and Champagne Silver Metallic.

Trim Packages & Pricing

Chevrolet offers the 2016 Trax in three trim levels: LS, LT, and LTZ.

Standard features for the $21,995 Trax LS include 16-inch wheels, cloth upholstery, Chevrolet’s MyLink infotainment package with a seven-inch touchscreen, OnStar 4G LTE with a built-in Wi-Fi hotspot, 10 standard air bags, a rearview camera system, fold-flat rear- and front-passenger seats, a USB port, air conditioning, power locks and windows, power adjustable outside mirrors, and remote keyless entry.

The $23,540 LT trim package adds alloy wheels, roof rails, rear privacy glass, heated exterior mirrors and satellite radio, as well as leatherette and cloth upholstery.

The $26,125 LTZ trim package builds upon all of the above with rear proximity sensors, heated front seats, leatherette upholstery, a Bose seven-speaker audio system, a leather steering wheel cover, fog lamps, a power adjustable driver’s seat, heated exterior mirrors, and an auto-dimming interior rearview mirror.

It should be noted all the LTZ features are available as options for LT equipped Trax models. All-wheel drive is an option across the board for an additional $1500.

Exterior Design

At first glance, the 2016 Chevrolet Trax looks considerably larger than it actually is.

The Chevy’s face is dominated by the brand’s contemporary two-tier grille treatment featuring the golden bowtie. Thin horizontal chrome slats keep the grille’s appearance from coming across as too bland, while a set of squared off headlights complete the front graphics of the Trax.

Taken in profile, the Trax has pronounced rounded fender bulges, and nicely sculpted flanks.

From the rear, Trax uses squared off taillights and a flat rear window. To minimize the appearance of mass, a black lower cladding trim piece covers the rear bumper and extends around the sides of the small crossover.

Interior Features

The twin compartment treatment of the 2016 Chevrolet Trax’s front seating area finds the motorcycle-inspired instrumentation of its Chevrolet Sonic sibling carried over. Seated at the three-spoke steering wheel, you’ll find an analog tachometer flanked by the digital speedometer’s readout. The speedo’s screen also offers the transmission position, odometer reading, fuel level, a compass readout, and distance to empty information.

Our LTZ test car featured controls on the steering wheel for handsfree telephony, voice activated features, and cruise control, as well as audio volume, tuning, and source selection. To the right of the wheel, the seven-inch full color touchscreen monitor dominated the center stack. The touchscreen provides interfaces for the audio system, telephone, smartphone link, and system settings, in addition to pictures and video.

Further, the screen presented the output of the rearview camera, and contained the interface for Chevy’s MyLink and setting up the standard 4G LTE and built-in WiFi hotspot. In-car apps afforded through Chevy's MyLink include Pandora, TuneIn radio, and Stitcher. For iPhone users, Siri Eyes Free mode allows the placing of calls, composing and/or hearing text messages, as well as choosing music selections by voice command.

The MyLink system is also configured to work with the BringGo navigation app to display GPS navigation information from your smartphone. Chevy’s product people figure the people in Trax’s target demographic already have smartphones, so why charge them for a nav system when they already have one in hand?

Comfort & Cargo Capacity

While outward views in all directions from the driver’s seat are acceptably uncompromised, some might note the rear window is a bit on the smaller side. Speaking of the driver’s seat, we found it a comfortable place from which to pilot the sub-compact crossover through the myriad of obstacles presented by city streets.

Its comfort good over several hours of driving, we never found ourselves fidgeting or wishing for more adjustability. Legroom for front passengers is terrific. Our six-foot tall test driver (whose height is mostly in his legs) found Trax provided more than adequate legroom. Ditto the front passenger seat.

People seated in the rear seats will depend heavily upon the mercy of those up front for adequate space for their lower extremities though. Headroom is a bit tight in the back seats too. But if everybody plays nice, four adults could do a day of short runs hopping in and out of the Trax—no problem.

When it comes to cargo, the Chevrolet features some 48.4 cubic feet of cargo capacity with the rear seatbacks folded away. With them in place, the Trax offers 18.7 cubic feet of cargo capacity. The right front seat also folds and features a plastic backing, which enables it to extend the cargo floor of the Chevy enough to swallow a narrow item of up to eight feet in length.

Another aspect of the Trax’s interior of which Chevy reps are particularly proud is the fact it contains some 15 storage compartments of varying size and capacity, including one under the floor of the cargo compartment.

Safety Equipment & Crash Test Results

The Chevrolet’s roster of safety kit is led by ten airbags. Trax also features hill-start assist, ABS, and electronic brake force distribution, in addition to cornering brake control and brake assist. Front-drive Trax models use drum brakes in the rear, while all-wheel drive equipped models get four discs.

StabiliTrak electronic stability control—incorporating traction control and rollover mitigation—is on the list of standard features as well. Options include rear park assist for LT models, although the feature is standard with the LTZ trim package. The OnStar package also incorporates emergency notifications, stolen vehicle location services, and stolen vehicle slowdown and assistance. 

NHTSA awarded Trax five stars in total frontal crash safety (its top rating) and four stars in rollover protection. The IIHS (Insurance Institute of Highway Safety) rewarded the fact the Chevy Trax was designed specifically to do well in the Institute’s small overlap frontal collision testing with Top Safety Pick Status.

On the other hand, blind spot monitoring, lane departure warning, and collision avoidance functions are not offered with the Chevy crossover. Lacking a collision prevention solution, Trax foregoes IIHS Top Safety Pick + status.

Engine & Fuel Economy

A turbocharged 1.4-liter fuel injected four-cylinder engine capable of producing 138 horsepower and 148 ft-lbs of torque generates motive force. The engine is calibrated to deliver maximum torque from 1,850 rpm up to 4,850 rpm, so you’re almost always operating in its torque sweet spot.

Helping to make the most of the power generated by the engine, Trax employs an electric power steering system to minimize parasitic loss and maximize fuel-efficiency. A six-speed automatic completes the powertrain. Front-drive is standard, and all-wheel drive is optional.

Fuel economy is rated at 29 mpg in combined city/highway driving with front-drive, and 27 with all-wheel drive.

Photo by General Motors

Performance

Keeping in mind the model’s price point and small size, we found driving the 2016 Chevrolet Trax a reasonably pleasant proposition.

In the city, we found the Chevy reasonably nimble, and were impressed with its tight turning radius. Getting around double parked cars in downtown areas is absolutely no problem, thanks to the Trax’s agility and quick steering.

The body stays flat in moderately paced cornering situations and ride quality is respectable for a vehicle of this nature, particularly in light of its short wheelbase. Surface irregularities and railroad crossings are negotiated without severely disrupting the comfort of passengers.

The engine, while not exactly powerful, proved well up to the task. The transmission shifted smoothly and accurately, and acceleration was good in urban situations. On the freeway, we found Trax comfortably capable of keeping pace with the flow of traffic. At speed, Trax is quiet and quite stable; buffeting is minimal even when passed by large trucks or dealing with crosswinds.

Final Thoughts

As an urban runabout, the 2016 Chevrolet Trax is more than competent. Further, the model posts strong crash test scores, though it lacks the latest in driver assistance features.

The subcompact crossover’s smooth ride, comfortable seating, good outward visibility, and reasonable power output make it quite capable around town—if not exactly sporty.

But hey, everything doesn’t have to be about sportiness—right?

If we’re keeping it real though, extremely long distance driving might prove challenging. Trax is intended primarily for trips around town and commuting. Two people might be OK, but long distance drives with four—yeah, not so much.

Pros & Cons

The 2016 Chevrolet Trax offers an abundance of cargo space and tech features. Further it’s quiet, delivers reasonable fuel economy, and offers good looks. On the other hand, the Chevy lacks cutting edge driver assistance safety features, and long distance travel might be taxing.