Introduction

The 2021 Chevrolet Trax is a small five-door hatchback that offers a low price and gives buyers an affordable urban runabout with a fairly roomy cargo area. 

For 2021, Chevy has dropped the Premier trim level with its power sunroof and Bose audio system. 

Every Trax is powered by a 1.4-liter turbo-4 engine mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission, delivering performance that's reasonably perky around town. Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive available. 

The front seats have multi-way adjustment, and the rear seatbacks can be flipped forward and used as a cargo space. 

The Trax excels at urban driving, but its short wheelbase can turn the ride rougher when it encounters large pavement gaps and seams. 

The front-wheel-drive Trax is EPA-rated at 26 mpg city, 31 highway, 28 combined, while the AWD version is EPA-rated at 24 mpg city, 29 highway, 26 combined.

The NHTSA gives it five stars, while the IIHS rated it 'Good'? in all its main tests except for the passenger-side small-overlap test. Automatic emergency braking is not available. . 

Lineup

There are two Trax models, the LS and LT. 

For about $22,000 the LS comes with power features, a 7.0-inch touchscreen and infotainment including Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and four-way driver and two-way passenger seat manual adjustment.

The LT adds alloy wheels, cruise control, remote start, a cargo shelf, and a 120V AC power outlet. It can cost up to $27,000 with all-wheel drive and a Premium Seat Package with synthetic leather upholstery. 

On all trims, optional all-wheel drive costs $1,500 and includes four-wheel disc brakes. The front-wheel-drive models have rear drum brakes. 

Chevy offers a $495 Driver Confidence Package, adding rear parking sensors, a cross-traffic warning system, and blind-spot monitors. . 

Walkaround

The Trax has a high roofline on a short hatchback body. It wears body cladding at the bottom of the doors, and a large grille, as well as 16-inch steel wheels and hubcaps on the base LS. . 

Interior

The interior is functional and free of design flaws. There's a 7.0-inch touchscreen for infotainment sitting above a quartet of buttons and simple climate controls. The cloth upholstery on the LS is upgraded on the LT to a combination of cloth and synthetic leather. 

The front seats in the Trax are pretty firm, and the driver's seat has a fold-down armrest. A manual four-way driver's seat is standard, with a six-way power seat optional. 

In the rear, there's good head room but not as much leg room. It's best suited for two adults and two small rear-seat passengers.

On the cargo front, the Trax is impressive. Behind the rear seat, there's 19 cubic feet, which grows to 48.4 cubic feet with the rear seat folded.. 

Driving Impression

The 1.4-liter turbo-4 makes a very decent 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque, but the Trax weighs more than 3,300 pounds with all-wheel drive. Its 0-60 mph time checks in at about 10 seconds. Its 6-speed automatic downshifts carefully and upshifts as soon as it can, in the name of fuel efficiency.

Even with that weight, the Trax's light steering makes it fairly nimble around town; and since it's only about 168 inches long, it's also easy to park. A soft suspension means that on curvy roads there's a lot of lean, and the ride can be on the pitchy side-but reasonably calm in city driving.. 

Summary

The 2021 Chevy Trax has good cargo space and a strong infotainment interface. It lags in safety technology and in powertrain refinement, but with its low base price, many shoppers will consider it a good value. 

 

-by Sam Moses with driving impressions by The Car Connection.