2017 Chevrolet Trax: Small Changes for Chevy's Smallest CUV

Chevy’s little Trax is one of the newer faces in the burgeoning subcompact-crossover cotillion. Judging by 2015, its first full year on sale—in which it rang up more than 400,000 purchases in 73 global markets and placed second in the segment in the U.S., according to Chevrolet—it also is one of the more popular debutantes at the dance.

Premiering for 2017: the Premier

But was it prettiest? Perhaps not, at least in the eyes of Chevy’s styling militia. The bow-tie brand’s design team has lavished some attention on this relative newcomer to the U.S. market (it was available earlier globally), which will present a fresh face for the 2017 model year. All the front sheetmetal has been redone. The new grille echoes the stacked dual-port look of other recent Chevrolets, butting up against new headlamps that wrap around the front fenders. In the LS trim level, the lamps are halogen reflectors, while LT and new-for-’17 Premier models get halogen projector-beams and a little chrome bling for the fog-lamp bezels. The rear fascia also has been tweaked, with new dual taillamps and LED lighting in the Premier, which further includes 18-inch aluminum wheels.

Inside, the Trax sports a redesigned instrument panel with a sweeping upper dashboard that enhances the sense of interior space and also shelters a binnacle that embraces a new tachometer, speedometer, and digital info readout. A new 7.0-inch color touchscreen joins the party and is home to Chevy’s MyLink infotainment system, which provides enhanced connectivity, including Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Like most recent GM products, the Trax also will offer 4G LTE technology with a Wi-Fi hot spot. So equipped, Trax travelers can connect as many as seven personal electronic devices—tablets, laptops, smartphones, etc.

New available safety features include a blind-spot monitor, rear cross-traffic alert, forward-collision warning, and lane-departure warning. Automatic braking, however, is not on the menu. A rearview camera is standard.

Modest Muscle

The 2017 updates don’t extend to the engine bay or the drivetrain. The same 1.4-liter turbo four—with 138 horsepower, 148 lb-ft of maximum torque—provides propulsion, sending thrust to either the front or all four wheels via a six-speed automatic transmission.

Although the Trax is far from portly—even with all-wheel drive, curb weights shouldn’t go much higher than 3300 pounds—acceleration likely will continue to be leisurely. We logged 9.4 seconds to 60 mph in our 2015 test of an all-wheel-drive Trax, although we should note that the Trax competes in a class not generally selected as getaway rides for stickup artists. EPA fuel-economy ratings for the 2017 model aren’t available yet, but aren’t expected to stray from those for the current Trax—24 mpg city, 31 highway with all-wheel drive.

Now slightly less of a wallflower, the 2017 Trax will come dancing into Chevy showrooms this fall.