What Chevrolet Philippines has done is bring in a global model with a substantial drive and a few features worth shouting about. Done in the crossover body style more in line with a raised wagon than an SUV, and done with a price tag that was rather hard to swallow. It’s a novel model in the lineup and one that we’re probably not going to forget anytime soon, but it does require a hefty sum to purchase.
We had the pleasure of driving the Trax for a while, and we’ve assembled our first impressions and a review on a video, and in a first-drive article. It was only after we drove it that the price kinda started to make sense, but if you break it down the wheels start to turn and even more things start to make sense.
Setting yourself apart
Now, we get how some cars can get quite expensive, look at Peugeot as one of our examples. Not beholden to the mainstream, Peugeot is not a common choice in the market, but it is a very novel choice that will set you apart from the rest of the pack. Driving the Trax was about the same experience as Peugeot because of its unique design and also with its color.
If you become a Trax owner, know that you will be one of the more unique cars out on the road. Conformity is boring, and here the Trax sits with a unique design, one that you’re probably not going to get tired of seeing and driving unlike some of the more common cars out on the road today.
As tested, the Fountain Blue colorway had us gushing, and paired with the RS trim pieces with the black bowtie and the blacked-out accents, it was a killer combo. The Trax looks great now, and it was a big departure from the previous generation all those years ago. While we’re biased toward the blue, Nitro Yellow Metallic also looks great and it was one of the hues that was also featured in Chevrolet’s launch.
Global platform, higher standards, and well-reviewed
Standards when it comes to global models are noticeably different. Chevrolet knows how to make a car that drives solidly, and the Trax has a very capable chassis. As per our testing, the model was very pliant over bumps and potholes, cornered with confidence, and was rather fun to throw around and putter around the city.
The thing is, the model is a global platform, and one that is sold in more developed countries where traffic speeds are higher, and drives tend to be longer. We feel that this will be one of the cars that we will really enjoy driving out of town, on the highway, and on a few provincial roads.
One thing we researched about the car is its availability in the United States and lo-and-behold, the RS trim we get here is very similar in spec to the one that you can get in the U.S., give or take a few amenities here and there. It’s actually nice to see that the spec that we get in the Philippines more or less matches up to what Chevrolet fields in its home country. On top of that, our preliminary research showed that even U.S. automotive journalists took a liking to the car, which was rather apparent while we were driving it around town.
“Just” a 1.2-liter engine?
We didn’t expect to like this motor, but it was quite the performer. Nowadays, engine displacement isn’t a super reliable yardstick to determine an engine’s performance, and neither is horsepower to some extent. Though, yes, more power is better, at least in the case of the Trax, power, and torque delivery were handled quite well. If you didn’t tell us that the model was packing only a 1.2-liter engine, we wouldn’t have complained, instead, we’re rather impressed.
Now the engine does run out of steam in the higher RPM ranges, but that’s par for the course, and you won’t be driving at high engine speeds all the time anyway. The overall benefit of a capable and small engine is that you get all the power and torque you need, but with little to no penalty on fuel economy. This is a big car, and for the engine to perform the way it did, we will admit that it was a rather fun drive during our time with it.
With only 137 hp and 162 Nm of torque, it’s not going to wow you with outright specs, but the engine is competent. Getting up to speed on the highway was no problem, cruising through the city was also equally as enjoyable. It’s just that the car isn’t meant to be a performance car, and that’s okay. From a stop all the way to maintaining highway speeds, the Trax is an admirable performer.
Legroom for days
You wouldn’t expect it from a crossover of this size, but this is one of the roomiest cars in the class. With its length, it boasts a rather grand amount of legroom, enough to fit big dudes and dudettes, and perhaps even the most discerning of VIP rear passengers. The rear leg space is very acceptable, so much so that you can probably bump it up against midsize sedans.
We enjoyed this a lot, and the model did make a good impression on us.
Towards the end, we didn’t want to return it
After we took photos, drove around, covered the launch, and did the Behind the Wheel and First Drive Impressions, we were a bit sad when Chevrolet Philippines said that they wanted the car back. Even with the price announced, and even as other motoring journalists were vocal about their disagreement with Chevy Philippines’ pricing, the car itself struck a chord with a few of us on the team.
The 2024 Chevrolet Trax is undoubtedly one of the more perplexing cars we’ve had to drive because it had a lot of things going for it except that price tag. We felt that the price was just too high for the car and the features that it had. However, there is something a little unexplainable about the Trax in how it carried itself and how its unique style made it feel somewhat special.
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