Drew Dowdell

The Venza had a face only a mother could love... that was the primary issue there. It was just uuuugly.

It may seem a little early to those of us in the U.S., but Chevy is giving the Trax a makeover for 2017. In the U.S., the Chevrolet Trax has only been on sale for about 13 months, but for other markets it has been around since 2013. The refresh is mostly cosmetic. The current 1.4T 4-cylinder with 138 hp and a 148 lb-ft of torque, and 6-speed automatic carry over. On safety, the Trax now has available side blind-zone, rear cross traffic, lane-departure, and forward collision alerts. The front fascia is all new and moves the Trax in visual line with the 2016 Malibu and Cruze. The interior has been updated with a new Chevy MyLink infotainment system that includes Apple Car Play and Android Auto in a 7" diagonal screen, along with an updated gauge cluster. 2015 was the first full year on the market for the Trax and Chevy sold 63,303 of them, making it the second best selling car in its class, right behind the Buick Encore. The Chevrolet Trax is sold as the Chevrolet Tracker and Holden Trax in other market, so we should expect to see those models get the same updates. Chevrolet Press Release on Page 2 CHICAGO – Building on its early success and the rapid growth of the segment, Chevrolet today introduced the 2017 Trax – a more expressive take on one of America’s best-selling small SUVs. Contemporary design elements, including an all-new front-end appearance, and a new premium interior compose the visual updates, while new available active safety features and a new infotainment system – with available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility – expand its range of customer-focused technologies. “In the fastest-growing segment, Chevrolet Trax’s momentum is sure to continue with great design enhancements, premium details, and the latest technologies,” said Steve Majoros, director of marketing, Chevrolet Cars and Crossovers. “Features such as Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and four new active safety features offer customers more than most competitors – and at an entry-level price.” With sales of 63,303 in 2015 – its first full year on the market – the Trax quickly climbed to the second-best-selling small SUV in America. It is also ranked in the top three globally, achieving more than 400,000 sales in 73 markets since its launch in late 2012. China and the United States are its top markets. In the United States, more than half of Trax’s customers with a trade-in turned in something other than a Chevrolet. Trax also attracts nearly 60 percent female customers – the highest percentage in the brand’s entire lineup. “With the Colorado and Trax, Chevrolet and our dealers are able to offer brand-new entries in fast-growing segments, which helps bring new customers to Chevrolet,” said Majoros. “And with other new vehicles such as the Cruze Hatchback and Bolt EV, we will continue to attract new customers to the Chevrolet franchise and continue to grow market share, as we did in 2015.” The 2017 Trax goes on sale this fall, offered in LS, LT and new Premier trims. Contemporary design The Trax’s fresh, contemporary appearance reflects the modern face of Chevrolet around the globe. A new grille and headlamps echo the styling elements seen in new Chevrolet models such as the Malibu, Cruze and Volt. “It’s a more sculptural, sophisticated design,” said Steve Kim, Chevrolet Trax designer. “There’s also a sporty streak in the new styling that speaks to the Trax’s agile, fun-to-drive personality.” The front fascia is all-new and incorporates Chevrolet’s new proportioned dual port grille. New, sleek headlamps flow around the corners and into the front fenders. Trax LS models feature new halogen reflector headlamps and uplevel LT and new Premier models have halogen projector headlamps with LED signature lighting. Chrome also accents the outboard fog lamp bezels. At the rear is a new fascia and dual taillamps, with the Premier model featuring LED signature lighting. The Premier is also offered with new 18-inch aluminum wheels. Premium interior A modified instrument panel is the foundation for the 2017 Trax’s premium interior enhancements. It interprets Chevrolet's signature dual-cockpit design more expressively, with an upper dashboard hood that flows uninterrupted across the panel to enhance the perception of spaciousness. The redesigned center instrument panel features greater visibility of a new 7-inch-diagonal MyLink color touch screen and Galvano chrome trim on the instrument panel and console contribute to the Trax’s premium ambiance. Premier models are offered with contrasting-color instrument panel trim that matches their leatherette seating trim. “Customers will really notice the elevation in the Trax’s interior design and attention to detail,” said Kim. “It’s an environment that transcends segment boundaries, offering rich, premium appointments and seamless integration of the technologies they rely on most.” Also new for 2017 is the instrument cluster, which features a new gauge display with prominent analog speedometer and tachometer readouts along with digital displays from the standard driver information center. Enhanced connectivity The 2017 Trax offers a new 7-inch diagonal infotainment system designed to support the latest connectivity technologies, including available Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and available 4G LTE with Wi-Fi hotspot. With the 4G LTE connection, Trax allows passengers to connect up to seven personal devices such as smartphones, laptops and tablets, to high-speed wireless Internet. Keyless Open and Start also add to the Trax’s roster of available new technologies. New active safety features New active safety features are designed to help alert drivers to potential crash situations. They are available depending on the model and include: Side Blind Zone Alert Rear Cross Traffic Alert Forward Collision Alert Lane Departure Warning Additional crash-avoidance technologies include a standard rearview camera. Trax also features 10 standard air bags. Turbocharged performance Returning for 2017 is the Trax’s Ecotec 1.4L turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which is backed by a six-speed automatic transmission. The engine is rated at an SAE-certified 138 horsepower (102 kW) and 148 lb-ft of torque (200 Nm) between 1,850 and 4,900 rpm. View full article

It's not. It's just a new dash pad, center stack, infotainment from the Regal/Insignia and new gauge cluster also from another car. Looks like new seats possible, but those could have been there on the current Mokka and I didn't know about it.

A platform lifetime is a very nebulous thing. The 2003 Malibu, 2013 Cadillac XTS, and 2016 Lacrosse and 2016 Malibu are all just variants of the same platform, yet show great evolution over time. What GM has shown lately is that the steel on the outside is nearly irrelevant.

It's just the same steering wheel its had since launch. This is just a refresh of the car, not everything will get changed

No, the ridgeline isn't going on the same trails as a Colorado.

Ridgeline may ride better (possibly, maybe) than the GM twins, but it's going to be highly compromised in capabilities. It'll do okay picking up a dozen bags of mulch from Lowes, but that's as truck as it will get, and the Honda Element is equally capable in that regard.

Sadly, yes. Curbed due to abuse. It will be back in another format eventually.

Both are great interiors but the Buick wins hands down for me, just a bit nicer. Love it in fact. You're not comparing apples to apples. The Envision is a bigger and more expensive product than the Mokka/Encore. It should look more expensive for that reason alone. Envision is likely going to start around $12+k more than the Encore when it initially debuts because they're only bringing over the premium trims at first.

Criminal? How do you expect roads to get built or repaired? The gas tax hasn't been raised in over 2 decades while fuel economy overall has improved... meaning you get much more miles of travel per tax paid than ever before. In your new truck, you pay about 0.7 cents per mile in fed gas taxes... if this $10 per barrel tax goes through, it would increase to 1.7 cents per mile. Driving my Buick, I pay about 0.6 cents a mile and in my Toronado, its about 1.7 cents a mile. Those would rise to 1.3 cents and 3.0 cents per mild respectively. Still a tiny price to pay for bridges that don't fall down. Now is exactly the time to raise the tax when prices are super cheap. I just paid $1.30 a gallon last week in Tulsa... I would still think $1.55 a gallon is dirt cheap. Our infrastructure is beyond terrible for a developed country. We get a D+ grade. Here in Pittsburgh, since there was no federal money to replace a bridge that was falling down over an interstate, they built another bridge below it to catch the pieces that were falling on the interstate below. They imploded it... finally... back in December. I get that people want lower taxes and all... but eventually you just have to admit that you're a cheapskate who thinks that everything should be handed to you for free. Making America great again means rebuilding those things that made us great in the first place... but we can't do it without paying for it.

The Model-X wasn't a mistake. The excessively expensive frills they put on it were a mistake. It would have sold just as well, if not even a little better due to potentially lower price, with normal doors. Having normal doors could have knocked up to $10k (my personal estimate) off the price and allowed the vehicle to launch sooner changing nothing else about the vehicle. People buy $70k - $80k SUVs all day every day, and it would have been a hit. But the Model-X wasn't a mistake... it was a necessity.

Clearly the merging of the Buick and Opel styles happening here. The Interior design is a thematic clear tie-in to the Buick Envision. Mokka Envision

Wow a "4.6L" pentastar that gets 25-35 mpg in a heavy-ass brick of a full-size sedan?? It's crazy because Fiat-Chrysler can barely manage that with their 4-cylinder cars. I always get good fuel economy from the LX cars with the 3.6. Highway is usually in the low to mid 30s.