2016 Chevy Trax – Albany, NY

Overall, the design is perfect for the city. It’s compact, but also features some of the height expected from a traditional SUV. That way it’s small enough to be maneuverable on cramped city streets, provides the parking ease of a compact car, but is also tall enough to provide you with elevated visibility. It’s aerodynamic enough to help reduce wind noise and promote fuel-efficiency, but still bulky enough to look like an SUV.

Aesthetically, the Trax is a very athletic-looking vehicle — which reflects its agile performance. This athleticism is accompanied by muscular front and rear quarter panels, a rectangular front-fascia, and a dual-port grille centered between swept-back headlamps. The hood is raised in the center, and is cut down on either side to level out with the top of the quarter panel.

The back of the Equinox is relatively simple, and has an overhang that sits above the back window, with an antenna sitting above that.

The engine of choice for the 2016 Chevy Trax is the 1.4-liter turbocharged EcoTec, which gives this little SUV a responsive and zippy performance. Don’t worry, an AWD system is available if you need the extra traction and maneuverability in bad weather. The AWD system can automatically shift into FWD to maximize efficiency when the system detects extra traction isn’t needed.

This engine kicks out 138 horsepower and 148 lb-ft of torque, and gets up to an impressive 26 mpg city and 34 mpg highway. Variable Valve Timing exists to help maximize and optimize fuel-efficiency and power (respectively). The performance and acceleration are average, but the fuel-efficiency is astounding for this segment. Besides, the small size still makes it perfectly maneuverable along the city streets, and it’s not like this vehicle was designed to drag race.

It’s meant to be a reliable, spacious, navigable, efficient, and safe vehicle — which it is.

Overall, the 2016 Chevy Trax received a top five-star rating overall in government crash tests — which puts it at the head of the segment for safety. But it shouldn’t be a surprise at this point, with Chevy’s three-point approach to safety, most of their 2016 models are doing exceptionally well in safety crash tests. Prevent, protect, and respond. By taking this approach, Chevy vehicles are able to combat a collision before, during, and after it happens.

In order to do this, the Trax needs to have some pretty advanced safety systems on board. In order to prevent a collision, StabiliTrak Electronic Stability Control, available Rear Park Assist, and a standard rear vision camera are only a few of the features that are perfect for preventing an accident in crowded city traffic. If a collision does occur, then 10 standard air bags with a high-strength steel safety cage will help absorb the impact. After, OnStar Automatic Crash Response will make sure to contact you immediately with an emergency dispatcher after sensing a collision. If you are unable to respond and say you need help, then the OnStar Advisor will automatically send help to your location via pinpoint GPS tracking.

That way, you have peace of mind that even if you can’t contact emergency services during a collision, OnStar has your back.