Motoring: 2024 Chevrolet Trax is an affordable crossover

For buyers searching car lots for a great deal, the 2024 Chevrolet Trax is a budget-friendly option worth considering. With a base price of $21,495 and available in five trim levels: LS, 1RS, LT, 2RS, and ACTIV, it's one of the most affordable crossovers on the market today.

A brief history lesson: First built in South Korea, Trax arrived stateside as a 2015 model, taking a brief hiatus for the 2023 model year. For 2024, Trax is back. New inside and out and at a lower price, the new Generation Trax boasts a stretched wheelbase (11 inches longer) and a wider track. The expansion lends about 3 inches of additional rear legroom and increases cargo capacity. Second-row seating is generous. The cargo bay is long and flat and accessed via a big opening. Rear seats fold nearly flat for even more room. The power sliding sunroof option adds $895 to the total.

There's also a new engine. Sharing a powertrain with the smaller-statured Trailblazer, this 137-horsepower, 1.2-liter I-3 turbo motor flows torque to a six-speed automatic transmission. With it, Trax's zero-to-60 mph elapsed time is about nine seconds. Top Speed clocks in at about 115 mph. The EPA estimates mileage to be 28 mpg city and 32 mpg highway. A heavy foot worsens mileage.

Do not let appearances deceive you. At first glance, Trax looks off-road-ready. Yes, but the Marlboro man's good looks are limited to front-wheel drive only. So don't expect it to venture far afield without getting hopelessly mired in mud. Moreover, ground clearance measures a low to the ground 7.2 inches.

Along with the lack of an AWD option and the modestly powered three-cylinder engine, it should come as no big surprise to learn that towing is not recommended. For example, removing a small boat on a slippery launch ramp would be a veritable nightmare. Think slipping and sliding on algae to a chorus of your own red-faced cusswords accompanied by the mutterings of other boaters not so patiently waiting for their turn to wet a hull. That said, most people who believe they need AWD do not. Sure, it helps on slippery when wet roads, but a small SUV driven on city streets can do well without it.

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As for creature comforts, Chevy Trax boasts a completely redesigned interior: Its driver-facing infotainment screen and climate controls are intuitively placed. Larger infotainment screens — a standard 8-inch-diagonal system and an 11-inch-diagonal screen are on LT, 2RS and ACTIV trims.

More particularly, Trax LS and 1RS trims feature an 8-inch infotainment touch screen as standard equipment. Touch screen displays are crystal clear, featuring attractive graphics and fonts. Stepping up to the LT trims and greater, substitutes a larger 11.0-inch infotainment touch screen. The driver command center controls Trax tech's wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which make navigating and playing music from a smartphone as simple as pie. Wireless phone charger and Wi-Fi hot spot are available. My test ride featured inductive phone charging, which is the new sliced bread.

Being somewhat hard of hearing, I appreciated Chevy's active noise cancellation. Microphones are included on all trims, detecting tire and engine noise and then canceling it through the stereo. Flooring it, you hear a tad more engine noise, but not much.

Both blind-spot monitoring and adaptive cruise control are must-have options. Other eminently worthwhile luxury items worth considering are remote start plus heated front seats and steering wheel.

Finally, just like its competitors, Chevrolet's warranty coverage is basic. The Limited warranty term covers three years or 36,000 miles, with powertrain coverage running five years or 60,000 miles.