SlashGear Finds the 2025 Trax Very Compelling for the Price

The SlashGear website covers a variety of subjects and reviews a wide variety of consumer items. In early August, they reviewed the 2025 Chevrolet Trax, the brand’s least expensive model, and a 2024 Editor’s Choice for the site. Dieffenbach GM Superstore reviews what they had to say.

Does Not Look Entry-Level

The previous Trax design arguably looked like Chevrolet’s least expensive model, with its bulbous appearance, generic front face, and just the horizontal bar through the grille, to inform you that it was a Chevrolet product. The updated Trax, on the other hand, has a true sense of style. The face displays the same cues as the brand’s larger SUVs with a low-profile upper grille flanked by long, narrow DRLs. Below is a large, aggressive-appearing six-sided grille, and nestled in the corners are the almost hidden headlights. The SUV-proportioned body looks lean and well-sculpted with subtle fender cladding and an attractive kick-up to the window line. It isn’t flashy, but there isn’t a single awkward line on it, which is often not the case for entry-level models.

Small Engine, Adequate Power

The $21,495 starting MSRP might be more apparent on the spec sheet, which shows a 1.2-liter turbocharged 3-cylinder engine. It produces 137 horsepower and 162 lb-ft of torque. The power is run through a 6-speed transmission, which is then sent only to the front wheels. AWD is not an option. Those numbers may not get the heart racing, but a little historical perspective may help. Consider that the 1976 Camaro started with just 105 horsepower with its base engine, and the entry V8, with almost three times the cylinders and well over three times the displacement, produced just three more horsepower than the current Trax. Chevrolet’s entry-level model at the time was several steps below the Camaro.

SlashGear’s take on the performance: “It’s not slow, nor even sluggish, but it doesn’t encourage eager driving either. I expected the tiny three-pot engine to be wheezy and lackluster, but it does just fine nipping the Trax around urban roads.”

Some may yearn for all-wheel drive, in which case the similarly sized but more costly Trailblazer stands waiting with available AWD and a slightly larger engine. However, a long roof doesn’t necessitate all-wheel drive, and FWD has been the norm for entry-level vehicles for decades.

The Cabin Won’t Disappoint

“Well equipped and not cheap where it matters.” and “cleanly designed” … is how SlashGear describes the Trax cabin. The entry-level LS model has an 8-inch touchscreen, but on the LT, it grows to 11 inches and is accompanied by an 8-inch digital driver’s display. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard across the model lineup, as are safety technologies like forward collision warnings with automatic emergency braking, lane-keep assist with departure warnings, front pedestrian braking, and tire pressure monitoring. The climate control is manual until you climb to the RS model.

SlashGear concludes that the Trax is hard to beat for the money, particularly at the lower trim levels. They recommend the Trax LT with the Convenience Package, which includes heated front seats, steering wheel, side mirrors, and keyless entry. Then again, SlashGear is based in Indiana, where those heated items may resonate a little more strongly.  We invite you to visit the Dieffenbach GM Superstore and see how much new car you can get for your money with the Chevrolet Trax.