The Chevrolet Trax had barely gone on sale in the UK before its maker announced that it was shutting up shop in Europe. As a result this micro-SUV never really stood a chance, but it didn’t come close to threatening the class leaders anyway, so it was never much of a loss. That’s not to say the Trax is a poor car though. It always offered strong value and a decent level of practicality, along with a four-wheel drive option – it’s just a shame the car was so bland with it. Now Chevrolet has ceased trading in the UK you’re on your own in terms of getting problems fixed, but thankfully reliability seems to be OK, even if it’s short of the class best.
Key dates
8/13: The Trax goes on sale. There are 1.4 or 1.6-litre petrol engines, the former in normally aspirated or turbocharged (1.4T) forms. There’s also a 1.7 VCDi diesel. The 1.6 petrol engine has front-wheel drive only, all other engines are offered with front- or four-wheel drive.
12/13: Chevrolet announces that it’ll stop selling cars in the UK on 31 December 2015. The Trax remains on sale until this point, but unsurprisingly, sales are slow once the car is launched, with dealers already gearing up to close down.
Checklist
- There’s no spare wheel; just one of those dreaded ‘mobility kits’. Your best bet is to buy a Vauxhall Mokka space saver wheel and keep it in the boot.
- Vauxhall dealers should be able to maintain your Trax for you, but parts availability could be an issue, although service items shouldn’t be a problem.
- The MyLink touch-screen multi-media is intuitive but it can be slow to operate and sometimes it crashes for no obvious reason.
We like
- Good value
- Looks smart
- Spacious cabin
- Efficient diesel engine
We don’t like
- Defunct brand in the UK
- Poor refinement
- Cabin feels cheap
Richard Dredge