Chevrolet flexes its Detroit muscle

DETROIT, Michigan — The biggest irony was that in a weekend of big V8’s rumbling under the hoods of brawny muscle cars, the big news was about a subcompact-sized crossover with a seemingly tiny 1.4-liter inline-four.

We were in Detroit to test drive Chevrolet’s upcoming Trax sport utility vehicle in its corporate hometown ahead of its launch in Manila. But with Philippine motoring media being in Detroit, Chevrolet saw fit to give us a taste of true American automobile culture.

Which was why we found ourselves in General Motors’ Heritage Center, basically a collection of GM’s most iconic and most memorable cars, from turn of the century Oldsmobiles to post-war Buicks to ‘60s tail-finned pink Cadillacs, to ‘70s Pontiac Firebirds. Every single Corvette and Camaro—from the first to the current generation—was accounted for. Even the ill-fated rear-engined, air-cooled V8 Corvair (plus a few non-American GM brands like Opel, Holden, and Vauxhall) were on display in a proud salute to GM’s colorful past.

Having their own section were the engines, from cast-iron pushrod V8’s dating back to pre-war times to state-of-the-art IndyCar racing V8’s to cutting-edge hybrid and electric powertrains.

The visit to the Heritage Center was followed the next day with another American car extravaganza—the annual Woodward Dream Cruise. I was fortunate to have witnessed Woodward back in 2000. Fifteen years later, it was every bit as magical. Woodward Avenue is a long stretch of highway that spans residential and commercial districts. People line up their lawn chairs, fire up the outdoor barbecues and grilles, line up at hot dog and ice cream stands, and just watch car after car after car cruise by.

Everything from brand-new Corvette C7’s to vintage muscle cars to luxury sedans from all eras are either parked on a sidewalk or cruising along Woodward. Incredibly, despite the huge amounts of horsepower pounding the three-to-four-lane stretch of asphalt, most drivers were well behaved. There were many rumbling V8’s being revved while at a stoplight, but there was no speeding or racing and no squealing tires.

There were also a handful of non-American cars cruising Woodward, from a meticulously maintained 1960’s BMW 2002tii and VW Kombi to a new McLaren P1 to a sprinkling of Subaru WRX’s and Mitsubishi Lancer Evos. But of the American muscle dominating Woodward Avenue, more than half would be from General Motors. While mostly Mustangs, Chargers and Challengers represented Ford and Chrysler, GM’s flag was flown by countless Chevrolet Corvettes and Camaros, Pontiacs, Cadillacs, Oldsmobiles, Buicks, and GMC’s. More than half the cars posing and preening along Woodward Avenue was a GM brand.

Then there was NASCAR. It may not be as popular as Formula One on a global scale, but when you’re in the heart of America (especially of Motor City, which is the nickname of Detroit), NASCAR is what racing—make that ultra-high-speed racing—is all about. This is the motorsport where the animated Pixar movie Cars was based on. Other NASCAR-based films include Tom Cruise’s Days of Thunder and Will Farrell’s hilarious Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby.

Even on the fastest tracks, F1 cars rarely reach 200 mph—and if they do, that would be for just a few seconds before they have to brake for the next turn. Ditto the super-fast sports cars and prototypes in Le Mans. But in NASCAR, cars hit 220 mph. And stay there. Lap after lap after lap. For 200 laps or more.

We watched the Pure Michigan 400 in Michigan Superspeedway. That’s 400 miles of flat-out foot-to-the-floor racing in a huge asphalt oval with V8-powered cars bump-drafting one another at over 200 mph. If you’ve seen any of the aforementioned movies, crashes can happen at insanely high speeds. The legendary Dale Earnhardt lost his life in one such crash in the Daytona 500 in 2001. Thankfully, there were no such big crashes during this 400.

Ironically, with a huge field of 43 cars, 21 of which were Chevrolets (the brand with the most number of race wins and championships in NASCAR) with 13 Fords and nine Toyotas making up the rest of the grid, the winner was a Toyota Camry-bodied tube-frame racecar driven by Matt Kenseth. You can’t win ‘em all.

So after an overload of big-block V8’s, how did we find the 1.4-liter Chevrolet Trax? I’ve seen the new Trax in the Paris and LA Auto Shows last year and it actually made its Philippine debut appearance in the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS) last April. It looks great in the flesh (sheet metal?) and I have already pronounced it a big winner in the SUV/crossover-crazy local market for the Bowtie brand. It is currently being sold across five continents and is set to roll of local showrooms in the last quarter of this year.

Chevrolet’s new compact SUV will be available in two variants—LS and top-of-the-line LT. Size-wise, it falls in the price range occupied by the new Honda HR-V, the Subaru XV, and the Mitsubishi ASX. Price-wise, it has an advantage with its price starting at just under P1 million.

Like its rivals, the Trax combines style, car-like maneuverability and SUV versatility. Its styling, with its powerful bodylines, that bold Chevrolet “face and the tall ride height,” is youthful and dynamic.

The body panels are complemented by 17-inch alloy wheels and an imposing domed hood that niftily hides the wipers. The “active” look is enhanced by roof rails that can accommodate luggage, camping awnings and lifestyle equipment like bikes and surfboards.

Under the hood is a turbocharged 1.4-liter, Euro 4-compliant gasoline engine paired with a 6-speed automatic transmission with manumatic mode. The addition of a turbo to a relatively small engine results in generous power and torque while achieving high fuel efficiency, especially in stop and go traffic.

The same powertrain that runs the Chevrolet Sonic RS and Cruze Eco in other markets produces best-in-class figures of 140 hp and 200 Nm of torque and is expected to post the best performance figures in the local compact SUV segment.

“We are pleased to announce the addition of the Chevrolet Trax to our vehicle line” says Chevrolet Philippines president Atty. Alberto Arcilla, who was with us in Detroit. “The Chevrolet Trax shows Chevrolet’s new authentic, young and modern auto-making spirit and we look forward to offering this outstanding compact SUV option to Filipinos in the fourth quarter of 2015,” adds Atty. Arcilla.

The Chevrolet Trax will have six airbags (dual front, side and curtains) and a standard Electronic Stability Program (ESP) which includes ABS and Electronic Brakeforce Distribution (EBD). Parking safety and ease are both achieved through the reversing camera and sensors. Both Trax variants’ safety features are enhanced by Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Traction Control System (TCS), Hill Start Assist (HSA), Cornering Brake Control (CBC) and Panic Brake Assist (PBA). In addition, the range-topping LT will have Rear Wheel Boost (RWB), Roll Over Mitigation (ROM), Straight Line Stability (SLS), Engine Drag Control (EDC) and Hill Descent Control (HDC)—features previously found only in high-end SUV’s like the Range Rover and BMW X5.

Thankfully, we didn’t need any of those active and passive safety features during our close to 200 miles driving it on city streets and freeways in and out of Detroit, but we did get to experience the vehicle’s dynamic performance. It feels closest to the 1.8-liter HR-V in its balance between a comfy ride and responsive handling as well as in the response from its turbo 1.4 engine.

The Trax raises local segment standards in touch and feel while maintaining functionality, Chevrolet decked-out the Trax with leather seats, steering-mounted audio switches and a 7-inch, full-color Chevrolet MyLink infotainment system with Bluetooth, USB and AUX connectivity. Build quality and overall fit and finish is right up there with the best from Japan and Europe.

It can seat five and will include a fold-flat, 60/40 split rear seats. The Trax boasts 15 storage locations and up to 1,370 liters of storage space. Head- and legroom for front and rear passengers are generous given its compact size.

Chevrolet Philippines’s promise of providing reliable and worry-free ownership will be extended to future Trax owners. Under the Chevrolet Complete care program, Chevrolet Trax owners shall have a 5-year, 100,000 km bumper-to-bumper warranty—the best in its segment—a free 3-year, 24/7 roadside assistance and access to the Chevrolet Customer Assistance hotline that offers vehicle support, personal assistance and information service.

Things are certainly looking up for the Bowtie brand as it flexs its muscles, both in Detroit and, soon, in Manila.