Just like the Geo Tracker before it, Chevrolet’s 2015 Trax an attempt at small-SUV redemption

By Stephen Edelstein April 15, 2014

Cobalt ignition switches aside, anyone who thinks General Motors is in trouble now should take a look at the Chevrolet Tracker. This Suzuki-based mini-ute was a portrait of automotive underachievement.

GM probably won’t encourage comparisons between the Tracker and the 2015 Chevrolet Trax, which debuted at 2014 New York Auto Show, but it’s hard not to make them. Even the name sounds similar (it’s actually taken from a 2007 concept).

Like the Tracker, the Trax was also designed with global sales in mind. It’s been on sale in Canada, Mexico, and several other markets since late 2012, and now GM has decided to bring it to the U.S.

This micro-crossover rides on the same Gamma II platform as the Chevy Sonic and Spark, and Buick Encore. So it’s better to think of it as the Buick’s working-class cousin than a neo-Tracker.

While the Trax and Encore followed different paths to U.S. showrooms, they are pretty much the same. They’re almost identical in size, and they both use the Chevy Cruze’s 1.4-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, which produces 138 horsepower and 148 pound-feet of torque.

As with the Buick, the Trax comes with a six-speed automatic transmission and a choice of front- or all-wheel drive. Yet while the Buick is somewhat interesting to look at, the Trax’s Equinox-like styling won’t garner any second glances.

The interior isn’t much better, although it does feature the nifty instrument binnacle from the Sonic and Spark, plus a seven-inch touch screen. There are also plenty of available tech options, including Siri Eyes Free, Onstar 4G LTE with built-in Wi-Fi hotspot, and Chevy’s MyLink infotainment system. A rearview camera is standard.

The 2015 Chevrolet Trax goes on sale in the U.S. next year. Pricing will be announced closer to the on-sale date. Hopefully this latest small Chevy will avoid the mediocrity of the Tracker, and make its own tracks.

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Stephen Edelstein

Contributing Editor

Stephen is a freelance automotive journalist covering all things cars. He likes anything with four wheels, from classic cars…

Cars

Tesla posts exaggerate self-driving capacity, safety regulators say

Beta of Tesla's FSD in a car.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is concerned that Tesla’s use of social media and its website makes false promises about the automaker’s full-self driving (FSD) software.
The warning dates back from May, but was made public in an email to Tesla released on November 8.
The NHTSA opened an investigation in October into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with the FSD software, following three reported collisions and a fatal crash. The investigation centers on FSD’s ability to perform in “relatively common” reduced visibility conditions, such as sun glare, fog, and airborne dust.
In these instances, it appears that “the driver may not be aware that he or she is responsible” to make appropriate operational selections, or “fully understand” the nuances of the system, NHTSA said.
Meanwhile, “Tesla’s X (Twitter) account has reposted or endorsed postings that exhibit disengaged driver behavior,” Gregory Magno, the NHTSA’s vehicle defects chief investigator, wrote to Tesla in an email.
The postings, which included reposted YouTube videos, may encourage viewers to see FSD-supervised as a “Robotaxi” instead of a partially automated, driver-assist system that requires “persistent attention and intermittent intervention by the driver,” Magno said.
In one of a number of Tesla posts on X, the social media platform owned by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a driver was seen using FSD to reach a hospital while undergoing a heart attack. In another post, a driver said he had used FSD for a 50-minute ride home. Meanwhile, third-party comments on the posts promoted the advantages of using FSD while under the influence of alcohol or when tired, NHTSA said.
Tesla’s official website also promotes conflicting messaging on the capabilities of the FSD software, the regulator said.
NHTSA has requested that Tesla revisit its communications to ensure its messaging remains consistent with FSD’s approved instructions, namely that the software provides only a driver assist/support system requiring drivers to remain vigilant and maintain constant readiness to intervene in driving.
Tesla last month unveiled the Cybercab, an autonomous-driving EV with no steering wheel or pedals. The vehicle has been promoted as a robotaxi, a self-driving vehicle operated as part of a ride-paying service, such as the one already offered by Alphabet-owned Waymo.
But Tesla’s self-driving technology has remained under the scrutiny of regulators. FSD relies on multiple onboard cameras to feed machine-learning models that, in turn, help the car make decisions based on what it sees.
Meanwhile, Waymo’s technology relies on premapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-light radar), which might be very costly, but has met the approval of safety regulators.

Cars

Scout Traveler SUV vs. Rivian R1S: modern electric SUVs compared

Scout Motors Traveler SUV in a forest

Scout Motors has made a big comeback, now under the guidance of Volkswagen Group. Not only is the Scout brand being reinvigorated but it has already announced two new models in the form of the Scout Terra truck and the Scout Traveler SUV. The Scout Traveler SUV in particular is an interesting vehicle, but it has an uphill battle ahead of it thanks to competition from the likes of Rivian.

The Rivian R1S is often considered to be the best electric SUV out there right now, and while it's not cheap, it offers an excellent set of tech features, a long range, and more. So how does the Scout Traveler SUV compare with the R1S? We put the two vehicles head to head to find out.
Design
The exterior designs of the Scout Traveler and the Rivian R1S are similar in many ways, though there are some major differences. Both vehicles offer a relatively blocky shape characteristic of a traditional SUV. The Traveler is a little more traditional than the Rivian in that it has a spare tire on the back, which is both practical and gives it a rugged vibe.

Cars

Waymo, Nexar present AI-based study to protect ‘vulnerable’ road users

waymo data vulnerable road users ml still 1 ea18c3

Robotaxi operator Waymo says its partnership with Nexar, a machine-learning tech firm dedicated to improving road safety, has yielded the largest dataset of its kind in the U.S., which will help inform the driving of its own automated vehicles.

As part of its latest research with Nexar, Waymo has reconstructed hundreds of crashes involving what it calls ‘vulnerable road users’ (VRUs), such as pedestrians walking through crosswalks, biyclists in city streets, or high-speed motorcycle riders on highways.