The 2020 Chevrolet Trax is a practical and affordable option if you’re looking for a subcompact SUV, but customers don’t seem to be too happy with their purchase. On the surface, the Trax seems to have everything you’d want from an SUV of its small stature, including a spacious interior big enough for the whole family, enough cargo space for gym bags and soccer duffels, and decent fuel economy with a reported average of 25mpg. After a few weeks of owning the Chevrolet Trax, however, owners have found themselves fed up with some major problems.

Why complain about the Chevy Trax?

Buying a new car can be exciting, and during that excitement, it’s easier to focus on all of the good things that you love about your new car rather than what you don’t think will matter later on, especially if that new car has a price tag of just $21,300. The Chevrolet Trax isn’t necessarily a bad option for an SUV, as they’ve been reliable so far this year with no recalls despite a history of having some questionable reliability in older models. So what is there to complain about?

The interior of the Chevrolet Trax might be spacious for the SUV’s small stature, but it isn’t very comfortable. The seats aren’t padded well and will leave your joints feeling stiff if you commute too far to work. The cabin is overall minimal and not in a modest way — there aren’t a lot of options on the base model, and that doesn’t really change much with higher trim levels.

An unexpected letdown

The Chevrolet Trax is no luxury SUV, and that reflects in the car overall, but you can’t knock it for its low price. On even the highest trim level you can be a new Trax for less than $30,000, but it still lacks a lot of optional add-ons and safety features that we would like to see.

The Trax offers an overall poor driving experience in comparison to some of the brand’s higher model SUVs — but again, you get what you pay for here. This compact SUV doesn’t give owners a sporty drive and the acceleration is not as responsive as many drivers would hope.

One major thing that buyers aren’t complaining about is the cost of the Chevrolet Trax, and even with its highest trim level and all of the options, it is still one of the most affordable SUV options on the new-car market. It may lack a lot of features and comfort that consumers are looking for, but when it comes to saving money we all have to make sacrifices. What you can expect is decent gas mileage and a relatively reliable vehicle that you won’t feel bad adding an endless amount of miles too.