While General Motors initially had no plans to offer the Chevrolet Trax in the United States, the small crossover followed the successful Buick Encore and was launched in America for the 2015 model year. It had just one engine option - a 1.4-liter turbo engine but for the 2021 model year, it is getting a new and more powerful mill.
While the displacement remains the same,
the new powertrain offers 153 hp and 240 Nm of torque versus 138 hp and 201 Nm from
the outgoing engine. At a glance, it may seem just like a more powerful version
of the same engine but it’s an entirely different unit.
The 2015-2020 Trax used the 1.4-liter LUV
GM engine, which is a port-injected mill based on the first-generation Ecotec
engine family. It was a relatively capable unit but the new one features direct
injection and was first introduced for the Cruze. In the hatchback, the
so-called LE2 engine had a start-stop function but at this point, it’s not
clear whether it’ll be available for the 2021 Trax.
