When it’s time to head off to college, not every student can afford the car of their dreams or the most top-end trim line of their favorite brand. In fact, most college students are strapped for cash; usually they’re in need of help from the folks and are more often than not looking to pinch pennies and scrape dollar bills from between the couch cushions as often as possible. This also applies to buying a vehicle. If you can afford to buy new, most times, you’re going to want to go with something at the lower end of the market when it comes to entry-level prices, and you’re also going to be concerned with upkeep, maintenance costs, and reliability. So for a college student looking to buy their first car or maybe upgrade to an SUV, here are six reasons college students should consider getting a 2022 Chevy Trax.
#6 – Affordable Price
The most important aspect of any major purchase is going to be the price, and if you were eyeing a brand new vehicle, then there aren’t too many on the market at the moment that are feature-rich with a great entry-level price for college students. The 2022 Chevy Trax, however, happens to be one of those vehicles. It still fits comfortably within the price range of something you can afford or have a parent co-sign for and tackle the monthly payments with no problems.
The 2022 Chevy Trax avoids the pitfalls of being priced just outside the range of most middle-class college students. So this is another added benefit. If you didn’t want to buy a used vehicle, or if you already had a used vehicle and you wanted to upgrade to something new, the Trax is an affordable alternative. A low price of entry makes the Trax a great consideration for college students, who are already dealing with a lot of other financial responsibilities.
#5 – Low Operating Costs
When you have to consider costs of tuition, costs of books, sometimes even the costs of room and board, college life can quickly rack up a hefty bill. It’s no wonder that so many college students are coming out of their degree programs with student loan debts up to their ears. The last thing anyone wants to deal with is exorbitant vehicle operating costs. This is where the 2022 Chevy Trax comes into play.
If you’re curious about how the regular operating costs stack up for the Trax, it isn’t bad at all. This compact SUV has solid fuel economy, so you won’t be paying a fortune at the pump, and Chevys are known for having affordable maintenance costs when something does go wrong. Furthermore, the costs can be even lower if you opt to do a little of the under-the-hood work yourself. Changing the oil, swapping the filters, and rotating the tires yourself can shave off a few hundred bucks and make the Trax even more cost-effective during your college years.
#4 – Safety and Driver-Assist Features
Most college students just don’t care that much about paying for a vehicle that’s all safety and no pizzazz. Let’s be honest; there is a certain element of style and “cool” factor that most young people want out of a vehicle. And a large, safety-first style vehicle, like a full-size SUV or a highly rated sedan, probably doesn’t seem all that appealing to the average college-age driver. However, the 2022 Chevy Trax manages to weave its way into the fold by being small and hip enough to attract the attention of young drivers, but still safe enough for parents to feel comfortable and confident in their child driving the vehicle back and forth to campus.
The 2022 Trax comes with a lot of the standard safety features you would expect from a modern-day SUV. This includes ten airbags, StabiliTrak, and a standard rear-vision camera. Available aids in the form of rear cross traffic alert, rear parking assist, and side blind zone alerts can help sweeten the appeal of the Trax if you opt for the Driver Confidence Package, which includes all the necessary safety add-ons you could want. This is probably a feature that parents or guardians are more concerned about than the average college student, but it’s an important set of features nonetheless.
#3 – Easy-To-Handle With Proper Cargo Space
Buying a vehicle isn’t all just about price and safety. Another big issue when it comes to buying a vehicle is handling and cargo capacity. Now the Chevy Trax wasn’t designed for towing heavy loads or packing up the rear with lots of stuff. It’s a subcompact SUV designed for light handling, easy maneuvering, and just enough space for the necessities. This is another thing that really makes it an ideal pick for college students.
The 1.4-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder and 6-speed automatic transmission mean you get just enough power to maneuver the Trax around an urban campus. There’s enough horsepower to get you to and from your destination and enough room for up to five people. The 2022 Chevy Trax provides a maximum cargo space of 48.4 cubic feet of space behind the first row. So you can store books, papers, binders, backpacks, projects, or curriculum of all kinds within the Trax with ease.
#2 – Latest Infotainment Technology
Let’s not kid ourselves, most young people love all the high-tech gadgetry that the consumer market can throw at them, and they want it in whatever vehicle it is they’re driving. The average college student likely can’t go five feet without their smart device, and since it’s dangerous to text and drive, the next best thing is to remove the typing process from the texting equation. A variety of vehicles make hands-free texting – along with a few other nifty infotainment features – available as part of an entire suite of technology, and the 2022 Chevy Trax is one of those vehicles.
Fitted with the Chevrolet Infotainment 3 System, featuring a 7-inch diagonal color touchscreen, wireless Bluetooth support, and compatibility for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it means there’s no separation anxiety between college kids and their smartphone once they set foot within the Trax’s cabin. You can pair your device to the infotainment system and listen to your favorite playlists, media, and streaming content at the press of a button. The added benefit of Bluetooth voice recognition also means you can make calls, send text messages, and even scroll through your multimedia using voice-activated, hands-free technology. So it’s both safe and effective, perfect for a college student.
#1 – Fuel Economy
One of the most important aspects of a vehicle isn’t just spending the money to purchase it but also spending the money on upkeep. While maintenance can be staved off with some common tactics to maintain the longevity and functionality of the vehicle, one thing you can’t get around is fuel economy. Every vehicle will need to be refueled, and this is where it can absolutely wreak havoc on the budget of someone already penny-pinching and saving every dime and dollar they can.
The 2022 Chevy Trax is a pretty big boon in this department because the front-wheel drive configuration nets you nearly 400 miles of travel on a single tank of gas. The actual EPA-rated fuel economy clocks in at 24 miles per gallon in the city and up to 32 miles per gallon on the highway. So if you live relatively close to where you take most of your courses and do your shopping, you can easily save lots of cash with a 2022 Chevy Trax in the fuel economy department. This is just another reason it’s a good entry-level vehicle worth considering for college students.