2023 Volkswagen ID.4 vs 2024 Chevrolet Trax

The Volkswagen ID.4 is still relatively new to the marketplace (it debuted for the 2021 model year) but VW is already making some important updates to keep it competitive and fulfill goals set when this compact electric SUV first launched.

The 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 adds a new base model and a smaller 62-kilowatt-hour battery pack alongside the carryover 82-kWh to increase affordability. VW will also begin sourcing cars for its United States dealerships from the same Chattanooga, Tennessee, factory that builds the gasoline-powered Atlas and Atlas Cross Sport. The automaker has been discussing this since the ID.4 was unveiled, but at first cars for the U.S. came from Zwickau, Germany.

The 2023 ID.4 retains single-motor rear-wheel drive (RWD) and dual-motor all-wheel drive (AWD) powertrain options, but gets revised exterior and interior styling, some software changes, and a few more standard tech features and driver aids.

The new-for-2023 base model is dubbed ID.4 Standard, slotting below the ID.4 S, ID.4 Pro, ID.4 Pro S, and ID.4 Pro S Plus trim levels (the Pro S Plus replaces the Gradient appearance package from previous model years). We recently spent a day driving a Pro S AWD model from Nashville to Chattanooga, along with a shorter drive in an ID.4 Standard model.

The Trax was launched for the 2015 model year as a no-frills subcompact crossover, designed to serve as basic transportation at an affordable cost. However, the Trax moldered in showrooms without any significant updates until the 2022 model year—when it was discontinued altogether.

But now the Trax is back in totally revamped, second-generation form. It's as big of a reimagining as you'll likely ever see in a car like this. The new Trax is bigger than before, more effort has been put into its styling, and Chevy has added the tech features that have become the norm since the original Trax was launched. Still the entry-level model in Chevy's lineup, the Trax sits below the Chevy Trailblazer, and takes aim at the Hyundai Venue and Nissan Kicks, but it was also designed to retain owners of discontinued small cars like the Chevy Cruze, Sonic, and Spark, bridging the gap between car and crossover.

The redesigned 2024 Trax launches in LS, 1RS, LT, 2RS, and Activ trim levels. We sampled 2RS and Activ models on roads around Asheville, North Carolina.