Trax Awarded MAMA’s “Favorite Affordable Vehicle”

The acronym for the Midwest Automotive Media Association is MAMA, and they take advantage of their moniker when naming their top vehicles of the year. So much so that they describe their award winners as “favorites,” as in “Mama’s favorites.” This fall, they named seven “favorites,” each in a different category. McFarland Chevrolet is pleased to tell you that the redesigned Chevrolet Trax is MAMA’s Favorite Affordable Vehicle. All seven categories will now compete for the MAMA’s Favorite Vehicle title for 2024.

Who’s Your MAMA?

The Midwest Automotive Media Association was formed 33 years ago and now comprises 273 automotive journalists and public relations professionals from across the US and Canada. As part of their job, the automotive journalists individually test drive vehicles for their respective media organizations. They gather to view vehicles together and compare notes once in the spring and twice in the fall. At the MAMA’s Favorites Fall Fest, they will each cast their vote on the category winners. 

New Award Structure

The awarding of seven category winners is new for MAMA. In previous years, they only issued awards for Family Vehicle of the Year and Luxury Family Vehicle of the Year. Those awards are now two out of seven award categories. The change reflects the great diversity of available vehicles, including performance vehicles, off-road vehicles, pickup trucks, and EVs. Candidates must be new, redesigned, or significantly changed. The seven category winners were selected from over 100 possible candidates. 

“With more than 100 new, redesigned, or refreshed vehicles MAMA members could drive during 2023, it was time to assess the breadth and depth of product at each event and for the year as a whole,” said Robert Duffer, MAMA President. “You could say MAMA loves all of her vehicles equally, but everyone knows there’s only one MAMA’s Favorite.”

Trax: Award-Winning Affordability

While MAMA did not elaborate on why they selected the Trax, the reasons are easy to determine. The Trax significantly increased in size and dramatically changed inside and out design. It is Chevrolet’s most affordable model line, with a starting MSRP of $21,495. Even the top-level 2RS and Activ grades start at just $24,995 yet do not appear as an economy car. It can comfortably seat five or carry up to 54.1 cubic feet of cargo and includes up-scale features such as:

• Chevy Safety Assist with six advanced safety and driver awareness technologies
• An 11-inch-diagonal screen on LT, 2RS, and ACTIV trims
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability
• LED headlamps
• 17-inch, 18-inch or 19-inch wheels
• Active Noise Cancellation

On February 8th, at the 2024 Chicago Auto Show, during a breakfast hosted by MAMA, they will announce which of the seven finalists will be awarded MAMA’s favorite vehicle for 2024. Since these are, by definition, very different vehicles, they will be judged by what they offer to their respective categories, not against each other. But when it comes to affordable vehicles, they have already decided. If you want an affordable yet useful new car with great styling, come to McFarland  Chevrolet to see MAMA’s favorite.