2009 Toyota Matrix S AWD

Retail Price as tested: $25,120.00

I love this way this car drove. It handles well and you have a hard time keeping it under the speed limit. I caught myself on several occasions going faster than the posted limit and had to slow down. The  suspension and traction control work fantastic. You really feel like you are driving a much more expensive sports car. I just wish Toyota would have put a little more sound insulation in the Matrix. The road noise is very loud and its a shame with all the other nice things they have done on this. I did enjoy driving this vehicle and the MPG is great. I achieved 31 mpg over 500 miles of driving ranging from city to highway. If you are looking for a car that drives like a sport cars but has room for 4 and still throw some cargo in the back the Matrix is for you. Its a great car at a great price.

For the Matrix home page click here.

The interior of the Matrix was very comfortable and versatile. You can fold down the rear seats and make large cargo area. It has a plastic finish in this area with some handy rubber strips built in that keep the cargo from sliding around. All cars should have this feature.  The right front seat folds down and turns into more cargo room or a table to work from. I found the interior to have a very roomy feeling with plenty of leg and head room for the front seats. The back seat leg room is less of course but you have to remember this vehicle is not meat to take the place of a full size vehicle although it comes close.

The S model has Radio and Cruise controls on a nice leather wrapped steering wheel.

Rear Seat folded down making room for more cargo. The black strips are rubber and hold the cargo in place.

The Toyota Corolla Matrix for 2009 is a second generation Matrix. The first generation came out in 2003 and ended in 2008. The changes in 2009 include redesigned seats, steering wheel, fold down front passenger seat that turns into a table, a “movable” cup holder in the center console, larger a/c vents for improved cooling, a new 2.4 engine, 4 wheel disc brakes on all models, and some minor body changes. The Matrix has good fit and finish for its price range. One thing I was surprised at (being its a Toyota) is I chased squeaks and rattles all over the interior. I did fix most of them but in some cases I could not. They seemed to be affected by temperature - I noticed more on cool days than I did when it was warm. As you can tell I am very picky about this sort of thing. Please read the rest of this review and make your own determination if a Matrix would be the right car for you.

For a complete list of Models & Options click here.

2.4 Liter DOHC 16 Valve VVT-i  4-Cylinder Engine The engine produces 158 hp @ 6000 rpm & 162 lb.-ft @ 4000 rpm of torque. The engine coupled with the 5 speed automatic transmission coupled with AWD makes the Matrix a fun car to drive. The power curve is great and it has plenty of power with great mpg. I got 31 mpg average over 500 miles of driving.

Engine and Transmission

The engine and transmission in the S model I drove worked very well. the car was fun to drive and the milage was great. My only complaint was that I wish the fuel tank was larger. It holds 13.2 gallons which means it has a range of about 350 miles. I know this is not a highway car but if fuel prices stay where they are manufacturers need to realise that people may use vehicles like the Matrix for their road trips. I like have vehicles for road trips that have a longer range so you aren’t stuck buying fuel at the most expensive fuel stations that are generally right off the freeway exit. For example if you worked in Denver but lived in Ft Collins you would fill up every 3rd day. The 1.8-liter double overhead cam 16-valve 4-cylinder in Matrix features dual independent Variable Valve Timing with intelligence (VVT-i). VVT-i allows camshaft timing to be adjusted to suit a broad range of conditions, this helps to maximise efficiency while delivering impressive performance.

For a demo of the engine please click here.

Interior

Handling & Performance

John Rush - Host

Gearhead Radio & Drive Radio

June 2008

For a audio version of my review - please visit www.gearheadradio.com.

Finding all the controls is a breeze and Toyota did a good job of placing everything within easy reach of the driver. I loved the dash and the “Optitron” gauges - they have a real sports car look while reducing eye strain. The NAV radio was another story. Toyota needs to look at Ford/Microsoft “Sync”. It was hard to use and I could not find a way to “display” songs when they are playing. Maybe I just did not know how to use it. The NAV portion worked well and the voice mapping is a nice feature but I don’t think I would pay the extra $1,520 for this option. The radio does have a port to plug your iPod or MP3 player and it worked well but does not control the unit remotely.