Toyota Matrix XRS Part 1: Design Review

The techniques of marketing are a curious thing. You'd think that a product could just stand on its own merits within its intended market without a fancy name, but if you thought that, you'd be wrong.

The Toyota Matrix XRS is a perfect example. For all intents and purposes, a five-door wagon version of the great selling Toyota Corolla, the Matrix is really a "crossover", if you're willing to be seduced by the marketer’s jargon. Whether you choose to call it a crossover or a wagon or a 5-door hatchback, what the Matrix represents is sensible transportation dressed up to look more sporting than it actually is.

There's no disguising the awkward proportions of the Matrix: it's short in length, tall in height and narrow in beam. Not the best combination. However, Toyota's designers have done a fairly decent job of disguising its dimensional shortcomings.

First, there's an aggressive front-end which catches your attention immediately. The deep airdam with its blacked out center graphic and wrap-around driving lights wouldn't look out of place on a SEMA show car. Ditto the nicely shaped headlights and the grill's plastic mesh insert. All well done.

Less successful is the hood, which is a bit tall and the front overhang, which is a bit long. But given the Corolla hard-points underneath the skin and the new safety regulations requiring more clearance between the hood and those hard-points, that’s what you get.

Around the side we get more promises of performance in the great looking 18-in. split five-spoke wheels that would look more convincing if they were more flush fitting with the body. The tall body side is broken up by the sharp character line highlighting the front fender and less so, the rear fender - adding a dynamic touch. Less distinctive are the side window graphics, but the thick C-pillar at least adds a little bit of flair as it wraps around the back of the car.

At the back we see more sporting pretense in the blacked-out diffuser. While it isn't functional - and lets keep it real, they rarely are on street cars - aesthetically it does a good job of breaking up the thick rear bumper. Nice looking taillights and the obligatory rear spoiler finish off the sporty look of the sportiest Matrix.

Overall, it's difficult to fault the design of this little wagon. Given its roots as a Toyota Corolla, its designers have actually done a good job. Still, the Matrix XRS doesn't excite me, it doesn't make me smile and it doesn't really capture my eye. It's not bland like its more plebeian donor car, but neither is it compelling.

Crossover, five-door wagon, sporty hatchback or whatever else you may want to call it, the Toyota Matrix XRS will win buyers with its practicality, its economy, and its manufacturer's reputation for reliability. But I venture to say that its aesthetics may challenge more than seduce.

Watch the video
Read Part 2: Interior & User Experience
Read Part 3: Performance

Toyota Matrix XRS

Performance
- Acceleration: Small engine overwhelmed by too much weight results in lackluster acceleration
- Handling: Good tires can't overcome a chassis lacking any kind of athleticism
- Braking: Squirmy handling while braking at or near the limit - brakes are effective though

Design
- Exterior: Aggressive front end and "XRS" badging are misleading - tall, narrow and short design makes for bad proportions
- Interior: A bit busy with lower quality plastics than you'd expect from the world's largest car maker

Utility
- Comfort: Good seats front and rear - decent seating position as well
- Space: Folding seats (including the front passenger's) offer lots of space for cargo - good space for four people

Safety
- Dynamics: Overactive stability control and softly-sprung chassis conspire to keep the aggressive BFG tires from doing their thing, but optional AWD will keep things safe under all conditions
- Technology: Stability control, ABS, airbags, etc. - it's all here

Value
- Price: Decent value as a small cross-over/wagon, but not as a sport compact in the mold of the Civic Si or Mazdaspeed3
- Mileage: If you're not in a hurry (and therefore on the gas), it will return decent numbers

Emotional Appeal
- Heart thumpin' factor: Looks will win over some, but otherwise this one is a flat-liner
- Fun to spank: Not even a little, but in all fairness, that's just not its intent

SPECIFICATIONS

Layout: Front engine / Front wheel drive
Engine: 2.4 liter, DOHC inline 4 cylinder
Power (SAE): 158 hp @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 162 lbs-ft @ 4000 rpm
Gearbox: 5 speed automatic
Curb Weight: 3220 lbs.
0-60 mph: 8.1 sec.
1/4 mile: 16.2 sec. @ 86 mph
Top Speed: 125 mph
Mileage: 21 city / 29 highway
Base Price: $21,950
Competitors: Mazda Mazdaspeed3, Dodge Caliber SRT4, Volkswagen GTI, Subaru WRX