CD Article: 2009 Toyota Corolla and Matrix

[Cortina]

the Auris as the new Matrix, very smart I'd say.

Hard to tell really from the front.

Read: http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-summary.aspx?NEW_USED=1&MA_TYPE=1&MA=42&RT=2697&Submit1=GO

Watch: http://www.whatcar.com/car-review-video.aspx?RT=2697

 

[AVToller]

"floor was low and the seats were higher with a highish roof yet still looked clean and sleak, lot of usable rear and cargo space, great fuel economy. Perfect for older folks wanting higher hip-points for ingress/egress or as a more affordable and fuel efficient alternative to a compact ute."

Excellent summary of what I liked about the Matrix when I was looking in the summer of 2005. The "higher hip-points" was a definite plus over the Mazda3. In the end, it was a bit too dull and too large for my needs/wants, but I thought it a good overall package. I don't like the idea of the seating being lowered. There are relatively few non "UTEs" or "CUVs" that have elevated seating. BTW, by brother's Outback was quite difficult for ingress/egress compared to my Yaris.

[slybry]

Nice to see 2.4 available in Matrix. What is not so nice is the dashboard. I was really hoping for a big change there. The dash looks to similar to present Matrix. Looks cheap and over the top. It looks nowhere near as refined and upscale as Mazda 3 sport.  Oh how I wish they would just put Corolla dash in Matrix. This design might be appealling to kids but not to me (I am not a kid anymore).

[Mitlov]

Toyota delayed the release of the Corolla by a year to bring us THIS?  This is the most underwhelming new compact car since the 2008 Focus.  Maybe it will do well with the geriatric "just get me a reliable transportation appliance" crowd, but I can't imagine this out-doing cars like the Astra, Civic, and Jetta for the rest of us.

[Rupert]

I think that the Matrix, as was, appealed to all age groups. A very nice package. There are many who never buy into the sporty, racy, speedy Gonzales thing being preoccupied with important things. Don't know about the stearing but if you take your mother for a ride out from her retirement home, you certainly would appreciate the easy entry and egress. I suppose that all baby boomers are elderly hey.
Years ago cars were advertised by referring to the top speed and acceleration. I think this practice was banned. In view of the onward quest for greater numbers maybe horsepowers and torque should recieve the same treatment now. Does not mean a great deal anyway. Engine size and fuel efficiency is what is required. Comes to something when a probably optimistic number can break the sale of a product that the prospective customer would have found very satisfactory. What does the i mean?
Yes, the Yaris is easy to enter and exit except with the sport bucket seats, the side bolsters of which provide some interference.

[carcrazy]

Maybe it will do well with the geriatric "just get me a reliable transportation appliance" crowd, but I can't imagine this out-doing cars like the Astra, Civic, and Jetta for the rest of us.

Not to mention the Mazda3  , which I think it's still the segment leader after all the rest have redesigned their models.

I would also hold off assuming that the car has above average reliability until some hard data comes in. Just being a Toyota doesn't guarantee anything anymore.

It will be interesting to see if Corolla will steal sales (if any) from Civic or Mazda3? Not the standing is Civic, Mazda3, Corolla, but it will be interesting to watch the fight after the new Corolla reaches the dealerships.

[gotak]

Fascinating that these grocery getters can come with 215-45/17 or even 215-45/18 tires.   That will be a shock when people go to buy snow tires and even worse, when they hit a pothole.

That was my thoughts too. It's now trying to attract more "young" buyers with larger rims etc but all it does it make it a middle of the road car. It's not sporty enough to really give the civic a run for it's (the new engine's not good enough for the boy racer) money but at the same time not as practical as before(bigger outside but same wheel base and same interior room? That sounds odd). Overall I feel underwhelmed by this redesign.

[Rupert]

Sounds like the track is 60mm wider with more overhang each end. To compensate for this footprint and keep the weight down (presumably to what it was before) they took material out of the height. Otherwise the extra weight of a larger body would have increased the fuel consumption. IMO

[lucid0703]

The side profile of Corolla makes me think it's actually a refresh of the current model, rather than a completely new body.
The front looks good. The sportiest Corolla ever. That's the only thing I like about this so-called 'new' model.

[Schmengie]

As with the Corolla, front seat-mounted side airbags, two-row side air curtains and front active headrests are now standard equipment. Additionally, front and rear disc brakes are standard on all models, as are anti-lock brakes.

And Toyota FINALLY gets their collective heads out of their asses. 

That new Matrix is fugly beyond belief. Wow. They fix the engine and safety issues and then make it repelling.

The new Corolla does exactly what it has to do, and it will sell well.

  The 'new' Corolla looks like a re-hash to me, but you're probably right - it'll sell like it always has. I hope the driving experience is better, though. I recently drove an '07 Corolla and was I surprised by it's rough-sounding engine and cramped interior. I'm sure it'll be as reliable as an anvil, but the '09 Corolla needs more visual appeal IMHO. The current Maxda3 has been around for 5 years and is a MUCH nicer looking vehicle.

The new Matrix is what really shocked me.  The old one was no beauty, but this is the worst-looking Toyota I think I've ever seen. It looks like Toyota used a melted wax model of the old Matrix as inspiration for the new one and then went out of their way to uglify that. Those rear-quarter windows are just too strange, and I hate the super-high beltline. 

[Arctic_White]

This engine produces 132 hp at 6,000 rpm and 128 lb-ft of torque at 4,400 rpm.

Way to be at the bottom of the class!

Civic 140hp 6300rpm 128 lb-ft at 4300 rpm

Mazda 3
(base 2.0) 148hp 6500 135lb-ft 4500rpm

No I'm not saying this is a deal breaker as people don't race these things. Just that when you come with a brand new design after a long model run you should start out class leading.

I bet it does lead out with class-leading fuel economy, and that's what most folks want (as you said so yourself that people don't race these type of cars). 

 

[jane]

US is being treated as a third rate market...how do u explain lauching same car which is being selling in other market for so long. check this  
theyreviewed.blogspot.com

[JSCC]

I don't see your point.

Other than American domestics, most vehicles are launched in other countries first.

[Greg B.]

The Matrix looks OK in the front view. At least it doesn't have the awful headlight-to-hood fit issue that the Corolla seems stricken with. That gap looks like crap. But the interior of the Matrix? Ewwwww... what were they thinking on that dashboard? Looks like a bunch of leftover bits someone was given the task of using -- nothing seems designed to go with anything else. However, I fully expect both will sell like mad regardless of price and performance issues, even if Toyota's quality problems rear their ugly heads on these like they have on other recent introductions. Many people are conditioned like pavlovian dogs to buy anything Toyota churns out because they are brainwashed that it has to be good.

[articsteve]

Many people are conditioned like pavlovian dogs to buy anything Toyota churns out because they are brainwashed that it has to be good.

 

[jww]

On the design front, I find these both more boring than the current models. I like the current Matrix - but not this new one. It seems like a step backwards to me. Take a look at the front end. It reminds one of the old Echo. One of Toyota's better designs. imo, but it doesn't work on the larger Corolla. I am tired of sighing and wishing for the Corolla and Verso from other geos - they are much better designs than the ones we get here. But we'll have to continue to pine while Toyota continues to bring boring designs to our shores.

[Leviathan]

I find these both more boring than the current models.

Is that possible? On the upside you get this dandy CD compliments of Toyota:

[articsteve]

 



Recent GM owners get this added BONUS CD. 

[Cortina]

Many people are conditioned like pavlovian dogs to buy anything Toyota churns out because they are brainwashed that it has to be good.

 

Oh really I would have never have guess.  But it mostly true. Toyotas are really appliances, they have long stop being cars.

[carnut]

The new Matrix looks like an insect. A very ugly insect, like a cockroach.

The redesign of the Corolla on the other hand, looks much better. The interior looks much more upscale than the outgoing ones. Here are some of the positive things I see:

-more durable looking "lid" (lack of a better word) under the climate controls, Corolla owners would know what I am talking about. Most of the current generation Corollas have that lid broke off because it's so flimsy and poorly made.

-more aggressive looking front end, the lower and wider dimension also helped

-standard ABS and side airbags

-looks simple and cheap, so I expect it to price lower than the Civic

Here's the bad:

-lack of innovation, base 1.8 with 6hp increase?? Come on! And it's mated to a 4sp auto. Even the Honda Fit has 5sp. And the 2.4 engine is just lame for XRS duty. I understand that Toyota wants to put in existing engine designs rather than creating a new engine, and just so happens that at the moment, there aren't any "sporty" 4cyl in their disposal. Ok, fair enough. But at least put a little effort into tuning it. Maybe squeeze out another 10hp from it? Maybe 20hp? Maybe it should come standard with the TRD supercharger? It's embarrassing how Honda can make their 2.4 putting out 190hp on regular gas. Come on Toyota! The 2.4 is in a XRS, not a LE. Horsepower figures do help selling them.

-lack of side moulding. I for one, like side mouldings. Especially unpainted ones. At least leave them on for the base model. People do use these cars for grocery shopping, and it would be to have such battle gear for the parking lots.

-rear bumper design. Why did they put two red reflectors on the side? Maybe they are actual lights, but even then I wouldn't want it. It looks horrible. It increases production cost. It increases bumper replacement cost. It takes me 10 more seconds to wash the car. It just isn't functional. There's nothing good with putting two embarrassing pimples on the bumper. If they want to throw money at it, how about better tires?

I hope the throttle is better in the new car. The switch to drive by wire from 05 just makes the car irritating. Oh the lag! Maybe they did it for emission reason. However, I rented a Chevy Cobalt before, put over 10000km on it (coast to coast driving), and it felt just like a cable throttle. If Chevy can do it, why not Toyota?

And please Toyota, don't cheap out on interior plastic.