The brief review of the car "Toyota-Matrix"

Over the project of Toyota Matrix, the photo of which is below, the designers of the Japanese company worked together with representatives of the American corporation General Motors. The creation of the model began in 2001. The result of the work was the emergence two years later of a compact car built on a platform with a front-wheel drive, borrowed from the Corolla modification. The car was designed exclusively for the North American market, and its production is established in the Canadian Cambridge.

Debut

As already noted above, in 2003, the official debut of the first generation of the Toyota-Matrix model took place. Reviews of the first car buyers in general characterized it very positively. At the same time, there were some complaints about the novelty, in connection with which, in two years, a slightly improved version appeared. The designers slightly changed the form of the radiator grille, removed the lower spoiler from the front bumper (some of the drivers complained that when parking, it breaks off), and on the rear lights appeared transparent cases.

In total, three variants of the Toyota Matrix model were provided. The characteristics of cars, from a technical point of view, were by no means the only difference. In particular, the XR and XRS modifications, unlike the Standard version, received a richer list of equipment and a stylish body kit. Under the hoods were installed two engine variants in volume of 1,8 liters. In this case, one of them was borrowed from the "Selika" model. Powerplants worked complete with automatic transmission for four stages or with a six-speed automatic.

The second generation

Presentation of the second and at the moment the latest generation of the Toyota-Matrix was held in 2007 in the US city of Las Vegas. This happened during the SEMA exhibition, dedicated to special equipment developed for the automotive industry. A year later the model appeared on a free sale in Canada and the USA. It will be discussed in more detail later.

Appearance

The designers left the same platform for the new generation of the Toyota-Matrix model (reviews of users and experts in the automotive sphere are a vivid confirmation that this is a fairly successful solution). The model received new, narrower headlights, an updated hood and radiator grille (now it is in the form of the letter "U", and not trapezoid, as before). On the front bumper was installed air intake rectangular shape. The car's windows were already on, and the glass rear posts were replaced by metal ones. This had a positive effect on the aerodynamic characteristics of the car. Among other things, you can not fail to note the stylistic lines on the body, coming from the bottom of the front doors to the end of the rear wheel arches.

Salon

In general, the interior of the Toyota Matrix car indicates that it is aimed at young drivers. The central console is characterized by the design of "aluminum". The machine has a three-spoke steering wheel, an original dashboard with red scale illumination and round deflectors for controlling ventilation and other systems.

There are no claims to functionality either. There are no extra buttons on the front panel, everything is at hand. It also carried a gear lever, which significantly increases the free space for the front passenger and the driver. At a high level is the interior decoration, for which high-quality materials are used. Separate praise deserves noise isolation, in connection with which the engine becomes audible only in the case when the arrow of the tachometer shows more than 3,5 thousand revolutions. As standard, the car includes cruise control, air conditioning, an audio system with six speakers, electronic mirror adjustment and so on.

Specifications

To install under the hood of Toyota Matrix cars, there are two variants of gasoline engines. In the role of the first of them is an improved version of the 1.8-liter unit, which was successfully used in the first generation. The power of the unit is 132 horsepower. The second engine is completely new, it was designed directly for this car. Its volume is 2.4 liters, and the maximum power is 158 "horses". As for the transmission, regardless of the engine, the car can be equipped with an "automatic" for four or five stages or a five-speed "mechanics".

Four-wheel drive version

The revolutionary solution for the latest generation of the Toyota Matrix was a four-wheel drive version . The modification in which it is available is called S. Compared to the standard versions, this car is slightly smaller in size. Under normal conditions, only the front wheels are driving. The rear axle is connected at the expense of a special clutch only when the machine starts to slip. Whatever it was, even this model is difficult to be called the best option for traveling off-road, because its clearance is only 134 millimeters. On the other hand, as studies show, this machine is capable of giving odds to many other cars with four-wheel drive when driving on snow-covered trails.