2009 Toyota Matrix

• Competes with: Mazda3, Dodge Caliber, Pontiac Vibe, Saturn Astra
• Looks like: A demonic little hatchback
• Drivetrain: 132-hp, 1.8-liter four-cylinder or 158-hp, 2.4-liter four-cylinder
• Hits dealerships: February 2008

While not nearly as important as the Corolla, the Matrix is still a part of the Toyota family, and it too gets an all-new design for 2009. We’re a bit surprised the Matrix is as aggressively styled as it is, though that’s not a bad thing. With its sloping roofline and sharp looks, it could really compete with the Mazda3 and Saturn Astra. 

Based on the new Corolla’s platform, which also underpins the 2008 Scion xB, the Matrix is significantly improved. If it handles anything like the Scion xB, we’ll be impressed.

Power is the same two engines as the new Corolla. Power for Standard and S trims is rated at 132 hp from a revised version of the previous four-cylinder engine, with mileage figures of 26/32 mpg city/highway with the manual transmission and 25/31 for the automatic. A performance XRS trim level will reappear for 2009 with the same 158-hp four-cylinder found in the Scion tC and xB. It gets 21/29 mpg in this application and is only mated to a five-speed automatic.

All-wheel drive will be an available option on the S trim level. More photos are below. Feel free to tell us what you think of the new Matrix. 

Comments

let me be the first to say..... no thanks!!! I much prefer the old one to this mess!!!

Nice to see the 2.4 liter in the XRS, but automatic only?!?! How about the return of AWD? Very popular here in Massachusetts, at least.

As for looks - forget about it.... mash the front of a 1998 Hyundai Tiburon with the back of a Suzuki hatchback and this is what you get

I was very interested in the new Matrix, but I'll keep my Mazda3 hatchback FOR SURE!!!

Wow that looks like a 4 door hatchback Yaris with a body kit.

Go Toyota for failing!

I really like the look. At least it's not boring.

Ken,

AWD will be an option on the S trip per Toyota's press release. Now if they offer it with a manual transmission people in New England will love it.

Uh... not horrible, but I expected more from Toyota... looks like being close to the number 1 spot in the US has endowed Toyota with some of GM's former complicity and overly mushy designs... yeesh... but I hope these new cars retain their Toyota quality and reliability because that's all that I care about in the end.

Looks like Kia & Subaru got 2gether! Looks a bit 1999 instead of 2009, IMHO!

since the AWD will be heavier, why don't they offer it with the bigger engine (same annoying thing with this last generation)???? too bad 90% of us only drive autos, no demand for manual. could be more fun

The front looks just like the insight while the back looks just like the Suzuki SX4.

Way to copy everyone else

This really shows they have Scion designers mixed into Toyota. Great idea. Toyota is back again and ready to win.

Nasty Looking!!!

LM - thx for the correction - I was so quick to criticize - I didn't even catch that in the article.

So anyways, for styling - it is true that it isn't boring, but I just get the sense that both the new Matrix and Corolla are a lumpy collection of styling details, seemingly designed by separate teams that never talked to each other, and the end result is a lot of clutter in a design that doesn't go together from front to back.

Doesn't do much for me. Looks too much like other vehicles that are already out there. Kinda boring.

It's highly expected that the critics on this blog would hate it no matter what. Honestly, the Matrix does not look like anything else out there. The Corolla on the other hand, leaves a lot to be desired.

doubt it will have the "quality" of past models; alot of new models from Toyota and Lexus have been plagued with problems.

Looks like the dead (good riddance) Saturn Ion Quad-Coupe. the interior isnt as bad as the Ion but is much like that of many new Toyotas...lots of plastic.

If GM goes thruogh with the design, i can see the Pontiac Vibe taking quite a bit of sales because the exterior looks so much better.

"aggressively styled" I don't think so...snooze

I'm a big Toyota fan - I own one. I was just expecting more ... somthing to set it apart from the competition. Something that toyota is known for. To me it's just too similar to a subaru and mazda 3.

The Pontiac wont take sales away from the Matrix because Pontiac is largely irrelevant to people searching for a Toyota.

It might push people to the scion xd instead. If they don't mind the smaller size and lower price.

I think there will be a lot of folks out there who don't want a Scion xB but will like the trims (AWD and XRS) and the styling isn't boring. It might not be to your liking but it's not vanilla. The Corolla is more vanilla, but again you can't do too much to a big seller and get away with it. Many people slammed Honda for having such a radical looking Civic this last time around.

Toyota, the yawn factor on this one is so high that I need to chew down the coffee beans.
If I want a sporty wagon, I would go for the blade.
http://toyota.jp/blade/index.html
If I want a utility wagon, I would go for the Corolla Fielder.
http://toyota.jp/corollafielder/index.html

What is this one now? Not white nor black, but a gray?

I see a little bit of Prius in it...

I like the interior styling and versatility - spacious with lots of seating configurations. The exterior styling isn't... well, its not stylish. It's front looks like the lumpy Camry and the rear looks like the current Subaru Impreza.

As popular as the Prius is only one person notices the influence on this design?

I like the Vibe version better.

But then I'm not fond of either.

Somebody had fun with the exterior - crazy angles aimlessly wandering everywhere, very little clear direction. More than anything it really looks like a Kia to me, not ready to be a toyota.

BORING! They took the awesome Auris / Blade and watered them down into typical US Toyota grannymobiles.

The Matrix looks like a slightly revamped version of the current model (complete with that ugly downward swooping roofline and upward-swooping window line that no one in their right mind should enjoy looking at) and isn't going to steal any sales away from the Mazda 3. And no two-door model to compete with the Rabbit/GTI! Well, at least they can compete for current Matrix owners, I guess.

(And what's up with that crazy dash configuration on the Matrix? HUH? Who thinks that looks good? Fire the US design team, NOW.)

I was so excited to see the Auris / Blade come to the US as-is, especially the hatch version, but I guess I'll be looking somewhere other than Toyota because they've let us down once again.

Newsflash Toyota: stop f-ing with a good think. Release some of your non-US models over here, without messing around with them first. PLEASE.

Dave -
Isn't the Civic the #1 seller in it's class despite being slammed for being readically changed?

Ziggy,

Corolla/Matrix 291,981
Civic 254,955

That's a 6 year old Corolla beating out a 1 year old Civic.

And for 2006:
# Toyota Corolla — 318,123
# Honda Civic — 316,638

Honda messed up with the current Civic.

LM -

I was not sure if the civic was #1 that's why I posed it in a question. Sept 2006 civic sales were at 251,000 and in Sept 2007 were at 254,000. How did a "radical" design change hurt the civic?

http://www.gminsidenews.com/forums/showthread.php?t=55599

I would think that the corolla sales are higher because it's less expensive than the civic. A corolla LE AT is about a $1000 less than the civic LX AT.

So I had read all these reports about Toyota's desire to compete with the Mazda3, and this is the best they can come up with? Regardless of the new platform, visually they took the old Matrix and gave it a basic facelift. The old Matrix was ugly, the new one is ugly too for all the same reasons.

I agree with Zaphod, give us the Auris! (I like the Auris better than the Blade, by far.)

Ziggy,
Yes Civic sales actually dipped after redesign and it is seen as more of a premium vehicle than the Corolla. And it certainly was compared to the old one. We'll have to see how improved the new one is.

I have just one thing to say about the new Matrix: YUCK!

Yeah, no kidding. Total yuck. The current one is total yuck, the new one is a total and complete disappointment in every way.

GIVE US THE AURIS!!!!!

LM,

It would be really considerate of you if you can take a look at the following link: http://autos.msn.com/advice/article.aspx?contentid=4023925

Please tell me which number is more accurate? Yours, or mine?

In a vast and competitive market they're both solidly in the top 10, it's obvious that the Civic redesign did nothing to significantly boost sales and it's obvious that the lack of a redesign did nothing to significantly hurt the Corolla's. They're both pretty ugly cars, for very different reasons, but the average car buyer in this country has never had worse taste IMO so it becomes fairly irrelevant.

Case in point: the Matrix. People are going to buy this pig, even if it is just a slight redesign of an already-fugly vehicle that far too many people have already bought. One of the most awkward designs to come from Toyota in decades, and the 2009 model is no better. Not even a bit.

I did look. And the numbers I copied include the Matrix. As I wrote way up at the top, excluding the matrix numbers would be like excluding the Civic coupes numbers.

A Matrix is a Matrix, A Civic coupe is a Civic.
Unless they badge it something else.

Can we count the Malibu sales with the Aura?
The 9-7x, Trail Blazer, Envoy, Bravada, Rainier as one model?

What would compete better against the VW Rabbit? AURIS.

What would compete better against the Nissan Versa? AURIS.

What would compete better against the Honda Fit? AURIS.

In short, GIVE US THE AURIS!

What is the deal with only offering an automatic on the 2.4L? Does anyone know the reason for this when a manual is offered for the tC and xB? Seriously now.

Ok I just read the press release on the Toyota.com website. The press release does not explicitly state that only an automatic transmission will be offered with the XRS. It only says that the 2.4L with an automatic transmission will achieve 21/29 fuel economy. It does not mention fuel economy for the 5-speed, which is maybe why Cars.com thought it wasn't offered?

Was there another source that Cars.com found stating that there will be no manual transmission offered on the XRS? Thanks.

personaly i like it and lots of people are saying it looks like a subaru im not surprised because toyota did own a lage portion of subaru at one time and sold it to gm.

As expected the Vibe looks about a million times better than the Matrix.

But it ain't an AURIS!

Actually Eddie, GM owned a part of Subaru and sold it to Toyota. The SAAB 9-2X was a product of that marriage. Today, Toyota makes Camrys at Subarus' Indiana (Legacy) plant.

Read all of your reviews. Have to say that I have a 2008 Matrix and absolutely LOVE it. It is amazing what you can fit in there and I think that the features are incredible. The redesign is not drastic by any means, which makes me happy. Fix a few little things and I'm happy. I think I may be bold and get the new color.. Sundance Metallic. I realize that some of you may have already needed to throw up, but that's okay. You don't have to own it. You just have to look at my happy face driving it. In comparison to the Impreza... no room in the Impreza. I'm 6'0" tall... love the Matrix for this reason. Enough of us will to keep Toyota making them. I'm so thnakful they brought the AWD back. My only question is whether the AWD does come in manual. Man, I hope so!

It's amazing to read so much bitter criticism of an inexpensive, practical, and (by most owners' accounts) fun car, based on its styling. Just try to find another car with the Matrix's cargo capacity, drivability, and fuel economy at a similar price. And finally for 2009, anti-lock brakes and side air bags are standard - they used to be options, and were impossible to find on manual transmission models. I hope to get a 2009 with a stick, when they become available - unless another car maker introduces a worthy competitor.

kkitty-
All practicality aside (and I don't disagree with you on those points), some of us actually care about what a car looks like in addition to (or, in some cases, instead of) how functional it is. I admit I'm hyper-sensitive to good design (cars and otherwise; I am an artist by trade) and I simply won't drive a car that I don't think looks good, regardless of its other attributes. I keep my cars for 10 years on average, that's a long time to look at a dog (my opinion) in the driveway.

Amy-
I hope you LOVE your car, that's why you bought it right? I certain wish no ill-will towards anyone who actually likes the Matrix (current or '09), it's just not for me...

I fell in love with the look of the non-US Corolla hatchbacks years ago on a trip to NZ, and always wondered why there was no Corolla hatch over here. (I don't count the Matrix, as it is most certainly not a Corolla regardless of the platform it's built on.) When I saw the speculation that they were going to bring that style to the US I foolishly geared myself up to buy one.

My only hope now is that they decide to replace the Yaris (which is a poor seller and an all-around unpopular model) with the Auris. It's basically an "adult version" of the Yaris anyway...

I am dismayed to see the rear side panel just behind the rear side window. Whatever happened to visiblity when changing lanes?

It's a slightly modified Honda Fit. Look at pictures of them side-by-side and it's obvious. Typical Toyota, always stealing body designs from their competitors.

please someone tell me about the power of the Matrix vs the Camry. I have owned 4 camrys and love them but thinking of the matris for my next car Please comment on this.

vfry4re; get it. i have an 09 matrix xrs,and, aside from the strange electric steering,its a great little car. btw,unless you like people coming up to you asking about your custom paint,don't get the orange/gold-like metallic(i forget what its called),but ive gotten used to it.

sundance metallic. thats what its called.

I just bought a Maitrix 09. I love it, but the visibility on the right is tricky. I've gotten a LOT of compliments on the car (maybe because I had a 98 Corolla that I traded in and folks are glad to see me in a newer car). Anyway, I got it for a steal at $15,400, an automatic with cruise control, and despite all of the negativity here, I think it's a lot of fun to drive.