2003 Toyota Matrix XR

Our XR tester carried pretty much every major option available on a Matrix. In addition to its transmission upgrade, those included H-rated 205/55HR16 tires in place of the normal S-rated rubber, aluminum instead of steel rims, power moonroof, cruise control, anti-theft system, front side-impact airbags, and ABS with EBD (although here, it's fitted to the basic disc/drum brake package). Those extras raised its out-the-door price to $19,734, including freight.

Base and XR Matrix models get a 1.8-liter DOHC four that makes 130 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque in front-drive guise and 123/118 in all-wheel-drive configuration.

Motivating the Standard and XR-spec Matrix is a 1.8-liter DOHC four fitted with the firm's VVT-i (Variable Valve Timing with intelligence) on the intake side. It makes 130 horsepower and 125 lb.-ft. of torque in front-drive guise. However, those figures dip to 123 and 118, respectively, if you elect to go with the optional AWD package. In either case, transmission choices include a 5-speed manual gearbox or an optional electronically controlled 4-speed autoshifter.


While this engine hardly lacks for enthusiasm, it would definitely benefit from a tad more absolute firepower. Even a front-drive Matrix weighs about 185 pounds more than a Corolla sedan. Lightly loaded and on level ground, it motors along just fine; but fully laden and faced with uphill hauls, that extra mass definitely makes itself known. The situation gets even more acute in an AWD version, which rolls up curbside carrying yet another 200 pounds.


Even the front-drive-only XRS is not without some compromise in the drivetrain department. While fortified with both variable valve timing and variable lift, its 1.8-liter twincam four remains a peaky beast, regardless of whether paired with the 6-speed manual or optional 4-speed automatic. Power maxes out at a lofty 7,600 rpm and maximum twist—which is only 5 lb.-ft. more than in the base engine—doesn't arrive until 6,800 revs.


Those rather stratospheric figures coupled with its inherent narrow-minded nature tend to mitigate real-world performance gains for even the shiftiest of drivers. We can't help but wonder if the 2.0-liter four from the RAV4, which makes 148 horses at 6,000 rpm and 142 lb.-ft. of torque at 4,000 revs, might not find its way underhood in the not-too-distant future.