i should have started this a while ago to warn how the Matrix drives and its mpg in L.A. city street and highways.
So here it goes: I own a bone-stock 06 matrix xr fwd auto (yesss, fully loaded). Info was extracted from
www.edmunds.com and from my Toyota brochure. My tests were conducted in warm weather (78-95F) L.A. and Sacramento street (as well as the 5 freeway between these two cities), and was with a Linear Logic scangauge II (now broken RIP
). I do not drive fast or have a heavy so-called American-foot. My rank in driving has been placed in the "grandma" ranks (thank you very much).
Exterior
Length: 171.3 in. Width: 69.9 in.
Height: 61.6 in. Wheel Base: 102.4 in.
Ground Clearance: 5.9 in. Curb Weight: 2778 lbs.
Interior
Front Head Room: 40.6 in. Front Hip Room: 51.7 in.
Front Shoulder Room: 53.2 in. Rear Head Room: 39.8 in.
Rear Shoulder Room: 52.6 in. Rear Hip Room: 47.8 in.
Front Leg Room: 41.8 in. Rear Leg Room: 36.3 in.
Luggage Capacity: 21.8 cu. ft. Maximum Cargo Capacity: 53 cu. ft.
Maximum Seating: 5
Performance Data
Base Number of Cylinders: 4 Base Engine Size: 1.8 liters
Base Engine Type: Inline 4 Horsepower: 126 hp
Max Horsepower: 6000 rpm Torque: 122 ft-lbs.
Max Torque: 4200 rpm Drive Type: FWD
Turning Circle: 36.8 ft.
Fuel
Fuel Tank Capacity: 13.2 gal.
Automatic: : 28 mpg / 34 mpg
369.6 mi. / 448.8 mi.
As you can see, fuel economy is not so rich as the Corolla because of its weight. I had also owned an 05 Corolla S before this car and the best mileage i got on the city was 26.3/34.7 hwy. This was constant on an auto tranny. I'm pretty sure the Corolla CE in 5-speed form and massive amounts of weight reduction alone is able to achieve 32/41 or even exceed the quoted mpg. Now, can you believe the numbers if aerodynamic work was done on one of these?
Anyways, my Matrix achieves 24.1 on the city 28.8 hwy on the auto tranny. i drove it a few times from L.A. to Sacramento and its average was 28.8 mpg. Its best in the hwy speed at 60 mph (not 70) was 28.8mpg. i drove it also at 55mph and still achieved 28.8mpg in a hwy with very minimal curves and hills. Only I was in the car (150lbs). All cruise tests were with A/C off, radio on, between 80-95 degree temperature from L.A. to Sacramento, 45 psi on all tires. No wet weather. Don't ask how i survived the drive with the A/C on. I thank God i'm still alive without brain damage. Total mileage from L.A. to Sacramento is 380 miles, and my tank light lit up at 368.1 miles. Not so great considering i started with a full gas tank.
As you can tell by its dimensions, it's very spacious. It suits 5 people comfortably that are under 6 feet tall (and that are not on the heavy side); there's plenty of head space because of the car's height. When you fold down the back seats and the front passenger, you get wads of space to load over-sized items. The seats are not so comfortable for a long cruise (needs more lumbar and neck support).
The engine has a nice pick-up (with only the driver on board), but that's about it. After the pick-up, the acceleration tends to be sluggish, but that's ok. When fully loaded with 5 people and a loaded hatch, it gets horrible gas mileage (22.6 was my best in the city/ 25.7 hwy)
.
My Conclusion: The Matrix is too heavy for the 1.8L Toyota engine. If you're looking for a spacious, family size, fuel-sipping car that can haul 5 people comfortably and still get above 35-40 mpg, there aren't many around except the Corolla, echo, Golf tdi, scion xa and xb, or the Civics, and still, they are limited in space. I could probably make the matrix more efficient by trading it in for a 5-speed
, and doing a massive strip down for weight reduction, and still have the space i want
. Sadly my wife rebukes the idea and prefers an automatic and the options
.
Linear Mode
