07-31-2004, 05:35 AM
Technically under my mom's name, I did drive it quite a lot during my first semester of university and the summer before it.
2003 Toyota Matrix XRS, 5-spd auto, various electronics, some leather trimming, 1.8L 173HP inline 4 (used to be 180HP, but Toyota lowered the rating), with "lift".
Created by a partnership between Toyota and Pontiac, the Matrix seem to have gained quite a lot of popularity on the Westcoast where I live, despite the almost non-existant effort to market it beyond the few months after release. The funny thing is how the Vibe, Matrix's Pontiac twin-sister, received an award for fuel efficiency in 2004 and boasts it proudly despite the fact that it contains a Toyota engine, and from what I hear, the drive-train is identical to those of the Matrix, also by Toyota.
Automatic transmission was only avaliable for the 2003 model Matrix XRS, and now days the XRS is only avaliable in manual transmission. However, it is a family car, where no one really drives stick, and I did get the chance to really push it from time to time.
If I were to ever purchase my own car, it'll probably be a Toyota Echo Hatchback. I seem to have an obsession with hatchbacks, and the Echo Hatch is surprisingly roomy and comfortable for a class of cars that I usually have trouble even getting into. And, it's cheap.
2003 Toyota Matrix XRS, 5-spd auto, various electronics, some leather trimming, 1.8L 173HP inline 4 (used to be 180HP, but Toyota lowered the rating), with "lift".
Created by a partnership between Toyota and Pontiac, the Matrix seem to have gained quite a lot of popularity on the Westcoast where I live, despite the almost non-existant effort to market it beyond the few months after release. The funny thing is how the Vibe, Matrix's Pontiac twin-sister, received an award for fuel efficiency in 2004 and boasts it proudly despite the fact that it contains a Toyota engine, and from what I hear, the drive-train is identical to those of the Matrix, also by Toyota.
Automatic transmission was only avaliable for the 2003 model Matrix XRS, and now days the XRS is only avaliable in manual transmission. However, it is a family car, where no one really drives stick, and I did get the chance to really push it from time to time.
If I were to ever purchase my own car, it'll probably be a Toyota Echo Hatchback. I seem to have an obsession with hatchbacks, and the Echo Hatch is surprisingly roomy and comfortable for a class of cars that I usually have trouble even getting into. And, it's cheap.