June 2003

ns ¢ theother press ©

 

 

 

 

 

 

Munir Amlani
Op Columnist

Welcome to the first instalment of our
new monthly feature column. Every
month, I will be reviewing a new car or
truck, or comparing vehicles in a par-
ticular category. I will try to cover the
most interesting and unusual cars on
the market. This month’s featured vehi-
cles definitely qualify as unusual. In
fact, they are so unusual that they can
only be called vehicles: they are neither
cars, nor SUVs. I speak of the Toyota
Matrix and the Pontiac Vibe.

These two vehicles aren't being com-
pared here, but rather being treated as
though they were just one vehicle. The
two are virtually identical in every
respect but looks. Both the Matrix and
the Vibe are manufactured by Toyota.
This may come as a surprise to many of
you, but the Pontiac Vibe is in fact a
Toyota Matrix dressed up in American
clothes. Of course, it has been a well-
kept secret and dealers usually refuse to
admit to the fact, but there is ample
proof: everything from the size of the
cars to the engine specs match. Even the
interiors are indiscernible. From
the marketing standpoint, this instance
of cooperation between competitors is
not a unique occurrence. GM has sold
a Toyota in its line-up for about twenty
years now. In the eighties, the Chevy
Nova was a Toyota Corolla in disguise.
In the nineties, the Corolla masquerad-
ed as the Geo Prism, and later, the
Chevy Prism. Today, the Matrix fills
this strategic role. The Matrix is itself
based on a Corolla, hence keeping the

“Wow! This is
impressive.”

tradition alive. The two vehicles have
peen strategically positioned so they
don’t compete with one-another,

At first glance, I didn’t like the way
the Matrix looks from the back. It
seems like a somewhat out-of-propor-

Pontiac Vibe

tion, shrunk-down minivan in an awk-
ward body. Kinda like an adolescent.
But the vehicle has very pronounced
lines and passionate curves. It has
ready-to-run look overall, and was
designed with, casual fun in mind. The
Matrix is geared towards a young audi-
ence, perhaps first-time car-buyers in
their late teens and early 20s.

The Vibe, on the other hand, has a
much more adult look. You could be a
responsible mom or a home-owner, and
still drive a Vibe. The car targets fun-
loving adults who want the utility of an
SUV, but the economy and handling of
a road-car. In my opinion, the tail of
this vehicle looks much more refined in
styling than that of its Toyota counter-
part, and overall, it looks powerful and
athletic. Although the front looks quite
sleek, it is simpler and less sophisticated
than that of the Matrix.

“l got out of this
car and just stared
at it in disbelief”

The experience of getting into the
Matrix was “Wow! This is impressive.”
There was ample room inside, and the
interior was gorgeous enough to make
me completely forget all about the tail
end. With classy chrome accents, intu-
itive dials, and clear displays, the car felt
like an old friend within minutes.
There was enough room inside for all
the camping gear I could wish for, and
the tall roof-line allowed rear-seat pas-
sengers to sit in comfort. This is when I
thought, “Hey, not a bad party-car!”

The Pontiac counterpart had the
identical interior, so the same is true for
it. I was surprised to find that the inte-
rior of the young-and-fun Matrix fit so
well with the more serious personality
of the Vibe.

Driving the duo was a different story.

The Pontiac came with two engine
options, while Toyota added a third
low-end option in their line-up, which
we ignored in this road test. The two
engines we considered were 1.8-litre,
four-cylinder engines, producing 130
and 180 horsepower. The lower model
of the two came standard with front-
wheel-drive and five-speed manual
transmissions, while offering a four-
wheel-drive system as an option which
requires the optional automatic trans-
mission. The higher engine came only
in front wheel drive and with a six-
speed gearbox.

The first vehicle we tested was the
middle-line model, Matrix XR/Vibe
AWD (130 horsepower and 125 |b.-feet
of torque) with the all-wheel-drive and
automatic transmission. The surpris-
ingly smooth engine delivered more
power than I expected from something
so small, although the experience fell
short of exhilarating. The power was
“adequate”, and the transmission per-
formed quite responsively, as it was
well-tuned and smooth-shifting. The
experience was overall fun, and I could
easily see someone falling in love with
this car, as it was very easy to love. We
were getting around with ease and com-
fort, completely seamlessly, and the
Vibe/Matrix left us with nothing to
worry about; just point and shoot—the

Toyota Matrix

car drove itself. What more could any-
one ask for in a vehicle?

Well, how about some excitement?
For me, the experience was lacking the
exhilaration that I had gotten so accus-
tomed to expecting from a car. Driving,
for me, is about more than just getting
to the destination. It’s about the experi-
ence of driving itself: pushing the car to
its limits, and feeling connected to the
road as I roar across it. I was longing for
the top-of-the-line, Matrix XRS/Vibe
GT model, with the 180-horsepower
and six-speed manual transmission.
This was our second test-drive in both
the Matrix and the Vibe, and in both
cases, it blew me away. This is the same
engine that is found in the sporty
Celica GTS. It’s quick, responsive,
high-revving and has power to spare!
Are we still in a quasi SUV-crossover
vehicle? It feels like a sports car. The
duo handled curves very well. The tall
roofline didn’t cause it to lose stability,
thanks to the stiffer sports suspension.
The extra horsepower at the high end
gave it the edge it needed to satisfy the
power-hungry, pretend-that-Highway-
One-is-a-raceway performance-craving
car enthusiasts like me. I got out of this
car and just stared at it in disbelief: It
couldn't be the same Matrix/Vibe. And
I was right, it wasn't. I strongly favour

the Matrix XRS and Vibe GT.

 

Matrix XR-4WD ($25,340) / Vibe AWD ($28,365).

 

 

 

 

Power i 2. 3 4 5
Precision 1 2 3 4 5
Looks 1 2 5 4 5
Matrix XRS ($30,707) / Vibe GT ($32,490).

Power 1 2 5 4 5
Precision 1 2 3 4 5
Looks 1 2 3 4 5

Prices as listed above are official manufacturer sticker prices,
including destination and freight, excluding any tax.

 

 

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