2003 Toyota Matrix xr review from North America

I have not had any problems yet knock on wood. the car has been relatively flawless. It is still on the original drum brakes in the rear however they are in need of being replaced. I have been using synthetic oil since I purchased the car.

The car is light and hydroplains easily... I have the 16" aluminum rims with sport tires... goodyear GA's. I also have 15" rims with winter tires. If you are not careful in the rain when accelerating from a dead stop the front of the car will start hopping and spinning.

Biggest complaint: rattles in the dash... mainly on the front right. there is also a rattle in the door on the front right where the speaker is... the previous owner had the dealer replace the speaker twice... it is not the speaker that is the problem... it is the plastic panel rattling on the speaker.

This car is nice as there is no timing belt to replace... also with iridium plugs first scheduled replacement is 160,000.

This is by far the most practical car on the market. Its not a luxury car by any means, but it handles everything well. Interior is not that quiet, but it's an economy car... its fine on smooth roads and the engine can barely be heard once cruising... i drive at over 135 km's per hour on a regular basis and the car is fine. Only one complaint.. i live in denver now.. when climbing hills you can rarely get away with dropping one gear from 5th to 4th. You usually have to drop to 3rd to climb the big hills and the car sings like a sewing machine... no problems with it yet however.

The car has great ground clearance and has provided me access to areas in colorado that very few cars would ever be able to access as they don't have the ground clearance.

At 36 MPG you can't beat the gas mileage.

I have slept in this car on a regular basis as I am too lazy to setup my tent... fold down the front seat and use a foam pad and its fantastic!

Storage is great... lots of small compartments all around the vehicle for storing tools. jumper cables.pump.tie downs etc.

I can put my entire mountain bike in this car and I don't even have to take off the wheels. I have had 3 mountain bikes in the car with 3 passengers before.

The true test of this car will be its overall reliability... i am not the nicest to it however I do make sure to do regular oil changes and filter changes.

A little extra power in the form of torque would be nice for the mountains, but as long as you are not scared to rev the car it will do just fine.