2003 Hyundai Matrix GLS from Singapore - Comments

The car tends to over steer when you corner at high speed.

Steering is taunt on straight roads, but poor when doing 80km/h while turning.

In general, it's a great buy for that kind of money.

Performance is satisfactory for a 1.6l,

center of gravity is high, thus resulting in unbalance cornering at high speed.

Good cabin space and smooth acceleration.

I have been driving the Matrix for the past one year. So far, I find that the car has indeed met all my expectations, but not the main dealer!

I have clocked about 20K km so far, and the mileage I got was an average of 12.32km/L. Not too bad for a 1.6M, but certainly not a green car! Mine is still a 100% stock original (not a cent was spent on aftermarket accessories!) Probably the money saved in the purchase goes to the petrol bills!

The Hyundai Matrix has a smaller legroom than the Chevrolet Vivant (Daewoo Tacuma). Who cares if it has a smaller load area than the Matrix with all rear seats folded? I could barely fit 3 1.7metre tall adults back there, whereas, in the Vivant, I could fit the 3 of them comfortably. The central instrument pod was too distracting, keeping my eyes far away from the road. Dull colours and hard plastic made the interior date drastically quick. The auto was very slow and engine notes, which were loud and harsh, could be heard from the interior. The car oversteers too much around corners. Not recommended for young buyers as it lacks sportiness, in the drive and the design. An upgrade to a Vivant or an Opel Meriva would prove sensibility.

I have also been driving this car for the past one year and find no general faults. Mine is the 1.6 automatic version. The only thing I have replaced so far was the front both internal headlamps chrome area which the local distributor had gladly done it f.o.c (under warranty). Blisters / water marks have appeared due to prolong parking under hot sun and tropical rain, it seems.

The fuel consumption had been a steady of 10km per litre since day 1, which is fairly reasonable given the car's heavy weight.

This car is not good in zero acceleration from stop, but when cruising at speed above 80km/h, it is quite smooth and easy going. The high seating position made this even more comfortable for long journey.

It's spacious interior is the main attraction with multiple storage bin making it a plus for this model.

To enchance its performance, I have installed after market parts like :

1) Strut-Bar (for better cornering effect)

2) K&N Air filter (for better air flow suction)

3) Performance Iridium Plugs (for better ignition)

4) Performance Spark Plug Cables (for more sparks)

5) Grounding Wire (to enhance electronics sensors operation)

All these have been proven to make this car a better machine than stock.

I have no regret buying this car till date and given's it's unbeatable pricing, (no other 1.6L car can offer this price level) there's hardly any competitor that will ever outprice it.