2009 Toyota Matrix XRS

Toyota has become the largest auto manufacturer in the world largely because it builds cars that are, well, unexciting. Functional, efficient and reliable as the sunrise? Absolutely. Run-away-with-me-to-Vegas seductive? Not so much.

This is not a bad thing. Apparently, most shoppers are looking for the automotive equivalent of comfort food for their daily driver, and in this respect, Toyota delivers the goods.

Take the base 2009 Toyota Matrix "sporty crossover vehicle" with auto and air conditioning. With an as-tested price of $19,460, this Cambridge-built hatchback checks all the correct entry-level boxes.

But I'll be honest – when I picked it up I wasn't exactly enamoured.

First off, it's hardly a looker. The redesigned 2009 Matrix (which has been on sale since January 2008 and hasn't changed substantially for 2010) looks a bit ungainly to my eyes, with its numerous tumorous bulges and awkward D-pillars. The cheapo hubcaps and steel wheels of this base model didn't help matters.

Entering the 401, I hammered it to merge with the traffic flow. It didn't hammer back. The Matrix's base engine is a 1.8-litre Dual VVT-i four that makes 132 hp at 6000 r.p.m. and a modest 128 lb.-ft. of torque at a high 4400 r.p.m. The term ``grunt'' is not a part of this car's lexicon.

Additionally, the optional $1,010 auto box for this base Matrix is a four-speed unit with a tall fourth gear. Kicking down to third gear had the four-banger revving wildly, but didn't produce a whole lot of forward motion.

It's going to be a long week, I thought.

But after a couple of days buzzing around in this hatch, my cold shoulder was showing signs of warmth.

The new-for-2009 front seats were always comfortable and supportive. Couldn't say that for the Honda Fit I'd just tested. The crisply back-lit Optitron gauges were highly visible in all light conditions. Not so for Fit. The ride was compliant and soaked up imperfections in a refined manner. Sorry Fit. Plus the electric steering had reasonable weight and a bit of feel. Hmmmm. The Fit's nervously numb rack was one of my biggest gripes.

Like the exterior, the cabin adopts many sweeps and curves. It's a bit heavy-handed and plasticky, but on the plus side of the ledger it seems well made with tight tolerances, and features big, easy-to-use controls for audio and HVAC. The steering wheel tilts and telescopes, and the standard four-speaker audio with aux-input sounds surprisingly good. The outside temp display is a nice touch, too.

Standard with the base Matrix, which starts at $15,975 (crank your own windows and lock all your doors, thanks), are four disc brakes with ABS, electronic brake differential and brake assist, six airbags (front, side and side curtain) and active front head restraints.

This tester had the optional "B" Package ($2,475) which adds air conditioning with a cabin air filter, power windows with driver's side auto-down function, power door locks with keyless entry and hatch release, and tire pressure monitoring system.

On my first fill-up, after mostly highway kilometres and a gentle foot on the throttle, I calculated a very impressive 6.3 L/100 km (44.5 m.p.g.). Wow. I was really liking this car now. By the end of the week, with increased stop-and-go driving, it worked out to a more representative, but still frugal 7.2 L/100 km (39.2 m.p.g.). In comparison, the Honda Fit sipped fuel at 6.5 L/100 km (43.4 m.p.g.).

The previous generation Matrix (2002 to 2008) is a bit of a cult car among my many musician friends. A hatch that is cheap to buy, cheap to run and can easily haul a drum kit, double bass or PA system is a godsend.

This 2009 model, which starts more than $1,000 less than the 2008 base model, should continue that tradition, although this new edition has a small lip at the base of the hatch opening, unlike the older model. There is also slightly less overall cargo space here with the 60/40 rear seatbacks folded down: 1,360 litres vs. 1,506 litres

Nonetheless, the hard plastic load area makes sliding in bulky objects a breeze.

Toyota likes to trumpet the Matrix's sporting demeanour, but this base model doesn't push any of those buttons. Handling is competent, but hardly involving, and the 1.8-litre engine is a tad anemic.

But by the end of my test week, I was fully in base Matrix mode. It performed every duty with flawless efficiency, and the sense of solidity and quality cannot be discounted.

Getting back to that comfort-food analogy, I liken this base Matrix to a crock pot. It may not be pretty or fast off the mark, but it delivers all the goods in its own time, and darned if you can't put a lot of stuff in it.

The old Toyota Matrix was one of my favourite cars in the company's lineup, because, from an automaker whose cars are usually quite conservative, its styling and packaging was adventurous for its time: a wedge-shaped hatchback body housed a cleverly packaged interior and there was even the option of a crazy, 8000 r.p.m. XRS model to go screaming around in.

It was, in fact, one of the first Toyotas in recent memory that had real verve – to look at and to drive. So I was quite interested in what the new Matrix would be like: would Toyota keep its styling and driving edge, or would it soften it up to broaden its appeal?

A little bit of both, as it turns out. The new Matrix is more expressive in its style, with the aggressive bulges over its fenders, curvy glass (particularly at the rear) and a "face" defined by thinly slit headlamps and a deeply inset grille.

But this more exciting skin cloaks a car that's more mainstream than the previous Matrix, a car that feels more grown up and a little less interesting to drive. There is no more screamer model: all Matrixes are smoother, quieter, more economical and more refined.

The base engine is the 1.8 L four-banger, but the highlight of the new Matrix – the old one could get a bit wheezy when loaded up and shifted by automatic – is the availability of the same 2.4-litre inline-four that's fitted to the Camry and other Toyota models. A model of smooth, powerful efficiency, it hauls the Matrix swiftly along on just a whiff of throttle, whether you're alone or four-up with a load of cargo in the back.

My 2.4 L XR tester, which had a five-speed automatic, was just about perfect for my regular mix of in-town and freeway driving, with plenty of torque to waft away from stoplights and enough guts at the high end for effortless passing at higher speeds. The transmission always shifted near-imperceptibly (even in its manual mode) while delivering impressive fuel economy, given the power output and my lead foot.

More powerful it may be, but the Matrix isn't any more fun than its predecessor. In fact, it's quite a bit softer than it was before, with willowy steering, a spongy brake pedal and plenty of body roll in corners. Then again, my tester was fitted with the standard 16-inch wheel-and-tire setup, which is tuned for quietness and smooth ride quality (which it ably achieves) rather than grins-per-mile.

More enthusiastic drivers that like the Matrix's styling and package should head for the XRS model, which actually has the same 2.4-litre engine that's an option on the base car, but comes with a snappy manual gearbox and more-aggressive suspension setup.

The general layout and feel of the Matrix's interior is unchanged, even if virtually all of the pieces are new. The dashboard is still a sea of hard grey plastic, a plank across the base of the windshield with a bulge at the bottom for the shifter and some secondary controls.

There's plenty of storage space between the front seats, with a deep covered well and a wide open slot that can be divided to hold two cups or a cell phone and larger objects. Like the front seats, the rears are set pleasingly high, requiring no contortions to get in and out; there's plenty of headroom in back – and more legroom than there was in the previous Matrix.

Some surprising elements of cheapness have crept into the usually excellent Toyota build quality, however. The dashboard lighting, even at its brightest, is pretty dim, the deeply set instruments hard to read day or night. Only the driver's window switch is backlit. The plastic divider in the centre console feels flimsy, the glovebox flops open and closed and there are no steering-wheel audio controls.

Like the old Matrix, the cargo area is still covered in durable hard plastic, which is great for utility but not so good for refinement: your stuff slides and rattles around back there and the lack of a standard cargo cover means that your valuables are always in plain view.

Toyota's recent pricing has been super-aggressive – and the Matrix is no exception. For less than $16,000, you get a very well-equipped, very well-made car (at that price, you get the Corolla's 1.8-litre engine) and my XR tester, which had all the toys you'd ever need and the larger engine, was just over $20,000.

That's impressive, given the competition, which often starts in the same ballpark, but with less equipment.

Other than the Pontiac Vibe, which is a mechanical twin of the Matrix, most of the other hatchbacks in this price class – the Kia Spectra, the Volkswagen Rabbit, the Suzuki SX4 – also don't have the Matrix's room or versatility.