Hyundai Matrix Estate 2001-2009

The Hyundai Matrix is a compact people carrier that can carry five passengers. It’s not the most stylish car, but the tall shape does mean that there is plenty of headroom inside giving it an airy feel within the cabin. The driving position is good and the seats are comfortable, it’s just a pity the ride and engines don’t quite reach the same mark. The diesel engine is good for a city runaround, but is too noisy on motorways making the 1.8-litre petrol the better choice for drivers likely to cover more miles.

Pros and Cons:

• Spacious cabin if only for four
  It’s fairly inexpensive

• Cheap and dull materials used for the interiors
  The engines are all rather disappointing

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Exterior and Interior

The Matrix does look a little strange from the outside with its oddly shaped body, but the height of it does mean that there is plenty of headroom inside and it helps it to feel more spacious than it really is. The back passengers also receive plenty of legroom and the seats are all very soft and comfortable, but they do lack support making longer journeys more uncomfortable. Although the car can seat 5 it is far more comfortable for four passengers as the back seat is not the biggest.

The boot isn’t a bad size being able to hold everyone’s luggage as long as they pack light and for those larger objects the back seats do fold and tumble forwards to increase the load space. It’s a pity that the seats aren’t removable or fold away into the floor like some other MPV’s.

The interior trim isn’t great either being made up for the most part of dull and cheap looking plastics. The controls on the central console are at least easy and straightforward to use.

The entry level Classic trim doesn’t come with much kit so we’d advise going for the GSi that adds air-com, alloys and electric mirrors. The SE adds parking sensors on top of that whilst the Atlantic only adds front fog lights and the CDX comes with an electric sunroof. The range underwent a facelift in 2009 that altered the headlights, grille and improved the cabin slightly.

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Engines

There are three engines available in the Matrix with a diesel and two petrol options. The petrol’s engines include a 102bhp 1.6-litre and a 121bhp 1.8-litre. The diesel was originally a 80bhp 1.5-litre TD, but it was replaced in 2008 by a 1.5 CRTD producing 109bhp. They all come with a five-speed manual gearbox as standard with the option of an automatic gearbox.

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Performance and Economy

The 1.8 is the most powerful engine at 121bhp and is the one we’d go for. It’s a lot smoother than the two smaller engines and doesn’t struggle as much on motorways. Its not exactly quick taking 10.9 seconds to get up to 60mph. It’s not the most economical though only returning 34mpg, but it’s the best of a bad bunch. The 1.6-litre isn’t as refined as the 1.8-litre and is slower to 60mph taking 12.2 seconds. It also struggles more on motorways especially when it comes to overtaking and its fuel efficiency isn’t that much better than the 1.8.

The original 1.5 TD engine is best avoided, it lacked power taking over 17 seconds to get to 60mph and overtaking is out of the question. The newer 1.5-litre unit is much better being four seconds faster, taking 13.5 seconds to get from 0-60mph, and is more fuel efficient managing 54mpg. Its frugal fuel economy is the main selling point for it as its lacks in refinement and power, but as a city runaround it could prove a wiser financial option than the petrol alternative. We would say the same for motorway driving but the constant whine of the engine when pushed is likely to drive you mad long before you get to your destination.

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What it's like to Drive

People carriers are hardly ever exciting to drive, but the Matrix takes dull driving to a whole new level. It gives a very unsettled ride over rough roads, the steering is imprecise and light, there is excessive amounts of body roll in the corners. On motorways and at higher speeds the wind, engine and road noise is also overly excessive. Its small dimensions and tight turning circle do help it around town, but overall it offers very poor performance.

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Faults and Repairs

Unfortunately the Matrix isn’t overly reliable fairing rather poorly compared to most other Hyundai’s. The main problems that occur are with the gearbox and if you problems engaging first or second gear it is more than likely it will need replacing in the near future. The trim is know to rattle and squeak too and the electrics have also proved to be troublesome so be sure to give everything a good going over to make sure it all works as it should .

Servicing costs are cheaper than most rivals due to Hyundai’s cheap labour rates. Any replacement parts you may need aren’t likely to set you back by much either.

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