Toyota Matrix

Toyota Matrix ... figures as it also does with the Camry and Solara. The Matrix is the Toyota version of a joint venture between Toyota and General Motors; the GM version is the Pontiac Vibe. A third version was sold in Japan from 2002 to early 2004 as the Toyota Voltz. Although the Voltz was sold under the Toyota brand there, the styling was nearly identical to the Vibe. It has since been discontinued. Both the Matrix and the Vibe are identical mechanically and practically identical internally, but they are clothed in different sheetmetal to look somewhat different. Both vehicles are small but tall station wagons styled in a trendy, quasi-SUV fashion (called a crossover utility vehicle or "CUV" by Toyota) and marketed to a fairly youthful market segment. This type of car is often referred to as a sport wagon. They were introduced in the 2003 model year and based on the Toyota Corolla platform. It filled the gap in the Toyota lineup since the discontinuation of the Toyota Corolla station wagon in 1997. A facelift for 2005 brought minor revisions inside and out, including to the front bumper, taillights, and stereo. Two 1.8 L engines are offered in the Matrix: the economical 1ZZ-FE, borrowed from the Corolla, which produces 130 hp, and the performance-oriented 2ZZ-GE borrowed from the Toyota Celica GT-S, which produces 164 (previously 180 in 2003, 173 in 2004, and 170 in 2005) hp.