2005 Toyota Matrix Review
Fuel Economy
25 - 29 mpg
Summary
What Edmunds.com says
Versatile and affordable, the Matrix is the best compact wagon for hauling people and cargo in its price class.
Pros
Versatile cargo area, roomy rear seats, good gas mileage, generous standard equipment list, availability of all-wheel drive and stability control.
Cons
Modest torque output, less fun to drive than its styling suggests.
What's New for 2005
The Matrix receives a revised front bumper, taillights and grille to freshen up the exterior, along with a new audio head unit design, optional side curtain airbags and other minor interior changes. Stability control is also newly optional.
Consumer Ratings & Reviews
What happened to Toyota?
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 10 | Fun-to-Drive: | 10 | Build Quality: | 6 |
| Comfort: | 9 | Interior Design: | 6 | Reliability: | 6 |
| Fuel Economy: | 9 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Toyota Matrix Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I ordered my Toyota Matrix with a 5speed manual trans. I have always driven manual and wanted to continue. My car is 4 years old and I'm installing a new clutch! My last Toyota Corolla was 15 years old and no clutch. I also had to replace the tires at about 15K miles. I had a little Chevy S10 p/u with manual trans and it was great except I wanted more interior. It was 5 years and I didn't have to replace anything. What has happened to Toyotas? I'm so disappointed.
Favorite Features
hauling room - plastic back
Suggested Improvements
Spend the money to build the cars like Toyota used to do. I sure paid for a quality car.
Great car for tall people
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 7 | Build Quality: | 8 |
| Comfort: | 8 | Interior Design: | 5 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 8 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Toyota Matrix Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Have 90,000 miles on this car and love it. Drove cross-country with 6'5" husband and had plenty of space for us and other large items. Mileage more than 36 mi/gal. Thanks.
Favorite Features
36+ miles per gallon, height of interior
Suggested Improvements
better tires--need snow tires for winter driving, better defroster
Needs work
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 7 | Fun-to-Drive: | 7 | Build Quality: | 4 |
| Comfort: | 5 | Interior Design: | 2 | Reliability: | 8 |
| Fuel Economy: | 5 | Exterior Design: | 5 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Toyota Matrix Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Has been very reliable, gas mileage could def. be better for such a small vehicle. Family of four is comfortable on short travel, bit cramped in long travel. Does have good capacity in hatch to carry things. Many issues with interior, but none mechanically. Very loud street noise and is very rough ride as all Toyota's are in my opinion. Overall have 80,000 miles on it and going strong! No mechanical issues what so ever. Tires were replaced within 1st year. All cars should be standard equipped with back window wiper as it is a huge danger to not have one like me! It stays filthy because of design and mix filth with fog or rain and no wiper and you got problems! Dependability you can't beat!
Favorite Features
Mechanically sound
Suggested Improvements
Cup Holders need a revamp as does most everything in the interior! Radio very low quality! Paint needs improvement. Seat fabric needs thought! Road noise...Please minimize!!
Great Little Car
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 9 | Fun-to-Drive: | 9 | Build Quality: | 7 |
| Comfort: | 7 | Interior Design: | 7 | Reliability: | 9 |
| Fuel Economy: | 10 | Exterior Design: | 7 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Toyota Matrix Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
I Bought my Matrix as a replacement for my 99 Tacoma which Toyota bought back for 150% of its worth due to warranty. The car was paid for in cash. Was my first non truck it had plenty of space and good power as long as you don't go up any steep hills. My only 2 probs were that the car would sometimes crank for 30-40 seconds before starting to solve the problem the dealership replaced the fuel pump and it worked for about a month and started doing it again. and when it was totaled a year later I got $5000 less than I paid for it the year before.
Favorite Features
Small, Sporty, Fuel efficient, nuf said.
Suggested Improvements
Telescoping steering wheel, Bring the stick closer to the center console, Just a bit more power, Total loss value
1.8 Auto FWD
Overall Rating
| Performance: | 4 | Fun-to-Drive: | 5 | Build Quality: | 5 |
| Comfort: | 5 | Interior Design: | 5 | Reliability: | 6 |
| Fuel Economy: | 6 | Exterior Design: | 5 | ||
Vehicle
2005 Toyota Matrix Fwd 4dr Wagon (1.8L 4cyl 5M)
Review
Have 109k km (now 2009). Very functional, mechanically very sound, and will be difficult to replace. Watch the blind spots (thick windshield posts, small mirrors). Factory tires plain dangerous on wet/slush/snow. Road noise is high (even with undercoating). Single disk CD had to be replaced (jumped tracks). Sluggish initial acceleration but o.k. at highway speed (to be expected for 1.8). Signal light doesn't cancel with less than full turns (nuisance).
Favorite Features
No mechanical problems while on warranty-just routine maintenance. One factory fault-starter would engage but would not start. Once attended to, problem solved. Has been a great little car.
Suggested Improvements
Factory tires were plain dangerous-hydro-planed when hitting standing pools of water (not very deep) on city/highway roads. Very poor grip on ice/slush. Replaced at 50k km with good quality Goodyear and handling was much better. At 109k km, front brakes were 8mm and back 4mm (not good).
View Pricing for Other Years
- 2010 Toyota Matrix
- 2009 Toyota Matrix
- 2008 Toyota Matrix
- 2007 Toyota Matrix
- 2006 Toyota Matrix
- 2005 Toyota Matrix
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