matrix

[onyx pt]

what do you guys think of the new toyata matrix? i heard toyota put a turbo in the latest model. anyone ran into one of these lately? how would our cruisers do against these cars?

[strangelove]

We would smoke them. Might be Japanese enginering, but ehhhh would you really want to be riding in Matrix, kind of funk don't you think. Now if your talking about the "Matrix" well then thats another story... there is no spoon

[Mike-in-Orange]

Not sure about a turbo, but the Toyota website shows three versions, all with 1.8L 4 cyl engines. The two lower models produce 130HP and the XRS puts out 173HP @ 7,600rpm and a whopping (!) 127lb-ft @ 4,400rpm and it comes with a 6sp manual box. I don't know what they weigh but I'm thinking a PT with 240-250HP on tap (S1 equipped) would eat it for breakfast. Unless the Matrix is super light (which I doubt) or is geared for speed (don't know). Ah, what the heck, I'll go hunt one down!!!

[strangelove]

Smoke em Mike[8)]

[Ian-PT-GT]

quote:Originally posted by Mike-in-Orange

Not sure about a turbo, but the Toyota website shows three versions, all with 1.8L 4 cyl engines. The two lower models produce 130HP and the XRS puts out 173HP @ 7,600rpm and a whopping (!) 127lb-ft @ 4,400rpm and it comes with a 6sp manual box. I don't know what they weigh but I'm thinking a PT with 240-250HP on tap (S1 equipped) would eat it for breakfast. Unless the Matrix is super light (which I doubt) or is geared for speed (don't know). Ah, what the heck, I'll go hunt one down!!!

Like many of you know, I live in "Ricer Paradise". the birth place of "Sport compact"...

I have seen a few of them at the track. most of them are in the high 15 sec world, 15:7- 15:9, I ve seen them also doing 16.30 stock.
But there are also the eceptions,I have seen about five of them doing 14:70 and even 14.30 normally aspirated! with just bolt-ons and using Celica computers... Their trick is the 6 speed tranny, it is geared to work perfectly in the powerband of the engine... This has always been the Japanese theory. Low power, but geared to be efficient.

I have to explain that in this island, being constantly warm, 78-90 degrees, over 80% humidity and being only 7 feet above sea level, times are always slower than in the states. When I first ran my PT, it made a 15.8 when all the other PTs where doing 15.2. When I went down to 15.2, other PTs where in the 14.7 mark with the same mods. Some racers have experienced almost a one sec improvement when taking the cars to the states to compete!!!

Ian

[Dragula]

Being close to sea level helps. The air is more dense at low altitude.

It's the heat and humidity that are killing you. 50 degree dry air at sea level will make horsepower.

[Blue Streak]

I test drove the Matrix before I bought the GT. First I drove the XR with 5-speed- I pulled out of the dealer lot, made the first available U-turn and told the salesman that the XRS had better be a whole lot more car. I gave the XRS a little more time to impress me; probably drove a total of 5 miles. Even the XRS wasn't appealing. You had to rev the snot out of it even in normal driving. It was comfortable and comparable in seating/storage room to the Cruiser. But even my GT with the autotragic transmission has exponentially larger balls than that XRS with 6-speed did.

[PianT]

We test drove one of those, we don't have one, 'nuff said.

[sagwagon]

I owned one for about a year.[xx(] I plead temporary insanity. It was suppose to get 33mpg, more like 21. Plastic interior parts fell off when the weather was over 80. It was noisy, had to be whipped to get it up a hill. Oh and my favorite feature, when it was cold the engine wouldn't rev above 4 grand, to limit pollution. Fun when you live off of a hwy.[V] But I am not bitter. I have had the PT for a year now and the only regret is that I didn't know about the GT before I bought matrix.