Hyundai Matrix 1.6 Gsi Car Review

Facts At A Glance
Car: Hyundai Matrix 1.6 GSi
Prices: £11,015 - on the road
Insurance Group: 7
Emissions: 191g/km / E
Performance: 0-60 mph 12s / Max Speed 106 mph
Fuel Consumption: (urban) 27.5 (extra urban) 42.8 (combined) 35.3mpg
Safety: ABS, twin front and side airbags. WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE: Length/Width/Heightmm 4025/1740/1625

WHAT IS THE MATRIX?

Our Rating: 6.3 / 10

You Might Well Ask. It’s Hyundai’s First Mini MPV, Tested Here In 1.6-Litre Guise. How Does It Fare In A Fast Moving Market Sector? Andy Enright Reports…

Whilst sales of long leather coats may have gone through the roof post ‘The Matrix’, the only long thing visible after the launch of the Hyundai Matrix were the faces of rival manufacturer’s product bosses. Hyundai had done it again. They’d managed to bring a credible rival to a booming market sector late albeit at a bargain price. Whilst they tend to score nil points for trailblazing originality, you can’t fault their technical merit. The 1.6-litre GSi version of the Matrix represents the most affordable option of all, and therefore probably the most attractive model. How does it stack up?

It certainly has price on its side. The Matrix 1.6 undercuts many direct rivals and even finds itself pitched in with smaller cars like the Toyota Yaris Verso. In order to get a 1.6-litre engine under the bonnet of a Renault Scenic, you’ll need to find another £3,000 and even Citroen’s popular C4 Picasso would cost an extra £2,500. When you consider that many mini-MPVs are bought out of necessity rather than on any consideration of dynamic merit, the Matrix 1.6 suddenly looks as if it’s holding a handful of aces. Only models like the Kia Carens or the Chevrolet Tacuma offer a more aggressive value proposition.

Despite the nature of the market, the styling of the Matrix may well swing it for some. Designed by Pininfarina, it’s a neat job. Although you wouldn’t identify it as the high point in the portfolio of a styling house that has brought us the Ferrari 355, the Alfa Romeo Duetto and the Peugeot 406 Coupe it’s nevertheless a distinctive effort. That rather odd window line is a novelty and acts as a neat signature touch. It certainly makes an interesting visual hook, something that will make the Matrix easily identifiable in a crop of lookalike egg-shaped rivals.

The front end is somewhat anonymous, looking all-too similar to a Premacy, a Space Star or any other Far Eastern mini-MPV that drifts aimlessly to mind. The rear is far sharper with some neatly bevelled planes that catch the light in interesting ways and would look great with a mica ‘flip’ paint job.

Inside, the Matrix continues the slightly left-field styling theme with centrally mounted instruments which, although angled toward the driver, require some effort to read quickly and the overall feel is of a number of good ideas stunted due to cost considerations. Nevertheless, the Matrix features a befuddling array of storage boxes, cubbies, shelves and pockets to the extent that finding a casually secreted key, card or banknote can be the work of several minutes. The GSi trim level is notably generous and includes a standard CD player, air conditioning, alloy wheels and twin front and side airbags.

Unlike many of the more smugly self-congratulatory offerings in the mini-MPV sector, the Matrix only boasts five seats, but this in itself is no great drawback. The rear seats slide and with a 60/40 split can be folded double. Unfortunately they can’t be removed, which limits the Matrix’s ultimate carrying capacity, but even with the seats in place you’ll get more useable boot space than you’ll probably need. Although it looks tiny outside, with its diminutive wheels and miniaturised detailing, the Matrix is, in fact, bigger than a Renault Scenic inside. With a 2600mmm wheelbase and a width of 1740mm it ‘s one of the biggest cars in the class. Break out the tape measure and you’ll find your eyes aren’t deceiving you. The Matrix is just 4025mm long, which makes it a good 11 cm shorter than a Scenic and over a foot shorter than a Zafira.

The driving position is good, and the wheel is pleasantly upright, unlike in many small MPVs which make steering feel like opening a lock gate. Likewise the driving position is pleasantly relaxed, and the pedals are well spaced. The win