Hyundai Matrix

YOUR CHANCE TO STAR IN THE MATRIX
Hyundai’s Take On The Mini-MPV Is A Creditable Effort. Andy Enright Reports…
In the big league of mini-MPVs, the Citroen Picasso is still the Manchester United to the Renault Scenic’s Chelsea with the Vauxhall Zafira acting up an Arsenal role to keep them honest. Mid-table respectability beckons for the Mazda5, Toyota Verso and the Honda FR-V, while the Kia Carens adopts a perpetual lowly position, somehow avoiding relegation by the skin of its teeth. Relative newcomers to the top flight, Hyundai have a tough task on their hands with the Matrix. Champions League or Korean penalty box? The dividing line is thin…

It’s a distinctive effort, the Pininfarina-designed Matrix. That rather odd window line is a novelty and tends to divide opinion amongst those who sample it, ranging from the derogatory "It looks like it’s suffered some structural subsidence" to the complimentary "Neat – a wild west saloon." It certainly makes an interesting visual hook, something that makes 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 Mitsubishi 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/Ginster’s Buffet Bar can be the work of several minutes.

"Although it looks tiny outside, with its diminutive wheels and miniaturised detailing, the Matrix is, in fact, bigger than a Renault Scenic inside."

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 windscreen pillars don’t contain any airbags and, as a consequence, are relatively slim, such that you’ll probably be more likely to avoid an accident on a bend or roundabout in the first instance. Should you need to stop, the brakes are well up to the task, although they require quite a stomp to get maximum effect.

Two engines are on offer, a 106bhp 1.6-litre unit that would have difficulty pulling an amorous shihtzu off your leg plus a 75bhp 1.5-litre diesel should you want superior fuel economy. The manual gearbox offered requires a firm hand but there is an automatic option with the petrol model. Both engines return good fuel figures, the 1.6-litre unit averaging 35.3mpg whilst the 1.5 CRTD ekes an impressive 52 miles out of every gallon.

Being based on the Elantra platform, the Matrix rides well and makes all sorts of sense in town, as the turning circle is almost comically tiny and the steering is light and direct. It may lack feedback, but if you want a driver’s car for the family, you’ll need to fork out a heck of a lot more than £12,000 to get behind the wheel of a Zafira VXR.
Hyundai is being somewhat bullish about the Matrix and aims to shift around 2000 units per year. Pricewise it measures up quite well, with the 1.6 weighing in at £11,022 and the 1.5 diesel at £11,707. This puts it in uncomfortably close proximity to the entry-level Scenic and Zafira models, with genuine character in the shape of the Fiat Multipla not too far distant. As such, the Matrix is going to face a tough task establishing itself as a permanent fixture on the mini-MPV market, as many people are willing to accept less engine and less trim for a more mainstream badge.

The Matrix isn’t a bad first stab. The 1.5-litre diesel engine gives the range broader appeal than some, but it’s difficult to see it making the grade against the usual mini-MPV suspects. It scores in plenty of areas, but isn’t quite polished enough to challenge the league leaders. Nevertheless, of all the budget offerings out there, the Matrix is probably the top of the pile. As the next logical step up from the burgeoning array of van-based MPVs out there, the Matrix makes a lot of sense. Maybe the Hyundai marketing department aren’t the hopeless optimists we at first thought…