Hyundai Matrix test drive since 2001 minivan

Hyundai Matrix: permanent

This is probably the most quiet premiere of the year. The new generation appeared among dealers without a pump in the media, a powerful advertising campaign and other attributes that accompany the market for most promising models. So guess: maybe the manufacturer does not bet on him? Or maybe he is not new enough? .. Both questions require an answer, and Hyundai Matrix will answer them.
 
For a modern car, seven years on the conveyor is critical. It is necessary to change something, preferably everything. So the Hyundai compact wen has transformed. Outside. The rectangular headlights gave way to triangular, the lower part of the radiator grill has become more massive, and the car now resembles a bun in some angles in some angles. Smooth and rounded.
  
Yes, I almost forgot. The main trump card of the first matrix disappeared from the rear rack. The Italian design studio created brighter masterpieces, but its work, then, of course, appreciated: after all, it is not so easy to make a spectacular compact family machine outside. And the Italians were able to.
Why change what brings success? The question is rhetorical, and, by and large, the main forms drawn by Pininfarina almost 10 years ago, retained the new Matrix. And the window line goes low, providing a magnificent review. And the overhangs are small, which allows the driver more relaxed to feel on irregularities.
  
The appearance of the car does not raise questions. They appear later when it becomes clear that nothing has changed in Matrix. Nothing! Well, it’s not to consider a new gray up to the seats and the rejection of an electric carrot in the trunk with serious innovations? Dimensions and engines, suspension design and gearbox options, the location of the devices and even the configuration of the new Matrix retained everything!
We have a 1.6-liter 103-horsepower version with a four-speed automatic transmission on our test. There are more powerful (1.8 l 123 l.) And with five -speed mechanics. But as a family version for counting money and not worn, this head is perhaps optimal.
 
The interior decoration is quite specific: as if continuing the outer aesthetics, inside the same large, slightly inflated shapes. The instrument panel is transferred to the pot -bellied central console, and behind a large four -spoke steering wheel, a non -aesthetic screen with information icons darkens.
The plastic is rude, but the upholstery of the seats, on the contrary, is pleasant to the touch. The driver’s landing is vertical, and the seats for dynamic driving are too soft and home: lateral support is practically not felt. I would also like to have an armrest, but alas, it is offered only in the maximum configuration with a more powerful engine.
As a result, the salon does not encourage fast driving and does not need: the dynamics is not the strongest side of Matrix! Its machine gun is thoughtful, and the reaction of 103 horses to the blow to the gas pedal is drunkenly maxid. Official measurements confirm the measured character of Hyundai: 14.2 C to 100 km/h, this is slow! However, with a 123-horsepower engine and a mechanical checkpoint you can win about 3 s.
 
With such an indicator, licking on Matrix is \u200b\u200bnot easy. Moreover, the reactions on the steering wheel are blurred, the high center of gravity makes it significantly drop the speed in the bend, and the brakes, understandable and reliable, but not as powerful as we would like.
You get pleasure at the wheel of Matrix in a fast flow of cars when you do not need to overtake anyone. The machine is quiet, economical and perfectly oriented for family trips calm and reasonable. The machine, which is slightly exceeding 4 meters in length, provides enough space for five people for baggage. In addition, it is a matter of a few seconds to fold or move (including separate), and the released space in the trunk will give a large head start to any sedan.
 
If you recall the class belonging of Matrix, you understand: the task of creating a car for a family in Hyundai was completed. A tall, quite spacious, compact car already in the database has a minimum necessary set of modern auto traveler: air conditioning, electric package, audio training, and in our version there is also ABS with EBD, the second pillow, heating the front seats, fog lights
Well, the fact that the new generation of Matrix is \u200b\u200balmost no different from the old? But the price remained almost unchanged. The difference is 10,000 rubles. That's not a lot. And competitors in this class are still more expensive.
 
 
 
   
 

Source: Wheel magazine [September 2008]