If you have ever tried to get dog hair or a mud stain out of a carpet then you will know what a pain in the butt it can be.
No matter what you do the dog hair seems to dig in there, and no matter how much vacuuming you do the next time you are practicing your yoga and go for the downward dog, there they are staring at you, laughing like Scooby Doo does when he trips over his box of Scooby snacks. However, I have hears that a rubber glove - akin to those you might use when washing dishes - is great for rubbing dog hair off a couch, not sure about carpet though.
Anyway, mud on carpet is worse. The more you rub it the bigger the stain gets. I know. I have had my ears boxed on more than one occasion when I was younger trying to get my muddy boot stains out of the carpet before my mom got home.
But who cares?, you might think.
Well you might, if you buy a car with carpeted trunk or carpet in the hatch if you have dogs or kids.
Cleaning a carpet is one thing. Cleaning the carpet in the back of a car is another thing altogether.
This is where the Toyota Matrix comes in.
There is not a sniff of carpet behind the back seats. Not on the floor, nor on the back of the seats. The front of the passenger seat is also hard plastic so a back seat passenger could place his or her feet on a long trip.
This is perfect for carrying cargo, muddy boots or bike, transporting lumber for the home reno or throwing the wet clothes after you get caught in a rain storm. It is even perfect for when one of the kids decides to open the can of pop that has been rolling around the floor. Just shout at them to throw it in the back.
Later get the vacuum for the big bits of dirt then the wet cloth for the rest and Bob's your uncle, a nice clean car.
In general vehicles have a purpose. Trucks are generally bought by those who like to think they have a lot of stuff to move all the time, but rarely do, and SUVs are for people who think cars are not safe and need a place to store all the kids junk that won't fit in the garage. Some people won't drive wagons - my lovely wife - because they may think they are for old people, and othes buy cars for the good gas mileage and they don't wanta big brute of a vehicle guzzling gas. If they need a truck on the odd occasion they will borrow one.
The Matrix is a bit of all of these. It has room for five and a couple of dogs. There is plenty of room in the back - as much as an SUV - for the toys or tools, it has all the safety features much larger vehicles come with, and like a truck bed it is easy to clean out no matter what you put in there.
The Matrix drives like most other cars, only the noise Matrix is the same at 40 km/h as it is at 100 km/h, nice and quiet.
The Matrix came with all wheel drive so if little Johnny is stuck in the mud you might be able to drive a little closer so he can just jump in the back without having to trudge through the mud yourself to pick him up.
The Matrix was also equipped with several comfort amenities like Bluetooth hands free phone and stereo controls on the steering wheel. Satellite radio always helps when mud bogging and a 115 volt outlet has been placed by the AUX and USB jacks on the front console.
Other options include power moonroof, telescoping wheel, power wndows and all that stuff, ABS, EBD, side and curtain bags, VSC, TC, BA and SST (smart stop technology).
The Matrix may not be as big as an SUV or as rugged as a truck or as sleek as a sport coupe, but it just could be the best of all worlds.
Toyota Matrix
Vehicle type: 5-door
Transmission 4-speed automatic
Engine: 3.5-litre four cylinder
Horsepower: 158 @ 6,000
Torque: 162 @ 4,000
Mileage: 10.3 l/100 km mpg City 7.7 l/100km mph hwy
Price: $30,370
