I love this car. I regularly transport 2-4 medium/large sized dogs in it. Even with dogs and crates, I can still pack a full set of camping gear and dog training supplies. I've never gone on a trip and not had enough room to pack everything I wanted. In a pinch I can even sleep in the back, and I'm six feet tall. Mechanically, it's a great car. It gets about 33 mi/gallon on the highway and about 27-30 city driving. I've put 40k miles on it in three years. Other than a new battery and a new set of tires, it hasn't needed anything else than routine maintenance. I'm a very tall person, and it is extremely comfortable to drive. I love where the gear shift is located.

I really like the sturdiness of my 2006 Toyota Matrix. The car is well built. When I drive it, the ride is smooth and the outside noises stay outside. All the major parts on the car seem to be in good working order. Since, buying the car, even though it has 123,000 miles, there have been few problems due to poor manufacturing. Any problems the car has had have largely been as a result of my own fault.

My Matrix is a great little car. It's roomy enough inside for 4 people. The backseats fold down for extra cargo room. It's possible to move mid sized furniture or a whole lot of stuff. I have the 5 speed manual and it gets up and goes fairly well. I have recently bought a cartop cargo carrier for the car, the large roof allows for a pretty big container if you need extra room or want to put on a roof rack for bicycles or other outdoor equipment.