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I ordered a 5spd XR after driving the XR auto the dealer had in stock. If my memory is correct it had a small toggle switch on the side of the shifter for overdrive cancel. It was located directly under the larger shift lock release button. It seemed the same as the one on my wife's Corolla. There is a light on the dash which says "overdrive off". The 'auto drivers' out there can confirm this...
Anyone know why the automatic option on the XRS is cheaper than the XR's? You would think it would cost more, because it would take a more advanced transmission.
Revka
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As far as price goes, I've heard that the most skilled negotiators could probably get a lower price, at the cost of considerable hassle. So it depends on your priorities. If you insist on the absolutely the rock bottom price, and are willing to go through the hassle, you may be better off at a dealer who negotiates. If you're like me, I want a fair price without all the B.S., so I like the Carmax system.
Johnclineii is right about the trade-in problem in this system. Carmax gets around this by offering to buy your car at a set price whether or not you buy a car from them.
Now as to the effect on prices if ALL dealers in a given area are forced to use this system....???
I have heard that the XRS is going to get it, but not sure about the XR.
Thanks!
Does anyone have any reasons for doing this? Just curious why people do it.
Thx.
p.s. I'm still po'd I can't get the fog lights installed on my XR, from the sounds of it the controls are on the light arm and therefore a whole lot of work would be required. What about after market installations? Does anyone have an opinion on this? Guess at cost?
I have heard that the XRS is going to get it, but not sure about the XR.
Thanks!
I use the O/D off switch to downshift, for example coasting down a hill and wanting to slow or at least keep from picking up speed.
Aloha,
Jim
When we bought our first Camry in 1986, the Service Manager recommended that it be driven in the city with the OD switch off. This prevented the transmission from searching for the appropriate gears. It was also turned off when travelling on hilly terrains (the searching thing again). Because of improvements with today's transmissions, I don't believe this is necessary any more. We drive with the OD on at all times with both the Camry and the RAV. We will only turn it off in severe conditions (extremely steep hills). Driving with it off not only puts additional strain on the motor, it also adversely affects gas mileage.
I used my VW's driving lights in CT all of the time because they favored using Jersey barriers to divide roads with no yellow lines and no shoulders. Call me crazy, but I like to know at what point I'm going to start removing paint from the side of my car and the extra lighting washes the side of the road a little better then the regular headlights when the road gets narrow. The driving lights also helped in rural areas where spotting a deer (or whatever) on the side of the road may have helped avoid a collision.
The Matrix XRS (the one they had in the showroom) was pretty nice. I sat the driver seat and played around with the differnt knobs and seat adjustments. It's a lot different than the 2000 Corolla I drive now. For some reason, the trunk "area" seems pretty small with all of the seats up. It's probably just a perception thing, because the hatch area is pretty deep. One thing I was wondering is how to open the glass portion of the hatch only. I couldn't find a latch or anything, except the one for the whole door. Oh well... it's probably just me...
Overall, the Matrix seems more solid than the Corolla I currently have the priviledge of driving. Oooo... one interesting thing, the HVAC and radio control seem more streamlined and more efficient. Very cool indeed....
Oh well... it'll be awhile before I consider purchasing a car (going to university next year), but it seems like a good contender... I wonder what the 2007 Matrix will be like...
But I wonder if I can fit my bass case in the trunk of an SLK32...
Boing!
Brantly
ed_scott0013 To open the glass only portion of the hatch, you hit the hatch button on the keyless entry. There's also a button to the left of the steering wheel. Or just put the key in the trunk and turn one way to open the whole hatch...the other way to open the glass. As for trunk room....it's shorter but much higher than a Corolla.
Can you open the whole hatch from the driver's seat or just the glass? I am guessing the rear hatch also is connected to the 4 front doors power lock so when you hit the lock/unlock (whether remote or inside the vehicle) you lock/unlock the hatch as well...
just curious
Many modern autos have computer-controlled grade logic instead which is nice, downshifting for you if there is no load from the engine to the tranny but there is load from the wheels into it.
1) My wife's parents live up north and we travel there often enough, we take a highway like all other country highways that have no lights. Rather then constantly putting highbeams on and off I'd rather run with regular lights and fog lights.
2) The other obvious reason is cosmetic. I think fog lights look sharp. Is that o.k.?
But how to you tell if a tire is a summer tire, a winter tire, an all season tire, etc.
I'm torn between the 16" wheels and tires and the 17" wheels and tires on the Matrix. I see the 17" come with a Z-Rated tire, but I need something that will work well in snow, ice, and rain.
Thanks
Fog lights are exactly that--they have a very short, wide, downward-pointing beam. They don't buy you any additional distance vision, though they will make it easier to see what's in the few car lengths directly ahead of you. They would've been very useful near Chattanooga yesterday morning, where 125 vehicles collided in a massive pileup that closed I-75 most of the day. Properly installed fog lights don't blind oncoming drivers.
Driving lights are exactly the opposite. They have a narrow, "pencil-beam" focus intended to enhance your distance vision. These are the ones that will help you spot a deer from several hundred feet away in the woods of central Georgia. Properly installed driving lights WILL blind oncoming drivers.
Unfortunately a lot of people who have them don't know which type of auxiliary lights they have--so they aim and use them incorrectly. And the aim goes all to hell the first jackrabbit you hit anyway. Then, of course, there are the idiots who think their _parking lights_ are really fog lights and drive with no headlights in fog because of it.
A good rule of thumb to remember is this: fog lights are like your low beam headlights. Use them in rain and fog. Driving lights are like your high beams. Use them at night when you're the only one on the road. Parking lights should never be used alone on the road. Incidentally, Mercedes-Benz used to wire the fog lights through the dimmer switch--you could have the fogs on only when the headlights were on low-beam.
On a related subject, does the US-spec Matrix use daytime running lights? We get a lot of confused folks down here with DRLs who think their headlights are already on so they don't think to turn on their taillights after dark!
--Stephen
who drives a lot under all of the conditions above and has neither working fog nor driving lights at the moment
If my dealer would give me delivery of mine I Ccould tell for sure!!
Actually he's not late, I'm just impatient.
some DRL include the rear tail light, some use only the headlight or foglight or bright parking light.
1. I'm interested in the XR model. But can't decide between AWD vs. FWD - Is it worth the extra ~$1500 or so for AWD? I plan on going up to Tahoe to go skiing with it.
2. Edmunds review says AWD is on only when traction is needed. But Toyota brochure/literature says it's a FULL time system. Which is correct?
3. S.F. Bay Area folks...How much did you pay for your XR AWD or XR FWD and what were your options?
4. People who bought the XR AWD, do you feel your car Matrix is underpowered? What car did you own previously or how much HP did your previous car had?
I owned a 1995 300ZX before...loved it...then I traded it in for a 2001 Sentra GXE. Loved it as well...missed the HP, but I guess as I get older, I get more practical :-).
2. I've read on numerous websites that the Toyota AWD system only transfers power to the rear wheels when the front wheels lose traction (Called the V-Flex System). Everyone, feel free to correct me on this if I'm wrong...
4. I currently drive a 2000 Corolla (125 hp / 125 ft-lbs / weighs 2,414 lbs). The AWD Matrices have less power (123 hp), less torque (118 ft-lbs) and are heavier (Base: 2,930 lbs / XR: 2,955 lbs). I can't really judge their performance since I haven't driven them, but I can guess that they would be a little sluggish.
I hope this helps (even if it's just a little...)
you have to think about the added weight, added maintenance, fuel consumption, etc.
i drive a sienna and one of my friends own a 4wd previa. his van is 4 cylinder and mine is a v6. we both spend the same amount of money (give or take a few dollars) for gas!! because of the added weight, his 4 cylinder uses as much gas as my v6.
It is not fair to compare your Sienna with an outdated vehicle like the Previa (the Previa is still my favourite van of all time, it had character). A more accurate comparison would be the Sienna against the Highlander. The fuel consumption rating (city/highway) for the Sienna is 23/32 vs. 22/29 for an AWD Highlander (the AWD Matrix is 31/41). Vehicle technology has come a long way since the Previa. As I stated earlier, it's a personal thing.
I agree with petl that it is a personal decision, but at this level it's kind of throwing money away (although you'll probably get some of the initial cost difference back in resale).
Again, thanks for all your inputs. Now is there a way of getting people to share how much they bought their Matrixes for? :-)
There's a light sensor in the left front corner of the windshield that controls them. When it's dark, the headlights come on at full brightness, when it's light, the headlights operate at reduced brightness.
EW