front seat for a tall large guy is terrible this is why i got a BMW instead 2 years ago, my wife is using the Toyota
this car is very reliable, the only parts which was replaced under warranty was the fuel cap which the "audible click" stopped working but the dealer forced it and it appeared to be working. They offered to replace the cap anyway under warranty then... which i accepted.
I owned many cars, currently Toyota and BMW 328xi. I can not compare the 2 obviously but the Toyota Matrix XRS with its special suspension is a great and fun to drive... the car feels much more solid than the standard Matrix because suspension is tweaked by Toyota adding stuff to the suspension that the standard Matrix does not. The XRS shares the same suspension than the 4 wheel drive.... 4 wheels independent suspension...
This one is complicated... car has plenty of power and fun to drive. the only thing that I do not like is that the pedal is too sensitive on the starts. You have to be very gentle when you start from a stop because it will shake you, acceleration is too much and it is difficult to have a smooth start. This is really annoying.
bought the car in 2011 and styling is still uptodate. I really like the Matrix XRS...