Did you know there are more cars built in Ontario than in Michigan?

And one of the most successful of those is the 2009 Toyota Matrix, a five-door compact wagon built in Cambridge and nowhere else in the world.

And Canadians had a lot of input into the design that can be found in such big things as a high-output heater to little things like pedal spacing for winter boots, extra weather stripping and cup holders big enough to hold a large, steaming Tim’s.

With this in mind, I recently had a Matrix for a longer than normal test period in which I put on more than 1,000 km through autumn’s changing weather from brilliant sunshine, to driving rain to the first hint of frost on the roads.

Whenever I drive a Canadian-built car, I take a good hour to go over the fit and finish. Toyota claims its quality control is the most rigourous in the world, but my personal gauge is what I call the credit card test. I take three credit cards and slide them along a seam between panels. If they wobble around, the gap is too large. It they fit but bind up at certain points, the fit is wrong. If they glide through, it’s good. If it’s snug like the Matrix, it’s a beautiful thing.

Also paint can be an issue, even today with computerized robots doing the job. On the brilliant red Matrix XRS tested here it was uniform throughout and, I can tell you, red is the color that shows off ripples best.

The Matrix comes with a choice of two engines beginning with a 1.8-litre DOHC inline four-cylinder on the base car producing 132 hp and 128 lb/ft of torque. The other three models (XR, XRS and All-Wheel-Drive) are fitted with a 2.4-litre DOHC inline four-cylinder putting out 158 hp and 162 lb/ft of torque.

On the XRS tested here, fuel economy was rated at 9.7L/100 km (29 mpg) city and 6.9L/100 km (41 mpg) city.

A five-speed manual is standard on Matrix, XR and XRS. The AWD only comes with a four-speed automatic while a five-speed automatic is optional ($1,555) on the XR and XRS (as tested).

Suspension at the front is coil springs over MacPherson struts with a lower stabilizer bar. On the XRS, there is a stress bar fitted between the two shock towers for increased suspension rigidity. The rear suspension is split between coil springs on a twist beam with stabilizer bar on the Matrix and XR or double wishbones and coil springs and stabilizer bar on the XRS and AWD.

Power four-wheel disc brakes and ABS with electronic brake for distribution and brake assist are standard across the board. Toyota’s version of pitch and yaw control called Vehicle Stability Control (VSC) and traction control is standard on the XRS, optional on the XR and AWD but unavailable on the base car.

The XRS is the sporting member of the 2009 Matrix family and is immediately recognized as such by the 18-inch alloy wheels and a body-colour matched full-skirt package.

Everything is power from door locks and windows to the rearview mirrors and moonroof.

The moonroof is great for between seasons. Opened just a crack on a chilly, but sun-filled, morning it is a great way to travel.

The XRS also include a premium sound system by JBL with seven speakers including a sub-woofer grafted into the rear passenger side cargo wall. The 60/40 split rear seat has 0.56 sq m (19.8 cu ft) of cargo space behind the seat up to 1.36 sq m (48 cu ft) with the seats folded.

The rear seat backs have a hard plastic back. It’s the same material used on the cargo floor that makes loading of heavy, bulky or wet goods a lot easier.

Styling is what Toyota terms its “400 metre” standard. In other words, the lines of the 2009 Matrix have to be instantly recognizable from a long way away. With its gently rear sloping roofline, it is unique.

The driver’s seating is called a “jet cockpit design” by Toyota.

I don’t know about that but Matrix does use the new Toyota Optitron gauges that employ contrasting colours to make them easier to see and understand at a glance.

One problem I had was with the automatic shifter that sprouts out of the middle of the centre stack. When I moved my right hand from the steering wheel to change the radio knob, I more than once nudged the stalk from Drive into Neutral. The Matrix did come with steering wheel mounted controls for the sound system, but I’m used to using controls on the radio.

I did notice a lot of little things like the 110V AC inverter at the bottom of the centre stack. But the one that impressed me was a small plastic hook that could be popped out of the passenger side transmission tunnel wall to hold a plastic bag for sundries or disposables.

The starting price of the Matrix is $15,975 but the XRS, with just about everything available in the parts bin tops out at $28,315 including $1,555 for the five-speed automatic and $1,270 to have it shipped to you from Cambridge, which seems like a lot if you already live in Ontario.

With the slightly more aggressive suspension and electric power steering, the XRS could be pushed, which I did on some back roads on the way to Muskoka. But it was more enjoyable to just take it easy and listen to the XM satellite radio.

Part of my time with the Matrix was transporting number one daughter to university with yet another load of her “stuff”. Kids, it seems, have mastered the use of the green garbage bag as the carryall of the future. Anyway, the cargo hold of the Matrix was more than a match.

At a Toyota RAV4 event in Huntsville near the end of my test time, I was offered a pickup to drive back, but in truth I would have preferred the trusty Matrix XRS, but such was not the case.

Built in Ontario to world-class standards, you would be hard pressed to find another compact wagon as good as the 2009 Toyota Matrix.