Toyota Echo

http://www.toyota.com/images/shop/vehicles/gallery/echo/exterior/photo_1.jpg

Don't even have to say a thing.

Compared to many other cars, especially in its class, that car ain't so bad.

Ain't so bad? You supply the car designers with their cheap cheap crack, don't you? Fool, it's ugly as sin.

I think I hate the 2 or so feet of fender vertically between the top of the tire and the trunk lid...I like a car with the back end a little lower down. Same idea with the Focus sedan.

Kind looks like somebody kicked the ends of a Prius in and sat on it.

I think its cute, expecially how it looks like its been squished too about 2 feet short of what it should look like.

I feel compelled to defend it. My fiance got one and I drive it from time to time, and I must say, it's really nice for a sub-compact car. And then it really does get around 40 mpg! Here's to performance for economy's sake.

As for the looks, I have a theory that anyone with Photoshop could help me out with. Take a side view of the Echo sedan and a same-side view of the Lexus GS and squish the GS horizontally until they're the same length, then look at them side by side. Now, I'm not saying the Echo is a Lexus orphan or anything, but it does seem to share quite a few design traits, skewed though they may be...

heh, never thought about that.

I imagine it is a very nice car, but it's still ugly as anything.

I don't like the placment of the instrument cluster, it looks stupid.

Too small, too bubbley, too slow, too little power, too bad! Only thing good about it is its gas efficiency.

The Toyota ECHO is another prime example of automotive impurity. People immediately label this car as junk, and never look at it twice. I understand why they do; it looks just plain retarded, seeming like designers slapped it together in a few days, almost as if they knew that no one would care just like no one really cared about the Tercel/Paseo subcompacts. This might not be all too far from the truth.

The ECHO is a cousin of the Toyota Vitz (J) / Yaris (UK). The people of the U.S. live by the line, "bigger is better", thereby eliminating any possibility for the existence of those slow-yet-highly entertaining supercompacts, known to the rest of the world as "minis". These almost toy-like means of light transportation have no place in the States. SUVs will eat them alive. The majority of the roads here are business-like, with boring perpendicularity (perhaps this is why stoplight drag-racing is an American past-time :) ). Numerous roads in Japan and Europe are narrow and winding, perfect for minis; this factor alone has made these types of cars multiply like bunnies.

What confirms this popularity? Soon after its release, the Toyota Yaris was pinned with the famed prestigious award, "European Car of the Year". And we mustn't forget that the Vitz is available with different trim than the ECHO, including AWD.

Then what is the purpose of the ECHO in the U.S? Simply to fill a niche, and nothing more. They allow those with limited funds to purchase a new car and save on fuel costs, as well. It was not intended for spirited driving (especially with the lack of a tachometer), or even for providing the zippy fun factor that minis do (since ours has grown in size). As for the center placed instrument console, the son of a Toyota official and my good pal let me know that it was actually made so to cut down on costs for reversing the placement of the steering wheel (the upper dash is perfectly symmetrical), also signifying 'economic'.

SO DON'T PESTER THE ECHO. Internationally, it is a HUGE success. Much more popular than you, me, and the Backstreet Boys combined. ;)

Here is another example of automotive impurity:

In 1995, Nissan introduced the 200SX to the States. It never really received much attention. Why? My guess is that the rear end was hideous (I know, I owned one). The only thing it had going for it was the SR20DE on the SE-R model. Eventually, the car was withdrawn from the public. Again, the U.S. was shortchanged with an oddball rather than the sharper looking relative. The Pulsar (J) / Almera (UK) twins stole the show in other parts of the world, at one point even receiving the infamous SR16VE and SR20VE screamers.

I mentioned this once before in another thread, but I was sincerely tempted to slice off the rear clip of my 200SX and implant the nice 3rd door hatchback aft section.

Will the U.S. ever get the real McCoys? Or will we be stuck with their ill-fitting counterparts until the end of time?

Originally posted by morpheusxiii

Will the U.S. ever get the real McCoys? Or will we be stuck with their ill-fitting counterparts until the end of time?

Everything you said about the echo is spot on, (the yaris is the same car, and comes with a tach in the UK), everyone else in the world has hailed it as a great fun to drive, practile and very efficant little car. But the simple attidude of the general american public prevents the car form being accepted for the great car it is, and untill that attidude changes the US will never get some of the world greatest cars in any kind of Volume, and continue to be stuck driving vechiles that havnt evolved much beyond the automotive equivilant of the stone age. (e.g SUVs that will never see a day out side of a major urban area.)

Do you still think the Echo/Yaris is ugly? And this is from another AF forum too http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=3206

:sun: :sun:

I drove my wife's 4-door ECHO south on California Highway 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) south from Monterey to San Luis Obispo about a month ago on our way home from our honeymoon, and I can testify that it is quite and adept car for some white-knuckle driving.

The bad part was that my wife is terribly afraid of heights, so I had to drive ultra-carefully so as not to scare the bejesus out of her. As it was she was sobbing part of the way. :( That's about the cliff-iest road in California!

It took about three hours to drive 67 miles!!! Some of those turns can't be made at much more than about 35mph, in any car. The good ol' ECHO took it all in stride.

Ouch, thats a slick car. I just hope BMW's new Minicooper resurrection makes an impact on our neantherthal auto society.

On another note:
SILVER S2000!!!!!!!! When did you get married?!

03-22-2001 08:37 PM
My fiance got one and I drive it from time to time, and I must say, it's really nice for a sub-compact car.

07-10-2001 10:58 PM
I drove my wife's 4-door ECHO south on California Highway 1...
--Silver S2000

Much congratulations and prosperity to you. Godspeed!

LOL! Good eye, morpheusxiii!!

I got married on June 3rd of this year (between those two posts). I've known my wife for five years and we've been dating for four.

Our dating anniversiary was actually June 4th, which was whan we planned for the wedding, but it was a Monday so we moved it up a day so more of our guests could come. I think that if I ever forget my anniversiary, I'll have a decent excuse. ;)

And another interesting Silver S2000 fact: That first post of mine in this thread was my first post on AF, ever.

The bad part was that my wife is terribly afraid of heights, so I had to drive ultra-carefully so as not to scare the bejesus out of her. As it was she was sobbing part of the way.
--Silver S2000

Haha, what a way to end the honeymoon and symbolize the future! Life on the edge is always grand.

I agree totally about the whole Echo thing. Problem is, it's just not suited for the American market, the way it currently is. Whether it's a fun car or not, "it just plain looks retarded" as you said, aside from the hatch, which was, of course, denied to North America.

I drive a Ford Escort (which would actually be quite large if taken to Europe or Japan, even though it's small here) with a whopping 96 hp (:D) and absolutely love it. It's most certainly not fast, but it's damn good fun to throw around turns and floor everywhere. Verboom drives a Suzuki Swift with even less power, and it's a great ball of fun. In fact, I almost prefer underpowered manual cars that need to be worked.

The problem with the Echo (aside from its looks), IMO, is that it just isn't (unfortunately) suited for the NA market. Everyone, while complaining about gas prices (which are still pretty close to the lowest in the world), is burbling around in their big-ass SUV's and trucks (that they have no real use for). Personally, I think North America needs to smarten up.

The problem with the Echo (aside from its looks), IMO, is that it just isn't (unfortunately) suited for the NA market.
--Heep

Seriously, people here just don't know. The only ones in North America who can actually appreciate these pocket-sized fun-makers are those who've actually been at the helm of one. It takes a massive load to sway the ideals of any large group of persons, and this particular situation seems like an impossible task.

Of course, I wouldn't trade our various muscle cars for these corner carvers, and vice versa. It's just a shame that both cannot co-exist.

Two more reasons the ECHO is at a disadvantage in N.America; one fixable, one not so much...
[list=1]
Really skinny stock tires. I'm sure they did this for fuel efficiency, but the car is so tall I worry about it tipping sometimes.
A certain insecurity that comes with being the smallest car on the road. If the person in that Expedition, Excursion, Suburban, Tahoe, 18-wheeler, etc. doesn't see you and tries to change lanes... well, you know. :( Thank heavens my wife's ECHO is super red. You can almost see it with your eyes shut.
[/list=1]

Really skinny stock tires. I'm sure they did this for fuel efficiency, but the car is so tall I worry about it tipping sometimes.
--Silver S2000

My thoughts precisely!! When my buds and I first saw the ECHO, we joked and related the car's stance to be the automotive equivalent of a cow. Why a cow? Because one could probably run amuk on a dark night "cow-tipping" not beef, but instead pushing over parked ECHOs! :devil: With the extra height from increased interior headroom, the car does seem somewhat top heavy.

A wheel/tire package could probably save its skin, but the plastic lined fenders seem to limit this to a degree. What's to be done? Flared fenders on an ECHO? Tasty... :D

A friend of mine's father rented once for his work, I think the tires were 145/60R14 or something. Real skinny. Ever seen one with the spare on?? Looks almost like the regular stock tires...:D

HAH! Thats comedy... Interesting knowing that there are cars out there that have wheels which equal the diameter of some autos' brake rotors.

Perhaps to some it may seem like small cars and small wheels are ridiculous, but it's the "small" factor that make these same cars entertaining. Does anyone remember that funky Neon racing circuit? Only those who actually participate in the small car experience can relay the quality of the fun.

Originally posted by Heep
A friend of mine's father rented once for his work, I think the tires were 145/60R14 or something. Real skinny. Ever seen one with the spare on?? Looks almost like the regular stock tires...:D

You'd think that'd be a good reason for them to offer a full-sized spare, 'cause it still wouldn't be very big! But no, donut for all the ECHO buyers. :(

All in all, I believe the ECHO is well worth the money. It's good japanese alternative to the various superecono korean cars out there. Sure you get a 100,000 mile powertrain warrantee with them, but do you really want to leave your sacred means of transportation in the shop every other day (especially in California)? Plus the ECHO has great storage bins. :p

I installed a set of auxiliary driving lights on a black sedan ECHO a few months back, and it really made a nice difference. Not a massive mod, but if even this small change can help, then imagine what major mods can do!

I'm waiting for TRD parts.


















j/k LOL!!!!!

Actually, I wonder if any of the front end parts from the J-spec Vitz 1.5RS (That's what it's called, isn't it?) would fit your Echo...bolt on that much better looking front bumper and grill and it would make a HUGE difference.

Yeah, they should fit without any problem, but it will come at a significant cost (and when you think of the cost, you think of how much percentage THAT is compared to the cost of the car, so it may not be worth it).

But if you are one of those who have so much money that it takes effort to get rid of it, then you should spend it slicing off the rear end and replacing it with the hatch from the Vitz. Anyone remember Volk Racing's R33 'Skyline Wagon'? I remember following the construction month by month in Option magazine; all the outlining, cutting, restructuring, fabricating, and of course, the painted final product. It even had an integrated adjustable roof spoiler, to retain the tradition of the GT-R's standard wing. ANYONE who loves hatches and wagons should take a look at Volk Racing's masterpiece. Of course, this car ended up with only three doors, instead of a standard wagon's five, but it was still all wagon.

If this type of 'from scratch' modification can be accomplished, then there shouldn't be anything stopping a spirited ECHO owner from recreating Vitz's derriere--except perhaps money.

I don't wish to knock anyone's wife's car - heaven forbid!
If she's happy and so are you, then it's a win-win.

My fiance has leased two Echos, actually the Yaris version, one upspec VVTi, the other a midrange - both 1.1 litre 3 doors. I've driven them about 3,500kms, mostly highway in western Europe. Things I liked were the 3 drs individualistic styling, apparently not done in-house as is usual by Toyota, but by a Greek. I don't think he did the sedan though. The room is good and the economy impressive. The door openings are large too. Negatives for me included (on the LHD version) being unable to see the fuel gauge on the silly central instuments, surprisingly sore wrists after a day behind the unnaturally bus-like steering wheel rake, and the ultra-sticky upholstery of the VVTi which literally fuses you into the same postion you first sat in the seat, so try as you might you can't wriggle around to get comfy. I've never struck that problem before. My fiance's personal car was (she totalled it into a rather large tractor!) an ageing 200,000km '84 Peugeot 205, a basic model still running well on its original 1.1 litre, and it was interesting to compare the two cars. Although a much older design, I must say I found the 'Pug' much more comfortable, with great seats and a terrific ride for such a small device. It also handled and gripped much better, with none of that front-end kneel and 'tippy' feeling weight shift so apparent in the Toyota. Gee that Toyota gets blown around at speed by trucks etc. We drag-raced them side by side a few times and it was pretty even up to about 70-80kph. The 1.1 litre Yaris has a very close and low-geared set of ratios - pulling more revs in 5th than the 205 did in 4th (top) gear - and notably lacked the torque (such as it was) of the wide-geared Peugeot, but of course was heaps quieter at highway speeds. All in all, it was surprising to me to find that despite being light-years behind the new Toyota in terms of refinement and equipment it was the elderly Peugeot that was more pleasant to drive and tour in, with a far superior chassis, torquier engine and heaps more comfort.

Because it is so spectacularly bad (to my eyes) I can't let it pass without mentioning the utterly hideous styling of the Echo sedan, which doesn't appear to have even one sympathetic line on the whole car, and in modern terms is rivalled in ugliness by only the current Toyota Tarago with the comical 'smiley face' and seemingly pre-smashed flanks.

Hmm, I didn´t know there was Echo enthousiasts around!!
Because of the styling and everything it´s obvious people don´t buy it much in North America, and the ones that do are looking for something new... even if it´s hideous.

my uncle has purchased a strip model, stick shift, gutless, ugly echos..:finger: The only positive thing about that car is that it has good gas mileage. The interior really isnt that big, but they do use every square inch to obtain the maximum interior space.
Other than these 2 insigificant things, echos are horrible vehicles. But they are very popular in Toronto where my uncle lives, as i saw many of them out on the prowl on the streets

People who diss the ECHO dont understand this car's platform.

Car is based on same platform as the Vitz and Yaris which are raced extensively in Asia and Europe. There are a variety of TRD parts for the car.

The ECHO in the US has a hot engine - 1.5 liter DOHC VVT-i makes 108 HP. Car only weighs 2000 lbs. It has vented front disk brakes as well. Stock engine will drag the car zero to 60 in 8.5 seconds.

My Echo has Intrax Sport springs, 16x7 wheels, 205/40/16 Dunlops, TRD front strut brace, rear suspension brace, K&N air/oil filters, Koni shocks.

Bought my car new for $9800

Picture of my ECHO:
http://members.aol.com/grantlax/images/echo1.jpg

it is ugly, but compraed to a lot of coupe's ,sedan's, or SUV's it isnt all that bad

i guess the echo is alright, the thing it is just doesnt appeal to my style. I would take it for long trips or soemthing, just cuz of the mpg. Also I think that the goverment should buy some to save some money, and the pizza delivery guys should drive them to save some gas money.