Toyota Echo

[Morpheus XIII]

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!

[Jay!]

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.

[Morpheus XIII]

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.

[Heep]

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 () 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.

[Morpheus XIII]

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.

[Jay!]

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]

[Morpheus XIII]

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! 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...

[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...

[Morpheus XIII]

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.

[Jay!]

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...

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.

[Morpheus XIII]

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.

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!

[Jay!]

I'm waiting for TRD parts.


















j/k LOL!!!!!

[Heep]

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.

[Morpheus XIII]

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.

[Thunda Downunda]

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.