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Full Test: 2001 Toyota Echo
Brand-New Cheap Toyota
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By Christian Wardlaw
Date posted: 11-30-2000
Based on positive owner feedback in our Town Hall community (about the car, not about previous reviews that have appeared on our Web site, which have been mostly negative) and calls for our editorial staff to be summarily dismissed and put in the unemployment line, we decided to see if we'd somehow missed something the first time we road tested the Toyota Echo last winter. You might recall we panned the car at that time, gave it a failing grade, and directed consumers to other makes and models that, in our opinion, offered more bang for the buck.
After scheduling a 2001 Echo Sedan weeks in advance, we arrived at Toyota Motor
Sales, U.S.A. Inc.'s Torrance, Calif., headquarters to pick up our test vehicle.
At that time, we were informed that we would no longer be given access to Toyota
press vehicles, because of the negative reviews of the Echo that appeared on our
Web site. Immediately, we arranged to rent one instead, as well as a Prius gas-electric
hybrid that had also been pulled from us at the last minute.
However, after discussing the situation with John Hanson, head honcho in Toyota's
National Product News department, we cancelled the rentals. He explained that
he was upset about our characterization of the 2,100-pound Echo's crashworthiness.
Specifically, he took offense at our assertion that, in a crash with a vehicle
twice the Echo's weight, Echo occupants would be turned into something resembling
everyone's favorite lunchmeat, Spam. Hanson explained that internal company testing
proved that Echo could protect occupants in a crash just as well as the Toyota
Camry. We agreed to express this information in the Echo's
overview, and Hanson allowed us to continue scheduling Toyota models for review.
You should know that later this year, the NHTSA is planning a complete battery
of crash tests on the Echo to see if Toyota or Sir Isaac Newton knows physics
better.
That brings us to our second look at Toyota's controversial (in our offices) Echo
subcompact. In an effort to broaden staff opinion, we reserved the keys for those
staffers who did not get seat time in the Echo Coupe we tested last year. Demographically,
the male and female editors who drove the Echo this time ranged in age from 23
to 48. Some were single, some were married, some had families with children as
old as 16. Some had just spent time driving a Kia Spectra, a less refined but
heavier, better-equipped and more utilitarian vehicle than the Echo.
Nobody liked the Echo's styling the first time we drove it, and nobody liked it
this time. Rather than relate staff opinion, let an impartial third-party's observation
serve here:
Author's Wife's Friend: "What's that car in the driveway?"
Author: "A Toyota Echo."
Author's Wife's Friend: "Oh, the Echo."
Author: "Do you like it?"
Author's Wife's Friend: "No, it's got a funny shape to it."
Now that we've gotten that out of the way, we can concentrate on the things that
matter. Is the Echo a good car? Should someone with $15,000 to spend on a car,
new or used, buy one?
Like last year, our answer to the latter question is a resounding "No." Our Brilliant
Blue Pearl sedan stickered at $14,879. It did not have an automatic transmission.
It did not have side airbags. Adding those options would have bumped the price
to nearly $16,000. And then, after spending that kind of dough, you're still reaching
way across the passenger cabin, rolling down the passenger's side window, and
manually adjusting the right side rearview mirror that someone's big ol' butt
bent out of place in the grocery store parking lot. Admittedly, our test car had
$1,000 worth of appearance items that were unnecessary, but even without the body
cladding, alloy wheels and spoiler you're talking the same price as a 2001 Honda
Civic DX Sedan equipped with optional air conditioning.
Despite what we know about the longevity of Toyotas, Echo, in our opinion, represents
poor value. According to one residual value guide, National Auto Research's Black
Book, Echo, after five years, will retain less of its original price than any
other Toyota except the Avalon. Honda's redesigned Civic wallops the Echo on resale
value. Furthermore, models like the Ford Focus and Nissan Sentra, though not expected
to hold value quite as well as the Echo, are ranked closely enough to the Toyota
that, by the time this five-year depreciation has occurred, Echo's benefit to
the consumer will amount to no more than a few hundred dollars.
Still, you're likely to spend more money maintaining and fixing the Ford, if the
rash of recalls issued on the Focus is any indication about longevity, so the
stoutly constructed Echo offers a benefit there. It isn't likely to break. Plus,
to someone shopping in this price bracket, a couple hundred bucks is a pile of
money. But do you really want to live without power windows and remote adjustable
mirrors for five years? And in a 2,100-pound car, don't you want the side airbags
to maximize protection from the legions of cell-phone chattering, child-distracted
moms and dads running all over town in 2-ton SUVs and minivans? Wouldn't you rather
spend a little more money to get the roomier, heavier, arguably more attractive
and better-equipped Honda Civic LX? We would. We'd also seriously consider the
redesigned, 140-horsepower Hyundai Elantra, which comes well equipped with features
and a great warranty for about $14,000.
Really, safety concerns, a wonky value equation and distaste for the styling are
our primary gripes against the Echo. Otherwise, in answer to the first question
posed above, yes, this is a good car. Its short length and narrow width, combined
with excellent forward visibility, a spunky engine and surprisingly competent
brakes, make it a perfect urban commuter. Someone in San Francisco, where parking
space is tight and traffic is a nightmare, would love this car. However, in Los
Angeles, where our offices are located, it is less useful to suburban dwellers
who, to stay with the flow of traffic (when traffic flows), must sometimes travel
80 mph on the freeway.
Echo's short wheelbase and softly sprung independent front strut, rear torsion
beam suspension are wonderful things in tightly packed urban areas with cracked
and broken byways. On L.A. expressways, hobby horsing is a constant companion
and, when taken over some bridge connectors at speed, our Echo's tail unloaded
enough to wag a bit, causing instability and white knuckles. Also, with its light
curb weight and slab-sided bodywork, Echo was quite susceptible to crosswinds.
Additionally, body roll was counted as problematic, though grip from the 14-inch
Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires was impressive, both in the dry and the wet.
Mechanically, Echo is almost fun to drive as long as speeds are kept in check.
The motor produces more than enough power to make the car agile in traffic. The
gearbox, this editor felt, especially after driving a Kia Spectra two nights prior
to taking the Echo home for the weekend, offered precise feel and positive engagement.
Others on staff weren't so happy, calling the shifter "horrible," "sloppy" and
"disgusting." The clutch is feather light and easy to operate. Likewise, the steering,
which is disconnected from the road at higher speeds, was responsive around town.
Brakes operated with strength and authority, our test car's average 136-foot stop
from 60 mph notwithstanding. Pedal feel was good, and action was pleasantly progressive
and easy to modulate.
Inside, Echo pleases with a nice sounding stereo system that, on our test car,
included both CD and cassette players. Storage room abounds, with deep bins in
the dash, an underdash slot in front of the driver and a trick two-tiered glove
box design. The quality of materials was high, with the silky turn signal displaying
more refinement and finesse than what could be found in a $40,000 Lincoln LS we
recently drove. Build quality was exceptional inside and out. A large trunk, a
quiet cabin at speed, and the simplistic ergonomics (with the exception of the
location of the power lock button, down on the floor between the seats) all conspired
to please our staff.
Seat comfort, however, did not, with taller drivers experiencing difficulty finding
adequate legroom when seated behind the wheel. Also, long-distance comfort on
the firm but shapeless seats was lacking. One editor complained of an aching butt
and sore right shoulder after a grueling 70-mile, 1.5-hour ride, citing the lack
of adequate seat track travel and a center armrest as the likely causes. We also
noted that the manually adjusted side mirrors are too small and leave large blind
spots on either side of the car (some of us rely strictly on mirrors for lane
changes, believing that whipsawing your head away from the road ahead is a prime
ingredient of a traffic accident recipe).
As in our last test, we deemed the centrally located speedometer difficult to
get used to, but this time nobody complained about having trouble reading the
numbers. Owners claim Toyota designed the gauge cluster for safety, but we maintain
that it's a cost-cutting move to make assembling left- and right-hand-drive versions
of this "world car" easier and less costly. As proof, ponder this: since the Echo
was released, Toyota has simultaneously or since brought to market the Prius,
Avalon, Celica, MR2 Spyder, and RAV4. Within months, the Sequoia and Highlander
will be in showrooms. The only other new Toyota with centrally mounted gauges
is the Prius.
Observations were made regarding the ease, or lack thereof, with which child seats
can be installed in the Echo. First, a rear-facing, centrally located child safety
seat won't fit properly when the front seats are pushed all the way back in the
track. The basket handle, which, according to the instructions on our test seat,
must be lowered completely for optimum safety, won't clear the front seatbacks.
This is a problem we've found on other tall roof/short overall length vehicles,
such as the Subaru Forester.
Furthermore, Echo's rear seatbelt anchorages are placed in such a manner that,
once a forward-facing child seat is installed, it is difficult, if not impossible,
to cinch the seat down tightly and remove slack in the belt. Echo comes standard
with child seat-tether anchors, and we recommend that parents use them. Beyond
that, the plastic seat base of this editor's child seat did not fit between the
seatbelt anchor and the buckle. Half of the buckle housing was stuck under the
base of the child seat, causing it to lie flat against the bottom cushion, making
it nearly impossible to latch the belt. Since I didn't have tether straps or a
narrower car seat for my toddler, I decided against using the Echo as family transportation
for the weekend and kept the kids safe and secure in our Sienna minivan. We advise
people who plan to install car seats to do so before buying the
Echo to make sure they fit and can be secured properly.
We've spent a total of two weeks with Toyota's Echo since it was introduced. Nearly
10 editors of both genders and with an age range spanning 25 years have driven
the car and supplied thoughts and observations. Though some of us certainly can
appreciate the design and packaging that went into making the Echo, all of us
feel Toyota has missed the mark. Echo is too expensive, and is not designed to
meet the needs of North American consumers.
In European and Japanese city centers, where the Echo is called the Vitz and is
purchased by people with fewer and more expensive parking spaces to utilize than
dwellers of Manhattan, this car makes perfect sense, particularly when overseas
fuel prices are factored into the equation. It is a wonderful little low-speed,
high-mileage, no-fuss urban commuter. But in America, where it takes three or
four full days of high-speed motoring on some of the cheapest gas in the world
to get from one side of the country to the other, Echo is ill-suited to the driving
most of the people do most of the time.
What we'd like to see Toyota do with the Echo, at a minimum, is lower the price
while making power windows and mirrors available. More rearward seat track travel
would aid the comfort of tall drivers, and a seat height adjuster would do wonders
as well. Added child seat compatibility would be helpful. A thicker antiroll bar
up front, and one added in back, along with a larger 15-inch wheel and tire option
would better control body roll and improve stability as well as handling. Finally,
some of us would like to see a hatchback model added to the lineup.
Interestingly, one member of our staff offered this comment: "Know what would
be fun? Tuner TRD Echos on a kart track." Maybe Echo could find success in the
States yet.
See all the Ratings: 2001 Toyota ECHO 4dr Sedan (1.5L 4cyl 5M) Road Test Scoreboard
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