Easy on fuel, easy to park

Does not handle well on Hi-ways. Bad warranty.

.I live out of town so this car is EXTREMELY BAD on Hi-ways with any kind of winds. Very nearly get blown off road especially if a Semi or bigger vehicle passes. Toyota has WORST warranty on planet! Pieces keep falling off.

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Tercel, Escort

Engine is to weak almost got plowed trying to merge in to traffic on expressway.

I test drove one of these and I didn't care for it. As for you jamal I own a 2002 Kia Optima and I would have you for lunch and then some. Don't knock Kia and Hyundai they are Korean not American research your information before posting wrong information. Toyota used to be POS's back in the 70's so don't think Toyota is the best out there. Everyone thinks VVT-I and VTECH is such a big performance gain. Trust me its not I should know because I have talked to Honda and Toyota techs and you only gain about 6 HP off of it. And you still have to rev high to acheieve HP and torque with or without VVT-i and VTECH. Its just another gimmick to get you to buy there cars. It didn't sell well with me at all.

mileage, handles well, fun to drive great dash makes more sense.

found none

we bought the echo used at 52,000miles. we loved it, not one problem. this month i was in an accident that totalled the car. someone smashed into me from behind. the car lifted up and the ass was on top of the hood of the guy behind me. the entire rear end curled underneath itself. Why i will buy another: everything in the trunk was salvagable. and inside from the back seat you would never have known the ass was gone. if anyone else had been in the car with me they would have been fine. I am with the exception of typical whiplash. this car saved my life. just for the safety of it, i'm buying it again. thank you toyota.

The economy of an economy car. Great engine performance coupled with great fuel mileage. Small car size, medium car room and capacity.

The cost-cutting cheapness of an economy car. The devil is in the details. Easy to like when new, but all those shoddy annoyances take the bloom from the cheek.

In reading the following, one might get the impression that I am a hard driver. This isn't so; I enjoy getting as much reliable life out of a machine as I can sensibly obtain. My previous car was an '83 VW Rabbit diesel; when I sold it at 400K km it still had the original clutch assembly and sported the factory paint job: no touch-ups, no Bondo. I consider myself to be a gentle driver. The Echo is a very well thought-out package, the interior space and trunk capacity are exemplary for a vehicle of this size. The seats are high and firm, but more than half an hour in the car gives me lower back pain; I can come close to the ideal seating position for me, but apparently not close enough. Maybe it's just me. The amount of interior room in such a small car dictates a tall profile, and this makes the car squirrely on the highway in anything more than a gentle cross-wind. This is the first car I've had where I've checked the local weather reports before heading out for extended highway driving in otherwise good weather. Cross-winds notwithstanding, the ride ride quality and handling are very good. I find the visibility to the front and sides excellent, but rear 3/4 and direct rearward visibility aren't so hot, reversing is often a surprisingly challenging task in such a small car. Again, maybe it's just me. The OEM Michelins were better suited to a child's tire swing rather than transportation, they were shot at only 40K km. The replacement tires, admittedly not top-shelf premiums, did not affect the car's cross-wind instability one way or the other. The front disc brake pads were also worn to the point of replacement by 50K km. Maybe I'm expecting too much, but that seems a bit soft to me. To be fair, I have no complaints about the car's braking feel or performance. The (red) paint seems soft, it's easily scratched and chipped. I know this is an economy car, but I am a bit disheartened when I see the unfinished, dull, rough paint in the trunk and engine compartment. Probably won't get 20 good years out of Toyota's finish as I did with the old VW. I also don't like the way the finish on "out-of-sight" components is deteriorating so rapidly, for example: the power steering reservoir and hood prop rod look like they've been in a landfill for some time. Connectors at the fuel tank are corroding rapidly, and suspension fasteners that protrude into the engine bay and trunk look five times older than they are. Japan is a salt-water maritime nation after all, I would have thought that they had corrosion proofing figured out by now. That said, the body structure is solid: no squeeks, leaks, rattles. True, this is an economy car, but did the interior plastic have to be so plasticky? Bits of it keep falling/breaking off, the seatback recliners and various caps from the seat rails being the usual repeat offenders. The original carpets weren't fit for a dog house (unless I didn't like the dog), they wore through in a year and were replaced under warranty. The replacements seem to be standing up better thus far. Controls and switches work well and feel good in the hand, excepting the cheesey instrument panel dimmer and dome light switch. Lights, wipers, rear window defogger, heating, ventilation and stereo all perform flawlessly. A word on design: the number and placement of the instrument pod light bulbs gives the impression at night that some of your dash lights are burned out, the quality of illuminatiion is spotty and uneven. The headlights, however, are absolutely the best of any car I have owned. If you can't see it at night with these headlights, see your optometrist: you have serious vision impairment. (Does anybody know what value the blue "cold coolant temp" light has? Am I supposed to drive the car extra conservatively untill the light goes out? The owner's manual and dealership technicians are of no help on this topic. If there's nothing I can/should do with this light's information, why bother having it?) The engine is remarkably peppy for the fuel economy it provides, happy-happy-joy-joy. A note of uneasiness: the engine doesn't sound all that happy at idle, either cold or warm. Seems to be a lot ticking, thrashing and whirling about going on in there. Despite what the Toyota mechanics say, I'm just not comfortable with those kinds of noises coming out of such a low-mileage engine. Another note of concern about the engine: I've been using synthetic engine oil (Mobil 1) since about 12K km, and the engine seems to be dirtying its oil rapidly. Within two weeks of an oil change, the stuff is chocolate brown. This doesn't augur well for the internal condition of the engine, but the Toyota mechanics keep singing "Don't worry, be happy." No complaints with the manual transmission, but the shifter can be be a tad notchy. Generally, this is a good little car, but a bunch of niggling little detail shortcomings keep it from being an outstanding little car.

Similar Products Used:

'83 VW Golf diesel.

Absolutely adorable! Great gas mileage and low sticker price.

Crosswinds are beastly, slight engine rattle, no clock

I bought this great little car new in December, 2002. Ten months and 8,000 miles later, I'm still in love! All I've had to do so far is get the oil changed, once. Sometimes it feels a teensy bit "cheap," but for $13,000, I'm not going to complain.

Similar Products Used:

Saturn SL-1, Subaru Legacy

Roomy Fast and zippy VERY cool looking A fun, fresh car for young or older people LOTs of storage Huge trunk You sit high up and have a great view of the road around you from all angles Smooth shifting

Not a single one

I bought this car after getting in an accident right after my college graduation. I had been driving my 1993 Legacy station wagon back and forth to school for the past year and while it made me feel very safe (and saved my life when I was rear-ended at 50 mph as I was braked at a red-light) - after the accident, when I had the oppurtunity to get a new car, I was ready to get something a bit . . . hipper. My father found me an echo with 9000 miles on it, and I couldn't be more in love with this car. You want more features, get an upgrade for heaven's sake! Or buy a more expensive car (you see, cars tend to be more expensive the more fancy *stuff* they have). I feel safe in this car, I've been complimented on its style, and have a 1.5 hour commute each day, and only have to fill up the tank once every 5-6 days. Also, I won't be paying it off for the rest of my life, thanks to its affordability. I'm surprised at how many people have said they don't like the way it looks - 1) why would you buy a car if you think it's such a disgrace to look at? 2) For those who don't even own one, why waste your (and my) time submitting a review about a car you don't own? Also, if you don't wear a watch, you can buy a little clock at the dollar store and stick it in your car somewhere with double-sided tape. It's really no big thing. I'm 6 feet tall, my brother is 6'7, my sister is also 6', and the three of us have fit comfortably in it. I also think it has fantastic pickup and have not noticed any 'shaking' out of the ordinary for a small car in high winds/high speeds. (My station wagon on the other hand was very susceptible to being knocked around in high speeds).

Similar Products Used:

1993 Subaru Legacy station wagon, 1994 Honda Accord LX

Gas Mileage, Reliablity, Seating position, AC works very well, Trunk is actually useful (BEETLE trunk is a joke)

none except for the looks you get from your Brother in law when you didn't buy a Civic and immediately install gawdy rims and glass pack muffler

I really enjoy this car. I traded my VW New beetle for this car! The beetle is great as far as looks go but a myriad of problems over the past few years have lessened the joy I received from that car (as well as lightened the pocketbook) I think this car has just as much personality as the beetle but is also reliable, gets better gas mileage and should be worth something after its paid off.

Similar Products Used:

VW beetle (junk), Corolla, Saturn SL2 (actually not that bad a car)

great gas mileage, good handling, roomy interior space as against viewing it from outside, sound system, minimal maintenance cost (cost me only $36CAD on regular changeoil servicing), fast for a subcompact car

-internal squeaks/noise on door panels -rigid suspension -too small low grip tires (michelin) -engine rattles a bit on idle -small rear door/rear access -very lightweight

An awesome compact car! I have the 4-dr w/ appearance pckg, A/C and mudguards. Great gas mileage, smooth ride, good handling and very economical. I'd say pretty fast for a sub-compact car and the best among its class! Had it for a year and still same engine condition, no problems on cold starting even at minus 30deg w/o plugging the block heater. Also, good interior space, trunk space & sound system. This is a very practical and economical car (very low maintenance)...should be called the PRACTICAR!

Similar Products Used:

'97 Mazda B2500 pickup

great on gas. Very dependable. Very roomy. Love the center console. great on tight turns.

back seat does not come down. rattling from engine on idle. cheap hubcaps. when I am driving when it is windy, it feels like I am going to fly away.

My Echo is a 4 door phantom grey pearl color echo. 2003. This is the best car so far that I have owned

Similar Products Used:

Jeep wrangler. Toyota tercel

Spacious, handles well, great mileage (less so in Texas than in less humid states), center dash is great, low maintenance, cheap new vehicle,

seats get uncomfortable on long hauls, no gauges (only idiot lights), service is expensive: fuel system sensors, shocks, brakes; cheap interior materials (you get waht you pay for)

65000 miles, stills runs well. 2dr 5sp

Similar Products Used:

Toyota Celica & Corolla, Honda Prelude