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I do NOT plan to allow the dealer to service the car. They overcharge way too much for routine maintenance. Its costs me about $7 for an oil change and I read the owners manual and inspect everything myself. When the rear brakes go Toyota will do that as well as the exhaust system and shock struts. I plan to check the valve clearances myself at 60k miles. About five and a half years from now by my count. I use Nu Car Finish on the hood, roof and trunk every spring and fall.
Basically the car drives like new and there have been no problems.
I encourage everyone that wants to see the Echo hatchback come to the U.S. to do likewise. Email link is under: Search/Help - FAQs - Email Toyota.
rick
The Echo is the 5th best selling car in Canada (excluding light trucks), and sells almost as many as the Corolla does. Although the sales figures I've seen aren't broken out by bodystyle, I'm sure that it's remarkable sales performance is due to the hatch. They are all over the place and people love them. A woman in my office with a blue hatch says that other Echo drivers (esp. the blue ones) give an "Echo wave" everytime they drive past one another!
The differences between the ECHO hatchback and the Scion xA seem to be that the ECHO has more front and rear shoulder room, but is less roomy with regard to leg and hip room. (I base that on the last toyota.edumunds model comparison webpage I accessed from Toyota's ECHO page.
Besides, it has a more utilitarian approach to its design. I like the double-glove box, the tray under the seat, and all the cubby holes.
Funny that I can't find a hatchback or tall wagon that seats 5, is 5-star in the crash ratings, gets 30+ MPG in the city, and isn't styled like something from a sci-fi movie. Doesn't Honda or Toyota recognize a purely utilitarian need for an economical hatchback/wagon?
http://www.thecarconnection.com/index.asp?article=6806
http://www.cardesignnews.com/news/2002/021012tokyo-nissan/
I really wish Honda or Toyota could make a hatchback at the size of the Civic or Corolla, that was utilitarian, lacked all of the brushed chrome accents and irridescent lighting. Just make it a practical vehicle, an "SUV for the rest of us."
BTW: thanks for the links for the Cube and Jazz/Fit.
How about the base Matrix? Tons of space, good passenger room, Toyota quality.
I thought the Matrix had a (comparatively) weak engine...
Guess I'll have to try it out with the family.
In border towns there are brokers who will take care of importing and making the changes necessary to make the cars comply with US standards. There aren't many to worry about since Canadian standards are harmonized with US standards(switching the odometer is the big one). I would call a few of those first and ask them some questions about process, fees and pitfalls. Having warranty coverage is a big one, but again, on a used car it is not the same thing as a new one. Also, although it is a hatch, it is based on common Echo components, so most US Toyota dealers can fix them. Since the Echo hatch is selling extremely well in Canada, importing hatch parts won't be a big deal either.
And no one is forcing people to buy anything they don't want to buy. If they wanted to buy ECHOes, they would demand them and Toyota would make more of them. It's a free enterprise system.
I wonder if sales are beginning to pick up with the ECHO now that gas prices have risen.
I'm hoping that a 5-seat ECHO hatchback joins the fray this coming model year.
There is a diesel version of the Echo hatchback that is sold in Europe; called the Yaris. I think that, as is, it might not meet US air pollution standards. There ought to be some decent selection of reliable, fuel efficient, and relatively inexpensive cars available to the US consumer. There is not. The relaxation of the CAFE standards is probably as much to blame as anything for this sorry state of affairs.
The Sprint was apparently imported by Chevrolet to help their CAFE numbers, and I have been the beneficiary of that for the past 17 years. Mileage of the ER model I have has varied from 50 to 60 miles per US gallon, and the car sold for about $6,000 in 1987.
Here we are in 2004 and there is nothing to equal the Sprint for economy and fuel efficiency. We are spending billions to fight wars over oil, but hardly a penny for efficiency or conservation. This is progress?
When we needed to haul stuff, it was better than the Windstar. Pop off the headrests and lay the split rear seats flat.
I envy the last generation of Civic hatchbacks. They were utilitarian and, I believe, got the same or better high mileage as the sedan version.
Personally, the ECHO is the only car that's thrilled me when I test drove it. I love the storage nooks, the way that the pieces of the dashboard meet, everything (except the velcro closure for the sun visor--that was too cheap-looking for a car that approached a Civic LX in price).
Anyway, let's hope that the ECHO flourishes enough to justify its place in the Toyota lineup.
Love my Echo too.
If the initial purchase price was about equivalent to the Echo I might buy a Smart. But the extra 7K for a smaller car with somewhat better mileage does not make sense to me.