WHOOPS is my face red! MajorTHOM is correct, the longer interval for oil changes on the ECHO is 7.5k miles NOT 10k miles. Dont know where I came up with that one. I change my oil four times a year on the first day of spring, summer, winter, fall etc on the theory that oil is cheap and I do mostly short distance driving.
I thought that was a notable sentence out of the New Vehicles review of the '01 Honda Civic here on Edmunds.com. It must be nice to set aside one day out of the calendar year as Oil Change Day.
Just calculated my 1st report card on the Echo's gas mileage after one week of driving...approximately 41MPG driving 75% city and 25% highway! Great little car! Can't wait to get numbers on highway only. Note: I've been following 55MPH limit for max break-in speed. Toyota has done great work engineering this machine!!!
I took delivery of an Absolutely Red, 4-door, 5-speed manual Echo on Monday. It has Package #1 and #2 and the weather package. I want to thank everyone here -- It was the conversations happening in this Town Hall that made me decide to go with the Echo rather than Honda or VW.
I am now in the process of teaching my 15-year-old (driver's permit and 4-months' experience in an automatic SUV) to drive a manual. Any sage advice you can pass on to me?
Also, I'm thinking about installing those little plastic things that go over the windows, so you can leave them open without the rain getting in (don't know what they are called). Has anyone done so? Is it a good idea or a waste of money?
I got a response back from Edmunds about my complaint that the review is out of date in terms of the paragraph about safety.
It was a form letter saying that my concerns have been shared with the editorial team and any necessary corrections will be done as soon as possible (or words to that effect).
Let's just see how long it takes them to correct this.
majorthomecho: If you really want to complain to Edmunds about staleness in their reviews, check out the ones for used Ford Explorers. The word "tire" is virtually nowhere to be found.
I think tossing the words "libel suit" at a company is a great way to guarantee that you'll get a vaguely-worded form-letter response. I also don't think the wording of the Edmunds review would really scare away any buyers who are seriously considering this car.
I am most likely going to buy a new echo within the next month. I would like to know what the Canadian invoice prices are from someone who has done a look-up. This is easy to find for US prices, but not for Canadian without paying a pretty penny. I think everything like that on the Internet should be free, so I am against paying the $20.
Congrats on your new Echo!!! I love the red color! Mine is Electric Green 4-door w/5-spd. Re: learning stick...I had a wonderful driving instructor teach me how to drive a stick. I too had experience driving an automatic first. The best thing he did was tell me to get used to the clutch with my shoes off...I know it's not legal in some states to drive without footwear but it helped me get the feel of the clutch and how it engages the gear. Good luck!!! *I had to learn the stick when I picked up my new car-a Subaru BRAT('79)!!!
For the Canadian invoice prices, go to www.toyota.ca and you can get a pretty fair idea of the various prices (including package options, down payment amounts, interest, etc.) and it will calculate out the final price as well as monthly payments. I am also looking at buying an Echo in the next few months and am a little discouraged over some of the reviews that I have read elsewhere. Anyone have any words of encouragement to a well-performing Echo?
Dude, don't debate buying an Echo. If you are already thinking about it, then do it. There's little chance you will regret it. I lurked this board last July before buying my car. I read every post(4 thousand or so) and became convinced of buying the car. My car has 16,000 miles on it. I just took it on an endurance trip of 6,000 miles in two weeks. We drove I-90 from Washington to Philadelphia, and then back. The Echo held up at 80 mph. It held up at 90 mph. It held up at 100 mph. Driving across Montana and South Dakota takes a long time. Coming back we hit major winds in South Dakota. Driving 75mph into 40mph winds and the Echo was alright. Of course the car shook and shimmied a little bit, but no worse than other cars on the Interstate. Buy one and have fun. It's not like other cars. It's different, that's all.
PS mbohun: That's great mileage. Don't expect the automatic to always get 40 or more, unless you keep it under 60mph in the future. On long drives cruise control will help out alot with getting that good mileage.
I know what you mean that some of the reviews are negative. As was stated a few messages back, most of what is negative is based on looks or bad information(too bad, I love the looks). However, there are a lot of positive reviews too. I have seen some that *love* the ECHO. We have two ECHOs and are very satisfied with performance and all other issues.
For example, the total MPG over the last 5 fillups has been 39.7, on an automatic in very mixed driving conditions. It is peppy and reliable. The interior is a marvel of design (OK another oppinion). Once you get used to using an ECHO day-in day-out everthing else seems just, well, not quite there...
pars9550: Toyota.ca displays the MSRP price, and not the invoice price. The MSRP price, is essentially the sticker price that the dealer puts on the car. The Invoice price is what the dealer paid. If I can obtain the invoice price, I can then go much lower then the MSRP price. Knowing how much they make I can get the price down where they are still making a reasonable amount of cash. A win win deal. Just more of a win for me ;D
I'm in a bind: I'm gonna buy a car this weekend, and I'm sure it's either gonna be an '01 Hyundai Elantra or an '01 Echo. Now, I'm pretty sure no one is gonna talk me out of the Echo. My request is this: Can anyone give me a reason for picking the Echo over the Elantra, considering the Hyundai warranty versus the high cost of Echo accessories? I'd be grateful if any of y'all out there could share some of your wisdom.
The issue I would raise is Hyundai vs. Toyota. No offense, but the Korean car makers have been fairly substandard in build quality, reliability, etc. etc. To their credit, they're getting better, but they still are not a match (no matter what you'll read in the Korean car threads - they're all fanatics and turn a blind eye to the statistics) for the Japanese auto makers. The Echo will out-last and out-perform a similarly priced Hyundai, and as a result its _value_ is greater than the Hyundai.
And as for the expensive options, just be prepared to wait a little longer and don't take anything you don't want. I find the Sport Body cladding to be overly expensive and detract from the looks of the car; you don't need power steering on a car this size; you definately don't need the "rear lip spoiler", etc. etc. etc. I clocked in at $12.5k, and that's with A/C, CD stereo, rear window defogger, and the sharp looking alloy wheels (among other things). Be smart and it won't break the bank.
You need to test drive each car of interest and then make an evaluation of what you really want. I looked at the Subaru Forester, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Echo. The Forester is great for the snow belt however engine needs update to get better MPG and costs >$20k. The Civic is very sporty looking and comes standard with almost everything including good MPG, great crash ratings, however, I experienced transmission noise during a test drive which turned me off. The Corolla has a refined ride, peppy engine, great MPG much like the Civic, however it felt somewhat cramped, especially in the back seat (update on the way!!!). I decided to go with the Echo based on my need for local in-city commuting, better fuel economy, roomy, Good crash ratings and the price was right, <$15k...less then the others I looked at even through the ride is not as refined because of short wheel-base & smaller tires. There are similar cars out there (i.e., Focus), but it has been my experience that Toyota builds a better machine (this is my 5th Toyota) and I like to reward those who do their homework. Toyota has definitely done its homework and it works well and deserves the reward.
redjellydonut,check the lease residuals on the Korean cars compared to Japanese cars,you will find that leasing companies won't touch Korean cars because the resale value is just not there,if you want to drive a K car for 10 years, which you will have to do because a 3 year old Hyundai with 50K has about 30% residual,maybe not even that high. If an auto manufacturer won't offer a lease on their own cars because they don't want them back,then I don't want one either,.....no matter what the price,or warranty.
I have a Korean friend at work a few years ago who purchased a brand new Hyundai. Her car died on the Pacific Coast Highway on her trip from LA to San Jose when it had only 16,000 miles. What is good with the 100,000 miles warranty if you have to bring your car to the dealer more often (even all the problems is cover under warranty). There will be time lost from work and stress of not having a car when it is in the shop. I have owned several Toyotas and my ECHO seems to be the least reliable one but I would pick it over any Huyndais anytime....please stay away from the trouble prone Hund....I heard they improved a little bit lately but don't take any risk. The reselling value for the H is close to nil. ***Stay with the most reliable car manufacturer: Toyota and you'll be happy:)***
Another thing to consider is the cost of ownership: in terms of gas mileage, and insurance fees. You can ask you insurance broker for quotes, or you can check on this online. In addition to the mileage info. you can get here, FYI Consumer Reports' observed mileage was: 16/35 mpg for the auto Elantra and 28/46 for the 5spd Echo.
Had the air con checked in my 2001 Echo yesterday by dealer. Mechanic said that he thinks Toyota overcompinsated the mistake of overcharging the ac by just going with minimum charging. So he brought it up to maximum and I am very pleased with the results since south Georgia's afternoon temperatures are in the 90's. He asked me if someone had been tampering with the ac since the pipes were wrapped. I told him I had done that to make the air cooler. He said it was a good idea and to leave the wrapping on it. Work was done under warranty. While waiting I took a look at show room models. Saw my first Highlander (wife is a SUV lover so considering one for her some day) and an Echo with beach wrapping decor. Anyway, it was a previous post that alerted me to a possible charging problem with the Echo ac. Even though mine was undercharged instead of overcharged, I appreciate the great advice posted here.
Mine is working much better now with the proper charge as well! I can actually use it while idling in a parking lot now without having to keep my foot on the gas!
With the posts about possible overcharging and undercharging of the AC, I will have the dealer take a look at it when I have the oil changed at 10,000 miles. Given the way I am racking up miles, this will not be too long.
If I take in the instructions for wrapping the AC pipe, do you think the dealership will do the work for me? Mechanically, I am all thumbs.
www.crown-motors.com Its a japanese site but it has a few echo accessories (eg.headlight covers, and window spoilers) hope these are things to come to America.
Hey all! O.K. you guys can stop snickering ... I drive an 01 Hyundai Accent (my wife drives a 99) and so far, both have been pretty good ... my wife's has been dead reliable and I really like the comfort of my black hatchback ... but I will confess to having a fascination for the Echo (actually for most Toyotas ... having once owned a 77 Corolla and an 82 Corolla). I've never driven an Echo and first when they came out, thought they were kinda ugly ... but I've always been a sucker for "unusual" looking cars and ... well they grew on me ... Anyhow, when my wife's lease is up, I'm considering possibly looking for a low-milage used Echo. Can any of you guys shed any light on such a beast after a couple of years of ownership? Also, whataretheylike in the snow ... we had almost 21 feet of snow here last winter. Is the Echo capable with a good set of snow tires?
I've got over 40,000 miles on my 2000 ECHO. While stationed overseas in the U.S. Navy I saw up close the Yaris. An Icelandic friend bought one and was gracious enough to let me drive it for a day. I was convinced. My Mrs. and I wanted it for a retirement car. It was easy to get in and out, the center dash was really easy for bi-focals and the fuel economy was tremendous. I bought mine from Cliffy1 when he worked at another dealership. After I retired, we flew back to the U.S. picked up our ECHO from cliffy1 and drove off into the sunset. Now, 40K miles later I can honestly say we did the right thing. We travel quite regularly. Once, caught between two scheduling conflicts, we drove 15 hours straight. The car was reasonably comfortable the whole time. As far as reliability, the only problems I've ever had were squeeky hubcaps (local dealership replaced them free), one recall for the cold weather issue (local dealer replaced whatever they replaced free) and what I consider the only flaw in an otherwise great car, a weak air conditioner. It's been looked at numerous times, and had an expansion valve replaced, a new dryer box and the refrigerant replaced. It's still gets weak, if I use the fresh air setting and drive for many hours. I normally set the system to re-circulate. It seems to work OK this way. I sent an e-mail note to Toyota about wrapping the ac pipes. They said I shouldn't modify them. The last time I took it to the dealership, they sent a letter to the regional Toyota office asking about ac problems. We (me and the dealership) are still waiting. I'll let you know when I hear something. So, in summation, while I haven't driven in snow yet (the Yaris IS popular in Iceland), I really enjoy my ECHO. 36 mpg is the lowest, 44 the highest. Even though local gas has dropped in price to $1.49, I'm still happy I'm saving money.
If the most recent Kelly Blue Book is to be believed, you might end up paying more for a used 2000 Echo then what the price was when it was new.
They give the original sticker price of a 2-door as $11,645 and the retail value of that Echo in excellent condition as $11,700 which is an increase of $55.
The original sticker price of a 4-door is given as $11,945 and the retail value in excellent condition is given as $12,150. This is an increase of $205.
Might cost less to buy a new Echo. The new Echos have power windows available and besides that, you will know how your car has been treated from day one. Personally, I am not in favor of used cars even when they are made by companies known for reliability. It has to do with the fact that I do not know how a used vehicle was treated by the original owner. A complete maintenance log only tells part of the story.
FWIW, a 1999 Hyundai Accent GS hatchback which stickered for $12,129 has a retail value of $7350 in excellent condition.
We had no where near the total snow fall you had, but there were days where there were several inches on the roadway. I have Goodyear Integrity tires and felt the car did really well. I am getting Blizzaks this winter though.
Happy motoring in whatever you choose to replace your wife's Accent.
I have to run my AC on high most of the time in order to gain satisfactory results. I have insulated the pipes and it has improved. However, I feel that it should provide the same results on a lower setting.
It has not yet reached 90 degrees where I live. It will be interesting to see what happens when the real heat arrives.
Please let us know what results you have.
Echo now has nearly 3,000 miles and is providing excellent service.
I took my ECHO on a 600 mile trip this weekend. First fillup was 119 miles and took 2.45 gallons of gas. Second fillup was at 315 miles and 8.08 gallons of gas. Last fillup was 127 miles and 2.76 gallons of gas. Does anyone notice when figuring their mileage that one time the mileage is high, then it sinks 3 or 4 mpg, then its up 3 0r 4?
You can't possibly expect to get accurate mileage figures by only putting gas in 2.5 gallons at a time! Try letting the gas gauge get down to 1/4 and then filling it ALL the way up again. Do that 3 or 4 times and average it out. Then you will have a figure you can rely on.
I bought a used 2000 ECHO with 7700 miles 3 weeks ago. 2 door, white, manual trans and A/C. I think I got a steal of a deal. It is a Toyota Certified Used Car and I talked them down to $8,800. Then I added a Toyota CD player I found on eBay for $100. (The dealer wanted $325)
Anyway, when I took car to dealer to install the CD player I had them check the A/C as it wasn't working well at idle. They said there was a leak in the compressor and they ordered me a new one under warranty. Maybe some of you have the same problem.
Variations in gas mileage can occur do to many factors. How hard you accelerate, number of people in car (weight), outside air temperature (this effects air density or drag on car especially at highway speeds), tire pressure, head-wind or tail-wind (added drag on car), city or highway driving (related to speed or drag on car and number of stop and goes), the use of air-conditioning, road surface condition. So variations should be and can be expected.
No arm rest, weak AC, that's about it for me. How about you? I'm just asking to get something moving in our ECHO discussion. Not much happening lately.
1. Has two-stage muffler (like Lexus ES300) to reduce noise and improve high rpm engine performance. 2. Scroll-type compressor (less moving parts) used in air conditioner to minimize noise (new US technology invented by Copeland Industries USA Ohio). 3. Plastic engine cover to reduce noise and increase recyclability. 4. Recycled material is used to make the floor silencer panels. 5. Vertically installed oil filter and chain-drive to the camshafts. 6. Highly recyclable Super Olefin Polymer has been used for the front and rear bumpers, interior, door trims, and upper and lower instrument panel. 7. The 1.5 litre Echo is a LEV (low-emission vehicle) 8. VVT-i (Variable valve Timing-intelligent) is the next generation technology in Toyota engines. 9. Echo's body shell and underbody use high-strength steel. 10. Drag coefficient is 0.29...a flat under-floor shape and slightly raised tail, to smooth airflow under the car. 11. The front seats were designed to create the optimum angle of hip and knee joints for long periods on the road...reducing fatigue. 12. 82% of first time buyers in the segment came from the used vehicle market. 13. The number of parts in the door trim has been reduced from 50 to 25. 14. "The result has been not to build a cheap car but to build a vehicle which offiers strong value for money," quote from Toyota senior executive VP John Conomos.
I removed the Toyota badge from the hood of my Echo (aesthetics) and discovered it had two pins that go through holes in the hood, which must help position it at the factory. The rear emblems don't have this. I left all the rear ones intact.
Now I have two little holes in my hood instead....
I installed the Toyota hood deflector and believe my Echo looks much better now. You could do the same and wouldn't have to worry about the two holes.. Price here in Langley, B.C., Canada was 79.95 (about US$ 53).
So funny how reliable this car is that all we have to talk about are little things... *my a/c works fine...it's the tall greehouse and dark color that strains my a/c(electric green) *I don't feel comfortable driving 80+mph with only one hand on the wheel and have a 5spd so armrest is not something I need. *OEM tires suck...they are Bridgestone Potenza's *after 3 consecutive applications of 2001 Protectant, the cladding no longer shows wear/fading that it did using Armor All. That's about it for me! **near 10k and 36mpg average is consistent.
We have two ECHO now, so obviously not many gripes.
My gripe #1 is I hate not being able to put airflow on the windshield without the AC running. I can decide when to turn the AC on all by myself. Gripe #2 is the paint seems to chip easily - maybe that is just the new water based paints that everyone uses? I don't know about paint.
The ECHO is peppy, comfortable, economical, cool, and of course reliable.
Here is a 5-tank sliding window MPG chart for our blue ECHO. This smooths out the data pretty well, and shows the drop in MPG in the winter. This is 10 months of data so far. This is MPG on top vs. tank fillup number on left
I looked for a used Echo for a while - they are very very hard to come by, even in a major market like Los Angeles. And the prices I was seeing weren't any better than buying new.
So I, like those in the stats quoted above, bought a new car for the first time in my life, and made it the Echo.
I haven't even broken 1,000 miles yet. Have to get out there and do some more distance driving!
Its interesting to see that thoover's MPG chart shows a drop in MPG during the winter months. This implies that air density is greatest during winter and thus the aero drag on the car during highway speeds will be the greatest during this time. This makes sense and also indicates that the tall shape of the ECHO reduces its ability to cut through the air. Note that the Corolla is advertised to get 39MPG on Highway versus 38MPG for the ECHO. Corolla is more aerodynamic and "cuts the wind" better than the ECHO, this would be especially true at high high-way speeds and why people complain about being blown about in heavy winds during high speed driving. The ECHO is definitely most efficient as a city car or at reduced highway speeds say 55MPH.
Yes, and there are other effects too. Blue ECHO rarely tops 55-60 MPH, and it makes short trips, so warming up fluids etc. in winter is a factor. Fighting slush and snow may be a factor. Also, I have heard that winter fuel formulation is slightly different to prevent freezing.
Our Corolla drops in the winter (it is pre-VVT by more than a decade!) but it does not show lower MPG at interstate speeds (>65), as the ECHO does.
So far, it looks like this summer will be even better MPG than last summer, with realistic averages over 40MPG, in mixed driving on an automatic. These ECHOs are great little cars...
1. I believe the Cd [coefficient of drag] for the echo is lower than the corolla. 2. Most cars get worse mpg in the winter- drag, warm-up time, snow/slush as noted. 3. All cars have more drag at >65 mph and most get the best freeway mpg at 55-60 mph. I believe the drag @70 mph is 4 times what it is @ 50mph. 4. Hiway rating EPA for the 5 speed is 41. I usually get 45-47 but then I am going 60-65 mph.
Of course winter mpg is lower...most owners let their cars idle for long periods of time and certain areas use MTBE which drops the mpg as well. As far as drag...the Echo has one of the lowest figures in the industry and let's not confuse drag with side-wind sensitivity. Those are not related issues. Tall profile does not equal high drag. As far as air density...it should help mpg not hurt it as there should be more complete burn of gasoline in the cylinders. That's what turbo's and supercharger's do-increase oxygen in the fuel mixture. As far as the Echo being only a 'city' car...bull! It is very comfortable cruising at 80mph-quiet engine and no wind noise. My old ZX-2 made a lot of wind/engine noise at that speed. It too had a 5-spd. The fact that I can use the wipers and washer at 80mph without the blades skipping is testimony to the aerodynamics of the Echo. The ZX-2's wipers were useless at that speed!
Comments
I took delivery of an Absolutely Red, 4-door, 5-speed manual Echo on Monday. It has Package #1 and #2 and the weather package. I want to thank everyone here -- It was the conversations happening in this Town Hall that made me decide to go with the Echo rather than Honda or VW.
I am now in the process of teaching my 15-year-old (driver's permit and 4-months' experience in an automatic SUV) to drive a manual. Any sage advice you can pass on to me?
Also, I'm thinking about installing those little plastic things that go over the windows, so you can leave them open without the rain getting in (don't know what they are called). Has anyone done so? Is it a good idea or a waste of money?
Thanks in advance.
Jds
Welcome aboard.
It was a form letter saying that my concerns have been shared with the editorial team and any necessary corrections will be done as soon as possible (or words to that effect).
Let's just see how long it takes them to correct this.
I think tossing the words "libel suit" at a company is a great way to guarantee that you'll get a vaguely-worded form-letter response.
-Gunny
http://www.RobertBlake.net
Re: learning stick...I had a wonderful driving instructor teach me how to drive a stick. I too had experience driving an automatic first.
The best thing he did was tell me to get used to the clutch with my shoes off...I know it's not legal in some states to drive without footwear but it helped me get the feel of the clutch and how it engages the gear.
Good luck!!!
*I had to learn the stick when I picked up my new car-a Subaru BRAT('79)!!!
Dude, don't debate buying an Echo. If you are already thinking about it, then do it. There's little chance you will regret it. I lurked this board last July before buying my car. I read every post(4 thousand or so) and became convinced of buying the car. My car has 16,000 miles on it. I just took it on an endurance trip of 6,000 miles in two weeks. We drove I-90 from Washington to Philadelphia, and then back. The Echo held up at 80 mph. It held up at 90 mph. It held up at 100 mph. Driving across Montana and South Dakota takes a long time. Coming back we hit major winds in South Dakota. Driving 75mph into 40mph winds and the Echo was alright. Of course the car shook and shimmied a little bit, but no worse than other cars on the Interstate. Buy one and have fun. It's not like other cars. It's different, that's all.
PS mbohun: That's great mileage. Don't expect the automatic to always get 40 or more, unless you keep it under 60mph in the future. On long drives cruise control will help out alot with getting that good mileage.
For example, the total MPG over the last 5 fillups has been 39.7, on an automatic in very mixed driving conditions. It is peppy and reliable. The interior is a marvel of design (OK another oppinion). Once you get used to using an ECHO day-in day-out everthing else seems just, well, not quite there...
-Gunny
http://www.RobertBlake.net
Thanks.
And as for the expensive options, just be prepared to wait a little longer and don't take anything you don't want. I find the Sport Body cladding to be overly expensive and detract from the looks of the car; you don't need power steering on a car this size; you definately don't need the "rear lip spoiler", etc. etc. etc. I clocked in at $12.5k, and that's with A/C, CD stereo, rear window defogger, and the sharp looking alloy wheels (among other things). Be smart and it won't break the bank.
Cheers,
Peter
You need to test drive each car of interest and then make an evaluation of what you really want. I looked at the Subaru Forester, Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla and Echo. The Forester is great for the snow belt however engine needs update to get better MPG and costs >$20k. The Civic is very sporty looking and comes standard with almost everything including good MPG, great crash ratings, however, I experienced transmission noise during a test drive which turned me off. The Corolla has a refined ride, peppy engine, great MPG much like the Civic, however it felt somewhat cramped, especially in the back seat (update on the way!!!). I decided to go with the Echo based on my need for local in-city commuting, better fuel economy, roomy, Good crash ratings and the price was right, <$15k...less then the others I looked at even through the ride is not as refined because of short wheel-base & smaller tires. There are similar cars out there (i.e., Focus), but it has been my experience that Toyota builds a better machine (this is my 5th Toyota) and I like to reward those who do their homework. Toyota has definitely done its homework and it works well and deserves the reward.
***Stay with the most reliable car manufacturer: Toyota and you'll be happy:)***
According to Kelly, in excellent condition a used 2000 Toyota Echo will cost more now than when it was new.
Talk about holding your value.
Mine is working much better now with the proper charge as well! I can actually use it while idling in a parking lot now without having to keep my foot on the gas!
If I take in the instructions for wrapping the AC pipe, do you think the dealership will do the work for me? Mechanically, I am all thumbs.
They give the original sticker price of a 2-door as $11,645 and the retail value of that Echo in excellent condition as $11,700 which is an increase of $55.
The original sticker price of a 4-door is given as $11,945 and the retail value in excellent condition is given as $12,150. This is an increase of $205.
Might cost less to buy a new Echo. The new Echos have power windows available and besides that, you will know how your car has been treated from day one. Personally, I am not in favor of used cars even when they are made by companies known for reliability. It has to do with the fact that I do not know how a used vehicle was treated by the original owner. A complete maintenance log only tells part of the story.
FWIW, a 1999 Hyundai Accent GS hatchback which stickered for $12,129 has a retail value of $7350 in excellent condition.
We had no where near the total snow fall you had, but there were days where there were several inches on the roadway. I have Goodyear Integrity tires and felt the car did really well. I am getting Blizzaks this winter though.
Happy motoring in whatever you choose to replace your wife's Accent.
I just went to their website and for my zip code at least, their prices are higher than MSRP.
Guess this shows that there is strong demand for the Echo.
It has not yet reached 90 degrees where I live. It will be interesting to see what happens when the real heat arrives.
Please let us know what results you have.
Echo now has nearly 3,000 miles and is providing excellent service.
Thanks,
Jack
Anyway, when I took car to dealer to install the CD player I had them check the A/C as it wasn't working well at idle. They said there was a leak in the compressor and they ordered me a new one under warranty. Maybe some of you have the same problem.
1. Has two-stage muffler (like Lexus ES300) to reduce noise and improve high rpm engine performance.
2. Scroll-type compressor (less moving parts) used in air conditioner to minimize noise (new US technology invented by Copeland Industries USA Ohio).
3. Plastic engine cover to reduce noise and increase recyclability.
4. Recycled material is used to make the floor silencer panels.
5. Vertically installed oil filter and chain-drive to the camshafts.
6. Highly recyclable Super Olefin Polymer has been used for the front and rear bumpers, interior, door trims, and upper and lower instrument panel.
7. The 1.5 litre Echo is a LEV (low-emission vehicle)
8. VVT-i (Variable valve Timing-intelligent) is the next generation technology in Toyota engines.
9. Echo's body shell and underbody use high-strength steel.
10. Drag coefficient is 0.29...a flat under-floor shape and slightly raised tail, to smooth airflow under the car.
11. The front seats were designed to create the optimum angle of hip and knee joints for long periods on the road...reducing fatigue.
12. 82% of first time buyers in the segment came from the used vehicle market.
13. The number of parts in the door trim has been reduced from 50 to 25.
14. "The result has been not to build a cheap car but to build a vehicle which offiers strong value for money," quote from Toyota senior executive VP John Conomos.
*incompetent A/C
*crosswind susceptibility
*no cruise control
*no power windows
*short seat tracks
*no tachometer.
*I installed an armrest (JC Whitney)
*got A/C problem corrected
*"learned to drive" a subcompact car (since they all blow around in the wind)
*found the seat all the way back is just about right (5'10" tall)
*the other three gripes still bug me from time to time, considering I spend 6 - 8 hours a day in my Echo.
Now I have two little holes in my hood instead....
*my a/c works fine...it's the tall greehouse and dark color that strains my a/c(electric green)
*I don't feel comfortable driving 80+mph with only one hand on the wheel and have a 5spd so armrest is not something I need.
*OEM tires suck...they are Bridgestone Potenza's
*after 3 consecutive applications of 2001 Protectant, the cladding no longer shows wear/fading that it did using Armor All.
That's about it for me!
**near 10k and 36mpg average is consistent.
My gripe #1 is I hate not being able to put airflow on the windshield without the AC running. I can decide when to turn the AC on all by myself. Gripe #2 is the paint seems to chip easily - maybe that is just the new water based paints that everyone uses? I don't know about paint.
The ECHO is peppy, comfortable, economical, cool, and of course reliable.
Here is a 5-tank sliding window MPG chart for our blue ECHO. This smooths out the data pretty well, and shows the drop in MPG in the winter. This is 10 months of data so far. This is MPG on top vs. tank fillup number on left
*friends expect me to take them in MY car now that they know I can take 4 people with me!!!
So I, like those in the stats quoted above, bought a new car for the first time in my life, and made it the Echo.
I haven't even broken 1,000 miles yet. Have to get out there and do some more distance driving!
Our Corolla drops in the winter (it is pre-VVT by more than a decade!) but it does not show lower MPG at interstate speeds (>65), as the ECHO does.
So far, it looks like this summer will be even better MPG than last summer, with realistic averages over 40MPG, in mixed driving on an automatic. These ECHOs are great little cars...
2. Most cars get worse mpg in the winter- drag, warm-up time, snow/slush as noted.
3. All cars have more drag at >65 mph and most get the best freeway mpg at 55-60 mph. I believe the drag @70 mph is 4 times what it is @ 50mph.
4. Hiway rating EPA for the 5 speed is 41. I usually get 45-47 but then I am going 60-65 mph.
As far as drag...the Echo has one of the lowest figures in the industry and let's not confuse drag with side-wind sensitivity. Those are not related issues. Tall profile does not equal high drag.
As far as air density...it should help mpg not hurt it as there should be more complete burn of gasoline in the cylinders. That's what turbo's and supercharger's do-increase oxygen in the fuel mixture.
As far as the Echo being only a 'city' car...bull!
It is very comfortable cruising at 80mph-quiet engine and no wind noise. My old ZX-2 made a lot of wind/engine noise at that speed. It too had a 5-spd. The fact that I can use the wipers and washer at 80mph without the blades skipping is testimony to the aerodynamics of the Echo. The ZX-2's wipers were useless at that speed!