Toyota Echo Real World MPG

choppermark

Bought a 1002 Echo last spring, wife and I love it. I get 41 mpg to work and back, she runs max air and has a lead foot. It runs so smooth and effortless she sometimes is happily cruising along at 60-70 in 3rd gear! (her other car is a Z28 Camaro with 250K mi.). I like to short shift it(no lugging) and use air sparingly. All in all it does what we bought it for, its comfortable and GREAT gas mileage.

dephinusorca

431.8 on 9.19g = 47mpg

echo_fan

My 2001 Echo's life time mpg is probably around 43. I have recorded every tank. See a graph of each one at (plus my a pic of my car): http://mark.sixmeters.com/my_car.htm
I love my Echo. Its biggest problem is lots of road noise on the freeway.

dephinusorca

Pretty neat graph. I see a number of 50mpg tanks, which I've never had, despite a lot of tanks that are probably close to 95% highway. Hopefully, this summer it will happen.

nippononly

and with it, my mpg. Tonight's fill was 9.4 gallons for 404 miles, for a solid 43 mpg reading. Nice. :-)

I attribute it mainly to the end of the really cold mornings. Less heat and defrost in the morning along with warmer outside temps means quicker engine warm-up and less A/C use with the defrost, hence better mileage.

highmiler650

As much as I tried, my 2001 Echo never achieved less than 35 MPG. And that was in a week during winter, with one hellish commute on a snowy day, with an overturned truck on the highway, stop and go traffic for FOUR hours.

On regular commutes my average varied between 41 and 45 MPG.

What a great car. Sadly I sold it and now drive a 2007 Sentra. I am getting 33 MPG average. Not too bad considering 32 more HP and almost 1000 extra pounds of weight.

When my truck gets replaced soon, it will be with a 2008 Yaris.

sschriber

4 months into my 2002 Echo Coupe (auto) ownership and I still haven't topped 34 mpg...

kneisl1

Perhaps you are still getting winter formula (oxygenated) gas in your area. My ECHO has been getting 33-36 mpg in winter recently but 40 mpg in summer. Also, it might go up when it gets warmer. Where do you live?

dgecho1

90% hiway...45-60 mph..rolling and steep.little hills in middle TN in Nashville area...not too surprising since I got this before [actually 55 mpg 100% hiway]...this is on an '05 AT. noAC. or PS.....

mopar71

Has anybody installed cruise control on their echo? or does anybody know how to do it?

nippononly

but I have it, and it works well. It's made by Rostra. Sorry, I realize that doesn't help you much at all. :-(

Here's the link to their cruise - it looks like there is a lot of technical information available there: http://www.rostra.com/cruise-control.htm

Just filled up again, 384 miles and 9.6 gallons which believe it or not is EXACTLY, SPECIFICALLY 40 mpg, according to my calculator.

Which probably means the last fill-up stopped short of totally filling, but even so that's 41.5 mpg for the last 800 miles. Not too bad, and better than the winter.

moparblue2

We have 2004 Echo 5 speed. Just got back from 1895 mile round trip from AR to SC coast. We averaged 41 mpg driving 70 to 80 mph. with cruise on. We have got as much as 57 mpg driving 55 to 60 mph. It has ac, ps, pl, cruise. Was put on at after market ac. shop 300.00 3 year 36,000 mile warranty. We also have keyless entry. It was put on bye local stereo shop 150.00

mopar71

Thanks, I want to install cruise since most of my driving is highway I could save on gas with it.The site does not give a price thou.How much did it cost? if you dont mind me asking?

nippononly

It was dealer-installed and they charged $400 total. About a year ago I priced it on a new Scion and they were asking $500 to install it then, but I am sure that stuff is very much open to negotiation if you are buying a car at the same time. If not, the $500 may be a firm price, I dunno.

Keep in mind those are dealer prices. I am sure indy shops could do a better deal on labor costs.

nippononly

fill-up last night: 9.0 gallons, 383 miles, 42.5 mpg.

So now I am looking at almost 1200 miles making almost 42 mpg. Spring and fall are always the best mileage. I was hoping to get to 43 mpg before A/C season kicks in with full force and knocks my mpg back down to 40 or 41.

nippononly

389 miles, 9.25 gallons, 42 mpg....yay! :-)

nippononly

379 miles, 8.9 gallons, for another reading of 42.5 mpg.

So now I'm looking at the last 1500+ miles, making a solid 42 mpg the whole time. :-)

Alas, I have begun running the A/C from time to time, summer is clearly just around the corner, when I will sink back down to 41 because of the heavy A/C use......

dephinusorca

but the car has been great. Last five tanks (2138 miles on 46.4 gallons) averaged 46.07mpg. Running ave 45.6 over my ownership of the car.

andyr2

4 door, (had to settle for the color of white), hoping it gets comparable mpg to what I've read in here. Has just over 40k miles on it and picked it up for $8100 (all taxes and fees included). The VIN is clear on carfax, although the entire front end of the vehicle is obviously brand new. Hopefully there's no hidden damage to the engine that could hinder the car's efficiency. Also, this is my first manual car (been practicing on my dads Wrangler for a couple weeks).

I'll keep this board posted on my results.

kneisl1

Good luck with it!

andyr2

but we spent an hour at the dealer because the hood was stuck shut (the cable on the lever was slack and not tight). The guy fixed that and we left, but when I turned on the headlights for the first time tonight the left parking light wasn't lit. :mad: I bumped it with my fist a little and it came on. Obviously signs that the new front end has some kinks to work out. Hopefully kinks and not signs of a future troubled relationship :lemon:

andyr2

how accurate is the fuel gauge needle? I'm a little worried that it has fallen just below the 3/4 marker and I've only gone 115 miles. Maybe that's normal... it did take just under 50 miles to fall to the F

dephinusorca

I wouldn't worry about it. Mine will often go 75 miles before going under F, then speed through the top quarter (maybe 125mi at 3/4) and slow down again around half. But you can't really calculate based on the needle. I'm often at 300mi on 1/2 tank, but never made it to 500 mi before the gaslight comes on. So just got to fill up and divide miles by gallons, average over a few tanks.

kneisl1

My 2001 takes 200 miles to fall to half tank indicated. I think you are OK (assuming you mean 3/4 full!)

nippononly

about 120 miles is normal for the gauge to show 3/4 full.

nippononly

Another superlative tank last night: 400 miles right on the nose, 9.25 gallons, which is 43+ mpg by my reckoning.

I have slowed down somewhat in order to save a little more gas - not winding it out as much in each gear before shifting. it seems to have helped a bit. :-)

andyr2

hopeful that my less than stellar results (at least by this board's standards) can be explained by a combination of my amateur skills in driving a manual transmission, needless engine revving by my mother in a parking lot, and a trip of about 100 miles where my top speed averaged 75-80 mph.
Otherwise, I might have to say I got ripped off by a salesman who knew that the car isn't as efficient as it is supposed to be and that I would have little recourse if things didn't perform to what I had expected. :mad:

Either way, my 2002 Echo 5 speed gave me 338.3 miles on 9.912 gallons, for a reading of 34.13 MPG. Within EPA results, yet not exactly in the high 30's or low 40's like so many of you report.

I will be taking a trip to Vegas at the end of this month so we'll see how that pans out. :confuse:

kneisl1

AC on? What speeds did you shift the gears at? For instance, I shift into fourth at 25 mph and into fifth at 35 mph. I cruise in fourth at 25 mph and cruise (almost never exceed) 45 mph in fifth. I almost never drive on the freeway which explains the low top speed. I get 40 mpg driving no trip more than 6 miles in summer. In winter with winter blend gas I get 35 mpg.

dephinusorca

I never drive that fast but 100 mi at 75-80 should be very uneconomical, although I have heard people report good mileage at those speeds. Last few months I have been averaging about 45mpg. Probably 85% freeway long trips, driving between 60-65mph.

I probably wind it out 4-5 times per tank when merging on freeway in fast/heavy traffic, but under normal circumstances I shift around these marks:

to 2nd @10
to 3rd @ 20
to 4th @30
to 5th @40

Look far ahead, keep a big following distance behind traffic, try to use your brakes as little as possible to maintain speed, and make sure your tires are at max pressure. I have no AC.

kneisl1

If you can go 60-65 on the freeway for long periods in an ECHO thats how you get the big mpgs. I got 52 mpg one summer when I drove to AC and back doing that.

mopar71

I belong to another echo board and I found out that a lot of people are calculating their mileage based on the imperial mile.That will give a higher number.For example I get 39mpg and with the imperial mileage I get 46.8.

andyr2

reading the owner's manual, it says you should be shifting into 2nd at 15mph, 3rd at 25, and not into 4th until 35-40. I would only hit 5th when i got up to 50mph...

This is supposedly the balance between performance and efficiency. But at $3.90 a gallon, who gives a #&%$ about performance anymore!

I tried it your way and I realize that (as light as this car is?) lugging the engine really isn't an issue when you shift early in this car (in stark contrast to a Jeep Wrangler). Maybe I will get better results now. Thank you!

My only question is, since you are shifting so early, how fast/slow should I accelerate? A bit slower than normal traffic? The same? A lot slower? At what point do you use more gas from accelerating too slowly?

nippononly

I have to say, I achieve the results I have been posting by shifting exactly as you just stated the manual recommends: 2nd at 10-15, 3rd at 25, 4th at 35-40, 5th at 50. Those 3rd and 4th shift points are only a recent innovation for me - I used to wind it out a little more before shifting. Using those new shift points seems to have gained me roughly 1 point in mpg.

And I must say that those are LEISURELY shift points - I expect to accelerate slowly shifting that way. I hate even a hint of lugging: gearboxes and bottom-end rebuilds cost so much more than gas to buy, even with the current gas prices!

When I need to accelerate rapidly on freeways, especially on rural highways with short merge space, my shift points are MUCH HIGHER for maximum acceleration: into 2nd at 20, into 3rd at 35-40, into 4th at 55-60, into 5th only when I have reached full cruising speed. The little Echo takes to that sort of acceleration like a duck to water - it loves to rev. But it would hurt fuel economy more than I care to if I did that all the time.

The other thing is, I do not maximize tire pressure as kneisl1 does. I DO however check it regularly and keep it at the Toyota-recommended pressure + 2 lbs, which is 34 psi IIRC.

And to the earlier poster: my mileage is all stated in U.S. gallons, no Imperialism going on here! :-P

kneisl1

Where I live (NJ) it is very flat. You wont get away with shifting in 5th at 35 mph in a hilly area! I have found this will not lug the engine if done properly. But you have to be ready to shift down if passing or going even slightly uphill. For all that, I once went 106 mph passing a right lane blocker!

nippononly

Yeah, that's part of why my shift points need to be higher than yours: my area is hilly no matter which direction I go. Especially if I start driving around San Francisco! ;-)

kneisl1

When I bought my ECHO in the fall of 2000, I was bummed a diesel version was not availible. No longer! Now that diesel is selling for 20% more than gas, it no longer makes sense to own a diesel powered car. (that could change if diesel comes down) Add to that the thousands of dollars primium auto makers charge for a diesel engine means that the diesel option will never pay for itself! Its possible a diesel Yaris will come on the market now, but do the math before buying one! Amazingly, the good old gas version of the ECHO has become the fuel efficiency champion. I wonder will used ones go up in value?

dephinusorca

I'm pretty sure they have already gone up quite a bit. When I bought less than a year ago I saw lots with fewer than 100k between 4-6k. Now they seem to be asking 7-9, even 10k, which seems insane given what they cost new. Of course, I'm not sure what they actually go for.

andyr2

361 miles on 9.954 gallons = 36.27 MPG

I have been shifting earlier as well keeping it 60-65 on the freeway.

Maybe things will continue to get better as I get better on the stick...

aquapacata

I took an 800 mile trip and did about 60-63 mph on the way down, and got 47.1 mpg, and stuck to 55 on the way back, and got 51.1 mpg, in my 2000 Echo, manual, with 157,000 miles on it. I'm so proud of our little cars!

dephinusorca

That's awesome. I've hit 48 many times but never 50. However, I'm definitely in the 60-65mph range, not the 55mph.

aquapacata

Yeah, I was just listening to a good book on CD and was tired, so I slowed down. And I got better than 51 mpg on the roadway, because that included a number of stops and some non-interstate driving. I just got a new O2 flow meter so I was interested in how my car was doing.

I heard somewhere that the optimal speed for each car is posted online somewhere, but I can't find it for Echos yet!

nippononly

Doing a steady 65 over an 800-mile trip, I have managed 49 mpg on several tries, but like you I have yet to break the 50 mpg barrier. Close, but no cigar! ;-)

With my frequent trips to LA and gas now at $4.25 in my area, I will be taking some new shots at the 50 mpg mark later this year.

highmiler650

I have several tankfuls with over 50 MPG but only when traveling long distances at 56 MPH (automatic).

Grumbleshark

WOW! I have a 2000 automatic Echo sedan... at 155,000 miles, can I ever achieve 40 mpg?? I currently average about 30-32 mpg highway, averaging 75-80 mph.

Aaaand I just discovered my catalytic converter is failing... UGH...

I thought these cars had an 11.9 gallon tank, but I should check again.

aquapacata

I have been working on "eco-driving" - coasting, shifting early (I often am in 5th gear by 30 mph), driving slower, etc. I sort of thought my car had a 10 gallon tank, but I'm not sure.

I thought this page was interesting -
https://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?action=browseList2&make=Toyota&model=Echo-

it's average user-reported mpg for various model years of the Echo.

dephinusorca

I would be surprised if you can get 40mph at 75-80 with your auto. That's 20mph, or about 30% faster than the EPA speed used to calculate freeway mileage. Also, if you are driving that fast, the odds are (unless you're doing long interstate drives with no interfering traffic) that you are doing additional things that reduce your mileage dramatically, like braking when slower traffic gets in your way, or accelerating when you pass them. If you can slow down to 60mph, with your automatic, you should get 40mph., but there is just no getting around the fact that, all other things being equal, speed reduces efficiency.

Grumbleshark

Yes, it is actually a straight interstate run, 70 miles one way. I usually brake twice - once when I get to work, and once when I get home!

nippononly

A failing converter can be so plugged as to reduce gas mileage, something you may want to consider. I don't know how long your mileage has been that low.

I believe the coupes have an 11.9-gallon tank, while the 4-doors have 12.4 gallons in the tank.

kneisl1

retty sure my 2 door has 11.9 gallons. Didnt realize the 4 door had12.4.

nippononly

Well that is per the owner's manual in my '02 4-door. 12.4 gallons.

But today I only put in 8.4, 354 miles, 42 mpg. Still on track...it varies so little with this little gas champ...