Toyota Echo Real World MPG

mopar71

The most I get is 40 at 65-70 miles per hour.I dont understand how people can say they get 50 mpg unless they are going a steady 40mph or they have made some type of mod to their car.How do you check if the cat is clogged?

andyr2

Do you have manual transmission? The stellar numbers mentioned on here are from owners of stick shift Echos. I have a stick, and have not yet attained 40, (though getting closer) although it's probably due to the fact that I got ripped off by a dealer who gave me a car that has had the front end rebuilt. I probably have a different engine or gearbox than standard.

nippononly

my 49 mpg runs have been at 60-65 mph max, evening trips with no A/C use, and LONG. I am talking 400 miles or more at a stretch. Maintaining a very steady speed and not exceeding 65 were crucial, I am sure, to attaining that 49 mpg threshold.

And yes, mine is a stick shift. Expect 3-5 points worse if you have an automatic.

kneisl1

Currently have 200 miles on the trip meter and the gas gauge is reading nowhere near half full! Looking forward to good numbers next fillup!

nippononly

You mean way ABOVE half full, right?!

kneisl1

Yes its about half way between 3/4 and 1/2 full. Had to use the AC on the way to work today though as it was 98 degrees and 85%humidity. But I wont use it on the way home!

nippononly

full-on A/C mode now, using it most days. This morning it was so warm out that I even had it on for the drive IN to work at 8:30 AM!

Despite that, the last tank still returned 42 mpg just as usual. A/C doesn't hit the fuel economy anywhere near as much as cold outdoor temps do in winter.

mopar71

Its probably because I have an automatic instead of a stick.

dephinusorca

Math on my last four tanks comes out to 45.5/43.8/46.1/&43.25mpg.

The good news is that my marathon commute is officially over and I am moving closer to my job, and will use a fraction of the gas I have been using. Goal is to leave the car parked on the weekdays and just use it for travel/recreation. The bad news is I expect my mpg reporting will decrease significantly with a more irregular driving pattern.

andyr2

A little off topic, sorry. But after today these speculators and investment banks can rot in hell.

kneisl1

Ran 230 miles on 5.2 gallons. Thats 44 mpg. About 100 miles of thatwas 2 trips 20 miles long each at 45 mph. The test was all 6 mile trips at 45 mph. I can see the potential for very high mpg with the car when doing a lot of miles all at once instead of short trips.

nippononly

345 miles, 8-3/4 gallons. Of course, I had to fill up before I normally do, so pump variations may account for this low one, but that is only 39 mpg (or 39.5, rounding to the nearest 0.5).

One thing that could account for it is that on this tank, I spent quite a bit of time transporting two other adults in addition to myself, and running the A/C a fair amount of the time.

Anyway, I hope it is a one-time aberration!

mopar71

I just did a 329.6 mile and used 8.175 gals.@65-70mph.Don't have cruise and have an automatic.What I love about these cars is that they are so sensitive,my mileage dropped to 35 and I found one of my tires with only 20 pounds of air.So checking your mileage can be used as a diagnostic tool also,thats why at every fill I check it.

nippononly

about these cars is mileage is so darn consistent: I calculate it at every fill-up, trying to do 400 miles on each tank to get the most accurate reading possible. I mostly just post the remarkable ones here, which is anything under 40 or over 42, and you can see how rarely I post in relation to miles I have driven!

Good weather or bad, A/C or no, I can count on 40-42 from my little MPG champ! (I couldn't resist: I got a personalized license plate for mine that says MPG CHAMP) :-)

nippononly

if today's fill-up really got all the way to "full", as it was better than usual: 8.8 gallons, 382 miles, which is almost 43.5 mpg. Niiice. :-)

But I will be looking next time to see if it evens out with an extra-low tank, which would mean it didn't quite finish filling today.

kneisl1

Filled up today 4.5 gallons to go 197 miles. Thats 43.7 mpg a new in town high for me. I got 44 mpg the time before too. Thats 100% in town driving. Yeah baby!

nippononly

guess what? That last tank was no fluke, as tonight's was actually slightly BETTER! :-)

372 miles, 8.5 gallons, makes 43.75 mpg. So I've been averaging better than 43.5 mpg for at least the last 750 miles.

Which gets me to wondering: it had its major service about 1000 miles ago, maybe 1300 miles, and that of course included fresh engine and gear oil and a new air filter - perhaps all that helped with the mileage a little bit. Every mpg counts with the gas at $4.50! :-)

One thing I have now firmly concluded is that cold winter temps hurt mileage in the Echo a lot more than heavy A/C use does in summer. All my driving lately has been around the 'burbs, with frequent regular A/C use as our temps have been getting into the 80s on many days and occasionally into the 90s. Despite that, I am getting some of the best numbers I have had in a while!

kneisl1

I wonder are the refiners going light on the oxygenated gas?

neopeius

So everybody is posting their ridiculously great mileage. I have a 2000 Echo and I have *never* gotten better than 35 MPG and have occasionally bottomed out at 29 MPG.

It is an Automatic, that's true, but that seems a world apart from the 40-50 MPG people are posting here. What am I doing wrong?

kneisl1

I get good mpg because I never exceed 45 mph in "city" driving. I seldom use the AC, maybe for 20-25 days in summer. I have a 5 speed manual and I shift at 10-15-25-35 mph. I often am able to "cruise" at 31-33 mph in fifth in town because it is so flat here in NJ. (thats a huge help...the flatness)
To get the best mpg on the highway you need to maintain 60-65 mph. I have gotten over 50 mpg twice now when doing that. I should mention I almost never rack up "highway" miles most of my driving is done in town, specifically 6 miles to work and back never exceeding 45 mph.
With the advent of 10% alcohol in gasoline since a couple of years ago I get much worse mileage in winter than I used to. Probably average 35 mpg occasionally 33 mpg sometimes 36 mpg. I used to get 36-38 mpg years ago. Summers Im getting 40mpg and even better this summer occasionally up to 43-44. (but to be fair those figures include a little "long distance" cruising on errands of 15-20 miles.
I would check your tire pressures frequently (weekly) making sure you keep 32 psi in them. You also have to drive and accelerate s l o w l y. Your AF is clean, right? I also do oil changes every four months and average 1500-2000 miles between changes.

andyr2

You car is automatic, and I also agree with everything kneisl mentions. I do have a 2002 manual, but have myself had problems getting into the 40-50 mpg range. Perhaps its because my area isn't completely flat (even if it is, the freeways still have up and down grades). I could also blame it on my choice to purchase an Echo with an obviously completely rebuilt front end, and who knows what other hidden damage could also be contributing. I'm also new at driving a stick, but it's been 2 or 3 months now and I dont think my driving is going to get much better very quickly.

I am happy to report, however, that I have for once broken the 40 mpg barrier. After extensive research and determining that my odometer is inaccurate by about 3.3%, I have acheived 441.8 miles on 10.571 gallons (427.7 * 1.033) for just about 41.8 mpg. This includes a 186 mile trip to San Diego and back, and the rest a little of everything. I have invested in a Scangauge, so hopefully my numbers will continue improving from this point.

mopar71

I was getting the same mpg always around 35 to 39.But I did a couple of things ,my echo is also an automatic and the sticks will get better mileage.I changed my engine oil and trans to royal purpel synthetic.My sweet spot on mileage is 60 to 65 mph.You cannot drive at 45 in a 65 so thats out of the question.I replaced my air intake with a cai(cold air intake) I also changed my spark plugs(ngk's) and went one step colder plug.Made a big difference! also buy low rolling resistant tires and keep checking to make sure they are inflated to the recomended pressure.Mine are at 35.I just did my reading and am getting over 40.my best was 44. I drove 267.2 miles and used 6.030 gallons.My next move is to get the SCANGAUGE2. You can better see what mileage you get real time.I dont have cruise control and this gauge is a better monitor. I live in PA and have a lot of hills,Good luck .:)

andyr2

Wow, so you've managed to get an automatic into the 40 range, very impressive. There's a lot more potential than I thought then. I think I will be looking into spark plugs soon.
I highly recommend the Scangauge II, worth every penny. However, I did have to adjust my consumption factor to +6% after the first tank, so dont get too excited until you get real numbers at the pump. Luckily my disappointment was slightly offset since my car also understates miles driven.

highmiler650

Impressive?

My 2001 Echo achieved 41 MPG AVERAGE over 170K miles in a commute with 50% city and 50% stop and go.

nippononly

My running average over 42K miles so far is just shy of 42 mpg, about 41.9. :-)

'02 5 speed. Lots of hills where I live in the Bay Area, but I also do a lot of regular driving on rural 2-lanes where the most you can safely do is about 50 mph. Doing 50 in 5th gear has the engine just loafing along.

andyr2

For an automatic transmission, yes I think that's pretty impressive, from what I've heard from those that don't have a manual transmission

mopar71

I drive this car from PA to NY. 4 days a week,70 miles one way,140 a day.90 pecent highway.using the AC spairingly.I have 130k miles on the odometer.Runs like a champ! This is my second Echo,my daughter totaled my first one,I said I had to get another one.I like these cars.

runteacherrun

How did the car hold up in that accident? I'm considering a 2002 echo, but am having a bit of a problem finding safety ratings.

kneisl1

The ECHO did very well in the crash tests. Much better than you would think!

triadecho

My 2001 Echo crashed about like a Camry in the tests. My daughter personally crash tested hers at 60 mph and walked away with $900 damage.

mopar71

My daughter crashed my 2000 echo,not at 60mph but at 30,she got hit by a jeep.Hope you daughter is ok,I should of kept the car an had it repaired.I donated the car since I had no collision the insurance company gave us nothing for the car.but at leased I wrote it off on my taxes with the donation.

kneisl1

Sorry to hear that. Hope your daughter is OK too!

triadecho

As a novice driver, she was going too fast in the rain and spun the Echo in a big puddle of water on a Houston freeway. It backed into the blunt end of a guard rail, and she walked away. The shop pulled the body work out, aligned the trunk and replaced the bumper cover. After some educational lectures from me, she was back on the road getting our usual 28/39 mpg in warm weather.

I heard that Toyota uses high strength steel in their cars which may explain how the car held up? :sick:

kneisl1

They use the same stuff everyone else does. Although I believe the ECHO has done very well in crash tests.

dephinusorca

I'd hate to have to replace this car with anything on the market now. Definitely no comparable value. However, I have to say, the prices people are asking for these used now reflect this. People are trying to sell ones with 100,000 mi for a 10% discount from new. Sure glad I got mine last year (when gas was a mere $3).

triadecho

I bought a new Suburban and a new Echo within a few months of each other in 2001 when gas was $1.30. The guys at work loved the Suburban but hee hawed the Echo. The tables have sure turned now have they not? Both cars are worth the same in resale in spite of the Suburban costing twice as much.

There are flippers on Craigslist offering $3,000 for any Echo regardless of condition. I'm starting to worry that the Echo will get stolen, but am considering leaving the keys in the Suburban hoping that somebody will steal it. :shades:

nippononly

The Suburban only cost twice what the Echo cost? I am surprised the Sub was priced that low.

The Echo has always been an outstanding value in a commute car, but it sure is earning extra brownie points this year! :-)

michaelkoe

I have an 2002 echo and got 39.9 mpg the last I checked it. I live in the east mountains and travel 43 miles to work into Albuquerque NM. this driving includes freeway and about 20 miles of it are in town. the other half is going through the canyon up into the mountains. 6,500ft above sea level. You might check tire pressure on the door and make sure you are tuned up. We have over 83,000 miles on this car and so far running great. Comerical est on mpg I saw were mid 30''s. I want to recheck it now to see if anything has changed. But honestly we don't seem to need to refill any sooner than before. when we bought it it had 34,000 on it. It is a stick shift though, there were only 2 availiable in town when we got it the automatic seemed a little less spunky hope this helps michael

nippononly

it has been a while since I posted any numbers here, so I thought I would just stop by and post my latest: 8.2 gallons, 340 miles even, comes out to about 41.5, so totally average. A/C use is a daily constant now, which is putting a lid on the fabulous 43/44 readings I would get in spring and fall. But either way it is more than satisfactory! :-)

A number of folks who have bought the new '09 Corolla are reporting low- to mid-40s mpg. There's a new sheriff in town! :-P

kneisl1

Im getting 41-42 mpg this summer...better than usual. Not using AC as much at all. It seems much cooler overall than years ago. Also driving 20 miles each week non stop to a farm stand I found out in the sticks.

kneisl1

I towed a medium size utility trailer 100 miles roundtrip this weekend. It was pretty much non stop at 55 mph and I still got 38 mpg.

[IMG]http://i277.photobucket.com/albums/kk56/27461/trailer.jpg[/IMG]

nippononly

That's awesome! That's probably some kind of all-time record mpg for a tow vehicle. :-)

nippononly

on the radar screen tonight: 372 miles, 8.4 gallons, 44 mpg. Nothing different about the driving, really, although I continue to rein in my natural proclivity to speed in order to get better mileage.

Who wants to take bets it was a case of the pump shutting off before it should have? :-)

I will post next fill as well, to see if the mileage is really up or if it gets balanced out.

dephinusorca

First, I've been bad about reporting for quite a while because I've been busy with vacation, moving, and etc. But I've a lot to report.

After never having a 50 mpg tank before (think I topped out at 48.7) I had four within the space of a month, and three consecutively. Since mid July my last tanks have been: 44.6, 51.7, 44, 44.9, 45.3, 50.4, 53.7, 52.6, and 46.4. The first 50mpg (51.7) tank came on 90% steady 60mph driving long trip. The second 50mpg tank (50.4) was faster (ave. 70mph or so) but was nonstop driving from northern to southern Montana, 388 miles in one run. The next two amazed me: 53.7 and 52.6 mpg. How possible? They were entirely within the confines of Yellowstone and Grand Tetons national parks, with 45mph top speeds. Lots of driving, but lots of stops too. This really shows the amazing numbers possible driving 40 in fourth, 45 in fifth, never accelerating rapidly.

The final tank of my vacation I hoped to drive all 80mph on my way home (through MT speed limit is 75) to try to nail down the effect of speed on mpg. I averaged 80mph for @300 miles, but for 150 or so miles more like 65mph. End result was 46.4mpg.

What are my conclusions? Nothing surprising: (1) speed matters--60mph gets great mileage but even slower is still more efficient (2) length of trip matters--short is bad, long is good, really long is even better (3) This car is awesome--I drove well over 3000 miles on this roadtrip and gas prices were the least of my concerns (especially when I realized every other vehicle in MT and WY is some Dodge dually pickup that costs $150 to fill up).

kneisl1

Yes I too have noticed the good results of driving 60 mph in the ECHO. I had a 52 mpg average once whem I drove to AC and back at that speed. You just feel the car is in a zone or something. There must be something special about your ECHO because those are pretty amazing numbers you are posting. I think it helps a lot to drive in warm evn hot weather. If I go 80 mph nonstop I get 42 mpg. Dont get rid of that car whatever you do! Also thats some pretty awesome territory youre driving through!

kneisl1

I have started shifting from second gear directly to fourth gear skipping third. I find I can accelerate to 25 in second gear and putting it into fourth is no problem. I do this on a level surface or maybe with a slight downhill grade. Merging onto a freeway or going uphill yeah I would still shift to third. I find here in flat NJ (or the flat part of NJ) it wont lug the engine to do that.

nippononly

Well the verdict is in: the pump shut off early last time. Tonight's fill was 367 miles, 9-1/4 gallons, for a tank average just shy of 40 mpg. So the running average remains an amazingly consistent 42...

Oh well. If I could just force myself to slow down, I'm sure I could bring it up a few points but hey! I'm in a hurry! :-P

kneisl1

42 mpg is pretty good! Its well documented though that cruising at 60-65 mph non-stop is going to get you those higher mpg numbers. Im tempted when it comes time to change the belts to leave off the power steering belt and see if that makes any difference.

nippononly

is my latest result, which I thought was pretty good given the CONSTANT A/C use, with the fan jacked up to high. We have been having a major heat wave which seems to have just broken as of today.

325 miles, 7.5 gallons.

kneisl1

Gee that would suggest there isnt much of an impact on mpg by using AC. This summer here in NJ I have only used AC maybe 10 times. Mileage is often 42 mpg as im taking a few 20-40 mile jaunts now and then @45 mph.