Toyota ECHO Coupé 2005 - base version, a/c, MANUAL

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j_ortiz
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Cars: '05 Toyota ECHO, '97 Terc
Location: PR, island of uphill starts

Toyota ECHO Coupé 2005 - base version, a/c, MANUAL

Post by j_ortiz »

TOYOTA ECHO COUPE 2005
BASE VERSION A/C MANUAL

1.5 litre 4-cylinder VVTI fuel-injected engine, 5 speed synchronized manual transmission, 2 doors. Options: 1-cd player/radio, air conditioning

Mechanical components:
Drivetrain: 5/5 (see details below)
Brakes, steering and suspension: 4/5 - some fade and noise on intense use, but very good panic behavior. Manual steering is easy except on low-speed parking maneuvers, there is no drifting and road feedback is very good

Body and trim:
Body and chassis: 4/5 - well finished, somewhat ding-prone though
Exterior trim: 4/5 - not well fixed, can be bent/moved off position
Interior trim and finish: 4/5 - parts are in a sort of fiberboard that scratches easily

Seating and comfort:
Front: 4/5 (access: 5/5) - needs armrests. Cloth seats.
Rear: 4/5 (access: 2/5) - entering is a gymnastic exercise in 2 doors. Access goes up to 5/5 in four-door versions. Cloth seats.
Space: 5/5 Quite large inside, large people can enter front seats easily and ride in relative comfort
Bins and places to put stuff: 5/5
Noise: 3/5 relatively high and tire/road noise can be evident at times
Climate control: 5/5 (but note: in wet climates such as mine the windshield has a lot of condensation and that can be annoying)

Gauges and controls:
Gauges and readability: 4/5 (5/5 general, downrated because of the lack of a temp scale)
Driver controls (wheel, levers, pedals, etc.) 4/5 - some behind the wheel levers need getting used to
Radio, a/c and other controls 5/5

Engine:
Power/Weight ratio 5/5
Response 5/5


Manual transmission (5 speed)
Shifting response 4/5 - somewhat notchy and occasional need to doubleclutch engaging reverse
Clutch feel 5/5
Adequacy of gearing to car's characteristics - 5/5

Handling:
Normal city streets: 5/5
Normal country and mountains: 5/5
Normal highway and expressway: 4/5
- crosswinds, currents raised by large vehicles can hamper enjoyment of the ride, however it can cruise with stability as high as 90 mph (145 km/h).

Road behaviors:

Rough road behavior 4/5 - because of the car's lightness, it simply rides over the bumps much like a small boat does likewise in waves... it doesn't attempt to plow thru the bumps like larger cars and SUVs. However, potholes must be avoided or driven carefully like any other car.

Wet road behavior 2/5 - the same lightness of the car makes it "float" easily even over shallow (1"-2") puddles, it has a relatively high risk of aquaplaning.

Muddy road behavior 3/5 - also adversely affected by the car's lightness, though it can be easily extricated from mud with paper or cardboard inserted beneath the wheels.

Snow/ice road behavior: There is neither where I live, so it is NOT tested for those.

Emergency handling: 4/5 tends to be quite maneuverable but slightly unpredictable.

Reliability:

Mechanical, drivetrain: 5/5
Mechanical, non-drivetrain: 5/5
Electrical: 5/5
Air conditioning and heating: 5/5


Generally, this car lives up to the "Toyota reliability" slogan, and you gotta believe with this car, even if you think that that's all so much propaganda and hype.

Economics and costs:

Retail price; 5/5 excellent at about $11950 new ($12800 with excise taxes in PR). Above average retention of value if bought/sold used.
Fuel economy: 5/5 Measured 37-43 mpg on 178 thousand miles. Best nonhybrid, normally tuned gasoline engine car for many years in this rank. Tank is 11 US gallons, can yield up to 500 miles (800 km) if properly driven.
Maintenance, routine: 5/5 excellent. Components tend to be quite tough. Only replacement in my case has been two rear-wheel assemblies (include ball bearings, brake cover and tire lugs).
Repair: 5/5 excellent. If maintenance is done and car is not mistreated or crashed, very low incidence of repair. This has been verified by communication with other owners on online forums and message boards, or personally. Most parts are inexpensive to moderately expensive.

Esthetics and look:

Visibility of occupants: 5/5 However this version lacks a rear windshield defogger, a must in a wet climate like mine.
How the car looks from outside: 1/5 - Here's the one serious goof Toyota's designers didn't get right: the Echo versions with a trunk look awkward and disproportioned, and the styling has for many people practically counterweighed completely the very competent performance of this car.

Summary:

The Echo is a quite solid performer and a generally safe vehicle which only has relatively minor engineering drawbacks, such as the amply-criticized (and felt by this reviewer!) crosswind feel. It is very competent, even if not stellar - if you want better handling, more acceleration, stronger braking, more comfort, etc. - there are other vehicles in the top ranks, but you pay a substantial price premium, and much less can you get a good compromise between most of these desires in a small and affordable package. Too bad the poor styling and disproportioned look created a visceral aversion reaction by many people. The hatchback version sold in Europe, Asia, Latin America and for 2004/5 in Canada looked considerably sharper and Canadian Echo HBs which are street legal in the US (though some jurisdictions may require changing the metric speedometer/odometers) have been exported south of the border where they have been favorably compared - even as girl-chasers - with more expensive minicars like the overrated Mini Cooper. This car can be in the future even a minor classic, though it plays in an increasingly crowded field in these troubled, small-car-friendly times.
[A] passenger asked the driver, "Why do you have to keep moving that stick?" - HM :)
Evicatos
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Re: Toyota ECHO Coupé 2005 - base version, a/c, MANUAL

Post by Evicatos »

I used to drive an Echo before I got my current car. I had a very strange love/hate relationship with that car. It was, at the same time, very cool and very annoying. It was actually somewhat quirky (shockingly so for a Toyota), but a lot if its quirks almost felt like they were there just for the sake of being different, like the offset instrument gauges. It's funny that everyone always mentions that whole "crosswind" thing. For some reason that car is ridiculously tall for its size. I had the shit scared out of me more than a few times by coming around a corner into a heavy gust of wind.
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