Newly Hatched: Toyota Echo (2000)

As car testers, it’s not often that we develop genuine affection for a car, but our relationship with the Echo seems to have all the makings of a long-term love affair.

Starting off with this car’s irresistible looks. The Echo looks unlike any other car on the road right now, and mixes the best elements of minivan, wagon and sports sedan. Like a van, front overhang (the body beyond the wheels) is minimal, with no rear overhang. Sports sedan-like sharp creases define the sides of the car, and 2-tone taillights and a curved hatch give its rear a muscular look. The side view of the Echo is the most striking. Most people can’t help staring at it because it’s so short for such a tall vehicle. It’s 610 mm shorter than a City, while being noticeable taller (55 mm) than a Honda Accord!

Remember Sesame Street’s Twiddlebugs and their “family car”? If there’s any car around that suits them, it’s the Echo. The Echo looks like a bug itself, with its enormous headlamps, grille with large holes, and central roof-mounted antenna. We admit it: we’re developing a soft spot for what looks like an underdog.

Other drivers seem to have no soft spots at all for the Echo, thinking it’s a seriously underpowered pushover. FX and truck drivers in particular seem to have a desire to cut the Echo’s nose right off. Though our right foot wanted to floor it and show them just what this baby and its VVTi engine are capable of, our left brain cautioned “Break in! Break in!” So we gritted our teeth and restricted ourselves to half-throttle and 85 km/h.

Even with half-throttle, though, the Echo accelerates briskly. Be at the front row of a traffic light Grand Prix, and you can easily pull away from the rest. (Unless a Civic VTi or SiR is intent on getting ahead.) If you’re not at the front row, the Echo’s responsive drivetrain, quick steering, and incredibly small dimensions make slicing through traffic a piece of cake, and you’ll soon find yourself near the front again.

The electronically-controlled automatic transmission is a delight. This is the first automatic that I’ve truly enjoyed driving. It seems to be able to read my mind and shifts down exactly when I would have done so with a manual—say for overtaking or climbing up a grade.

Speaking of climbing, we tried bringing the Echo up the steep main parking building of the Shangri-la Plaza mall, as well as the (terribly-maintained) mountain road leading up to Vieux Chalet in Antipolo, with five adults on board. Admittedly, it didn’t pull as strongly as a two-liter car, but neither did it break out into a sweat. We climbed the steep sections quite easily, though we shifted to “L” just in case.

Front seat space is excellent, thanks to a very tall roofline, and scooped out dash and door panels. The rear bench is roomy for two, but just a little too tight for three, unless you’re all Slim Shadys.

With the short length and wheels-at-the-corners design, parking and turning capabilities are simply amazing. If you find yourself without a parking space, just look for an unoccupied corner, and slip the car in. Ford Expeditions, eat your hearts out!

With gasoline at PHP18.00 (!!) and rising, one place where you’d be grateful is at the gas pump. Our test unit with auto transmission has so far returned 11.18 km / liter. That’s squeezing out 65% more mileage than your average 2-liter car with manual transmission, and 35% more than a 1.5-liter car with automatic. Given that you travel 500 km/week, with today’s gas prices, the savings can be as much as PHP575/week! With this, I’m actually tempted to sell my other car and get another Echo.

All is not perfect with this affair, though. With the Echo, Toyota has given us an excellent mechanical package, but it has obviously skimped on safety and convenience features. There’s no ABS, no airbag, no front or rear foglamp, no rear wiper, no high-mounted brake light and the center rear headrest is missing. Come on, Toyota, surely a third brake light and rear wiper can’t cost that much! Also lacking are map lights, door courtesy lights, split rear seatback, hatch open warning light (necessary because the hatch can be closed but not securely so, and rattle the fillings out of your teeth), and rear shelf/cargo cover.

This early on, the car has exhibited some rattles from the driver’s door and dashboard as well unusual aircon noise. Seems that “completely-built unit” (CBU, meaning all-imported, in this case from Japan) is not necessarily equal to “perfectly-assembled.” The tint and the side windows seem to be incompatible, too, the tint ending up scratched and the window mechanism whining when in use.

We trust that the dealer with fix these niggles at the first 1000 km check-up. For now, we’re enjoying this bug, faults and all.

Text By Jason Ang | Photos By Ulysses Ang