Toyota Echo 2000

Toyota Echo 2000 - For the past two decades, Toyota has covered the small, cheap end of the market with the competent but generally uninspiring Tercel. Its virtues were a low price (the most recent Tercel sedan cost just a bit more than an entry-level Korean sedan) and the promise of Toyota reliability and resale value (a three-to-five-year-old Tercel brings about five percent better resale value than a Hyundai Accent or Kia Sephia). In terms of performance and driving fun, however, the Tercel was frequently trumped by its Korean and American competition. But with this new Echo sedan, Toyota plans to change all of that.

That height allowed Toyota to include an interior package that's not as tight as the Echo's small footprint might suggest. The front interior volume is 49 cubic feet, and in the rear, the Echo offers 39 cubic feet of space. That puts it midpack in its class and affords reasonable space for four people, although five adults are a definite crowd.

The Echo promises to be cheap to run as well. The EPA estimates fuel economy will run between 34 and 41 miles per gallon. Even under the lead foots around here, it averaged 35 mpg. The engine only requires regular 87-octane fuel despite a lofty 10.5:1 compression ratio. And Toyota does have a great reputation for building reliable cars.

We won't repeat the host of small refinements we wrote about in our October 1999 issue that account for its overall hustle. All you need to know is that the little engine revs to its 6500-rpm rev limiter eagerly and smoothly. Unfortunately, you won't know how fast the engine is spinning -- a tachometer is not offered. We think a tach is a must, given this motor's revvy nature.

On the downside, the shifter has a lifeless, stuck-in-the-mud feel. Although the Echo can compete in acceleration with compacts like the Neon, it doesn't corner as well as the big boys. Skidpad grip, at 0.77 g, ranks squarely in entry-level territory. The body roll isn't offensive, however, and the Echo doesn't bob around when you lift off the gas in a turn; rather, it obediently tucks in the front end.

As for its styling, we didn't notice pedestrians and other drivers, young or old, swiveling their heads to get a better look. But let's give Toyota credit for coming up with an original shape.

As small, low-priced cars go, the Echo is excellent transportation -- provided you don't load it up with every option, at which point the bigger compacts may make more sense. It's relatively quick and comfortable, and it fully utilizes every inch of its small dimensions.

COUNTERPOINT

These cars say more about their manufacturers than do prestige and sports cars. How much importance, for example, is placed on packaging? Does it come at the expense of attractive design? The Echo tells me Toyota thinks its customers expect decent power, room, and refinement from their econoboxes and that they'll be willing to compromise a bit on styling, fuel economy, and price to get those virtues.