Reliable
Engine light came on at 28000km VVTi fault. Car did not break down.
Good little car, reliable.
Bit on the tinny side, engine can be noisy when pushed.
Fit and finish is good, easy to park.
Standard sound system is shocking!
Has plenty of zip.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 16th November, 2005
Set and forget
Loose clip in engine bay caused rattle. Spotted and fixed by dealer.
Goes great in the suburbs. Great economy. Easy to drive, with great driving position. Roomy if spartan interior.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 4th January, 2005
All AC leaks water, one place or another. it's perfectly normal.
The part that's leaking the water, is the reciever/drier that removes the condensation from the air. It's perfectly normal and is evident even on the most expensive cars.
Had this great little car for four years now, really economic, fun to drive, no repairs, it's a like owning a Maytag...
Not just a woman's car
Perfectly reliable and quite well built for the class.
The interior is refreshingly different with an abundance of storage compartments.
100% reliability combined with attractive styling and class leading crash safety.
Very fuel efficient.
Reasonable asking price.
Reasonable engine power from the 1.3, but could still be better.
Only complaints: it should have twin airbags and ABS braking as standard features.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes
Review Date: 17th November, 2002
Inability to put drivers seat back when rear seat in foldaway position is potentially dangerous
I only took the car for two test drives.
Review completed only to warn other potential purchasers.
Very sluggish on hills.
Uncomfortable when used with back seat folded down. see comments.
.
Initial drive, fairly comfortable, though high clutch made my leg ache even on a short drive.
Second drive, with credit card in bag and ready to buy, was a nightmare.
This time I drove with the back seat folded away to see how it felt.
The salesman was very reluctant to let me get in the car with the seat in fold away position and I soon found out why.
It was almost impossible to use the clutch at all, as the drivers seat had to be so far forward.
The brake was dangerously difficult to use too.
Regardless of the selling points including great cargo room it is clear this is not the case, not if you also want to drive safely.
I'm only 5'2" so buyers please make the salesman fold the seat away, sit in the car and see how comfortable you are before buying.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 19th October, 2002
You obviously don't realize that the rear seats slide. You should have had them as far back as possible before you folded them down and have removed the rear headrests... NO problems then!
Where do the rear seats slide? The Echo never had such an option. Good point of the original reviewer, although surely not many people would drive a car with the rear seats folded for long distances.
Very noisy
After 3 months the engine overheated because the service technician hadn't put the radiator cap on properly.
At 19,000km the park brake locked on and they found rust in the brake drum.
The entire car rattles and every time I've had it fixed, it's okay for a few days and then it gets worse.
I feel like I've got the bad car in the batch. I am really disappointed with it. I'm so disappointed, I've sold it!
I would appreciate other comments from Echo owners as I would like to know if it was just my car.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 15th August, 2001
Hello,
I do not think it was your car, I have a feeling it's the dealership you went to. It sounds like you got ripped off by the dealer. Why would the radiator cap be misplaced, unless someone had tampered with it. I have recently purchased a Toyota ECHO, and so far no problems at all, the dealers were good, and they made sure that everything was inspected before going out of that lot. So, I have a feeling it was not the car that ripped you off... it's the car dealer.
23rd Jan 2005, 22:29
1000km update.
Highway speed stability is not good. Feels as if it's floating a bit. Also knocked around by crosswinds.
Interior plastics mark easily.
Air conditioning leaks condensation behind front left wheel.
But otherwise a lovely car for the suburbs. Getting about 500km on a 45L tank in suburban driving with air conditioning almost constantly on during a hot Sydney summer.