Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

Overall this car has been great, not that I expected anything else.

I do have a couple minor complaints:

1) Annoying plastic rattles, not all the time, but they seem to come and go, and sometimes it is difficult to pinpoint what exactly is causing it. The door lock slides for example have a lot of play, and are constantly causing noise.

2) Shifting into reverse isn't very smooth, sometimes it's hard to put it into reverse, and I have to put it into 1st and then into reverse. Also, when slightly rolling backwards and trying to put it into reverse, it grinds, even though the clutch is fully engaged.

Also shifting into 1st is difficult most of the time.

All of the above is quite minor, especially considering the cost of the car. The fuel economy is great. I was getting 6.5-7 L/100 km during winter with snow tires. I am expecting 5.5 -6 during the summer.

Reliability is obviously the main strength of this car. Performance is quite decent for a 1.5 L. My old Corolla had 1.6 L (and was much older), but had a lot less pep to it.

The lack of tachometer and even a clock (!!!) on the base model is quite unpleasant, but no big deal.

Overall the car is very good, very cheap to own, the comfort is quite good (you sit almost like in an SUV), and it has adequate power.

Faults:

Nothing.

General Comments:

This is the third Echo we've owned, and the best one too.

50,000 km. in nine months is a good workout for any car, and at forty plus miles per gallon, amazingly economical as well.

The package B options include ABS brakes, and these brakes are the best we've ever had, including our Volvo 850.

A higher than average seat and ease of entrance and exit make an extra comfortable car for seniors, but a power seat option would have been nice.

In the winter, we missed the heavy snow crushing feel of our Volvo, but with real snow tires, it sticks to the road alright.

The air conditioning has been both adequate and problem free. These are made in Japan; maybe that makes a difference.

One very minor complaint: we've had Toyota Tercel, the immediate predecessor of this model, back to 1987, and those cars and the Echo share a common two inch metal piece where the front seats bolt to the carpet. This piece of metal completely turns a rust color within two years, and has in all three Echos and all Tercels, clear back to 1987 - time to write a new spec Toyota!