2004 Toyota Echo 4 door sedan 1.5 petrol from Australia and New Zealand

Summary:

Set and forget

Faults:

Loose clip in engine bay caused rattle. Spotted and fixed by dealer.

General Comments:

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

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.

18th Feb 2005, 01:23

All AC leaks water, one place or another. it's perfectly normal.

29th May 2005, 22:55

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.

6th Nov 2008, 20:01

Had this great little car for four years now, really economic, fun to drive, no repairs, it's a like owning a Maytag...

2004 Toyota Echo from North America

Faults:

...I purcashed the RS package.Fine little car that loves to rev. Very quick for an entry vehicle! I can't get people to stop asking, "What kind of car is that,it's so cute!" Will definately be getting the next generation that is already in Europe under another name. I love this thing!

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know

Review Date: 10th May, 2004

11th May 2004, 08:11

Why has Toyota had so much trouble selling this thing if so many people think it is "so cute"?

Actually, the ECHO is kind of stupid looking, especially the two door version, and having the instrument panel in the center of the dash (Toyota trying to save money by using the same dash for both LHD and RHD markets) did not help.

10th Oct 2004, 10:50

The Saturn ION has a center-instrument panel too. And the ION is considered a sportier car.

5th Apr 2005, 19:13

The reason for the Centre Instrument panel is so the driver does not have to take their eyes completely off the road to check their speed, they just have to change the direction they are looking. It is for Safety purposes, and is much easier to read then a traditional Instrument panel.

20th Apr 2005, 05:43

The Echo sedan/coupe is an ugly car. The hatchback version is actually a much nicer looking vehicle (similar to the Scion XA). Also sold in Europe as the Yaris and Japan as the Vitz. The central speedometer is about cost savings (not safety) It's an economy car, so every cent they save on making it, makes it that much cheaper for you. It may in fact be safer, but that isn't Toyota's primary reason for doing so.

4th Apr 2006, 02:51

I tend to agree the hatch is only slightly better looking the coupe and sedan with their bloated shape to put it bluntly are ugly. The new Yaris looks interesting.