2005 Toyota Echo 1.5 from North America

Summary:

Reliable, quiet, comfortable, durable, peppy, good visibility all round and good handling

Faults:

I had to do some initial repairs to put this poorly maintained car back on the road after it sat un-used by my neighbor for about a year. Since it has been back on the road I have had no issues with it in the 10 months I have been driving it.

General Comments:

Bought this abused Echo from a neighbor for $500. Did a complete brake job front and rear, new battery and end links to get it road worthy. I have been driving this car quite often for 10 months now and it has been reliable in all weather conditions from heavy rain, snow and wind to high summer temperatures (104 degrees F!!). I am 6'4" tall and 220 pounds... no problem with headroom and legroom OK. The car is surprisingly quiet and comfortable for an economy car.

I have other neighbors with the same car that have 455,000 kms on theirs with no major repairs at all, just tires/brakes/radiator/battery: routine type maintenance. This car will keep up with traffic and cruise all day long at 70 mph while achieving 42 miles per gallon (Imperial gallon) and it's an automatic. What more do you want from an economy car?

My car is a 2 door hatchback, and while fine for 2 adults, the back seat is really only viable for children or in my case, our dog. It is really a small car but does not particularly feel that way when being driven. I have owned 4 or 5 small cars over the years and this is my favourite runabout of all of them. Visibility is very good, no blindspots, handling is pretty good/stable and parking is easy. Tires make a big difference to handling/stability on these cars... get decent ones.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 13th January, 2022

17th Jan 2022, 17:55

The 2 door hatchback looks better than the two door Echo sold in the States, the truly awful looking coupe.

23rd Jan 2022, 03:46

"Tires make a big difference to handling/stability on these cars... get decent ones."

Words to live by.

With any econocar such as the Echo, the OEM tire/wheel combination on such appliances leans towards fuel economy at any cost/low production cost. Moving to aftermarket wheels and wider tires (Tire Rack has wheel/tire packages for well under $1,000.00) adds a boost in safety that is well worth the $$$. :)

2005 Toyota Echo LE Hatchback from North America

Summary:

Really good car. Great on fuel

Faults:

Noise in the belt after replacing it, but was fixed.

I accidentally backed over a big rock, which knocked off the front bumper, no major damage.

I was in a rear in collision (March, 2011). The back of the car was crunched in a little, enough to have it written off.

General Comments:

Car handles really well.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th April, 2011

12th Jan 2015, 13:34

Which belt did you have replaced? I once was told by a mechanic my Echo needed a new timing belt. Imagine his surprise when I told him these cars have a timing chain, not a timing belt, which never need replacing or attention as they are self adjusting. Needless to say, I ran from that mechanic!

I have a 2002 Echo manual transmission; never a squeak, rattle, shimmy or shake, inside or out. Before I had my clutch replaced at 258,000km, I always had difficulty shifting into reverse, sometimes having to go into first, then reverse, and always had difficulty shifting into first. I believe another contributor had the same issues.

Additionally, if I let the car sit for a couple of days with the emergency brake on, then went to release and drive it, the car would not move. You could see the effort the car was making to move forward or reverse, and only depressing the gas pedal fully would get it out of this 'lock'.

Otherwise, I love my car! My daughter has a 2005 Echo, and my other daughter a 1999 Tercel. I do regular oil changes on all cars at 5,000km, use a Fram oil filter (the added black texture at the base makes it easy to put on snuggly and remove), keep all fluids topped and change the brake pads as needed, and we have had trouble free driving for a total of 560,000km!

Our Toronto winters are very unpredictable, so we all have snow tires, too. These cars drive better in the snow than my 2005 Highlander with snow tires and ECT, and the tires are easy for me to manage when changing.

Basic, regular maintenance and a bit of common sense provides trouble free, safe driving, and keeps repair bills to a minimum over time. Enjoy your ride!

Cheers! Onesmartchick