- Doors and Seats
5 doors, 5 seats
- Engine
1.3i, 4 cyl.
- Engine Power
63kW, 122Nm
- Fuel
Petrol (91) 5.8L/100KM
- Manufacturer
FWD
- Transmission
Manual
- Warranty
3 Yr, 100000 KMs
- Ancap Safety
3/5 star (2000)
The Echo point
Despite being around for a while, Toyota's Echo rules the ultra-competitive light car class, and now comes well-equipped and well priced. The five-door hatch version puts even more versatility into the mix.
Toyota Echo 5-door Hatch
Pigeonhole: Runaway "littlie" car market leader.
Philosophy: Clever packaging on a solid platform.
Trivia: Latest facelift of Toyota's most successful small car. First launched here in 1999 and winner of Europe's Car of the Year award in its Euro-badged Yaris form.
Who's buying it: Lots of people. In its red-hot market segment it outsells its nearest rivals (mainly the Honda Jazz and Hyundai Getz) by two to one.
Who you'd buy it: It really is a "little big car" that is comfortable, enjoyable to drive and economical. Just as importantly, equipment levels have gone up while the price has come down.
Why you wouldn't: Because you like the idea of the newer-generation Jazz and Getz -- and perhaps because the ABS and passenger airbag options have been deleted.
Standard equipment: Air-conditioning, driver's airbag, radio/CD player, remote central locking.
Safety: Driver's airbag. Centre rear lap-sash seatbelt (with a crude but effective locating bracket for the centre sash).
Cabin: Surprisingly spacious, versatile and open-feeling. You sit upright and look out over a broad dashboard and the mid-dash screen that displays the speedometer and rev counter lights. The split back seat double-folds for relatively cavernous cargo space. The trade-off is that there's some road noise.
Seating: Quality trim (that could be a shade or two brighter) on the well-formed, comfortable seats. You sit fairly high, which can certainly be a good thing. The back seat slides fore and aft to provide more leg room.
Engine: 1.3-litre VVTi four-cylinder that's willing when revved, but runs out of puff as revs fall. In our manual gearbox car, that was a good excuse to enjoy the gearchange.
Transmission: Five-speed manual with a pleasing, short-throw shift.
Steering: Pin-sharp, nicely weighted and a smallish wheel that feels just right. It's height-adjustable, too. And, because the instruments are in a pod in the middle and on top of the dashboard, there are no distractions behind the steering wheel.
Ride: Good on quality roads but gets choppy, though well controlled, when conditions deteriorate.
Handling: Like the steering, pin-sharp and accurate.
Fuel: 7.38 litres/100 kilometres on mainly urban roads.
Brakes: Disc/drum. No complaints.
Build: Feels solid, from the thunk of the doors to the general tightness of the body. There were no creaks, groans or rattles in the test car, and the chassis has runs on the board because it has been around for a while.
Warranty: Three years/100,000 kilometres.
Security: Immobiliser.
Audio: Radio/CD system is OK but nothing special. Buttons and dials are easy to use.
Cost: $15,490. Automatic $17,490. The package is well priced, but be prepared to wind your own windows and adjust the outside mirrors via inside wands.
Verdict: No prizes for guessing why the Echo is easily the top seller in the light car class, even though it's been around for a while. Toyota's pencil-sharpening and better standard equipment have sweetened the appeal.
Prices and details correct at publication date.