2002 Toyota ECHO review from North America

So far nothing has went wrong yet. However we have only had it for 6 months, and only put on about 10,000 miles on it. I doubt that anything will go wrong.

My Ex-girlfriends mother had one too, and really never had any problems with it either. So hopefully I will have the same luck.

My dad and I bought this car as a drive around car, because at this present time gas prices are sky high and are still rising. I also have a 2002 Chevy Trailblazer, which for an SUV is not that bad on gas, but I needed a car that is much cheaper for daily driving. My job always has me doing long distance driving, so we did the right thing by buying this small car.

My dad has a 2004 GMC Envoy XUV, which he does not drive a lot because he is retired, but he also wanted something cheaper to get around in. The both of us just decided to share this vehicle. We both take turns on driving it. When I'm driving it he drives his Envoy, and when he drives the Echo I drive my Trailblazer. This car is really working out very well for the two of us.

This is a very small car, but it's roomy for people and cargo. It is comfortable to drive, especially on long drives, and the passengers are happy with the comfort as well. It's no luxury car with leather seats, but the seats are made of nice fabric and seems to easily support my large body. I love the ability it has to adjust the seat height. I do not think most cars in this class have this feature. It also has tilt steering wheel, which I'm glad that it does because my fat belly gets in the way getting in and out of the car.

This car has a very large glove compartment, and it's real handy too. It also has big cup holders, which I need for my big Dunkin Donuts coffee cups. I get Dunkin Donuts 3 times a day, Coffee and Donuts. I also use the cup holders to keep my change in for my constant need for going through toll booths.

I can't believe how sensitive the gas pedal is on this car. The first time I took this vehicle out for a road test, I floored it and shocked me how it took off. It is very quick for what it is. I also drove a Honda Fit, which I was originally going to get, but then I decided not to get one, because I just wanted a good economy car without having any payments, so I got this car.

Anyway, I test drove the Fit, which has the same size engine, but did not have the good pickup as the Echo. From a dead stop and low speeds it's very quick, but it lacks power when you go above 40mph, and when I have to push the pedal down to pass somebody, the engine roars very loud and does not speed up fast. It kinda picks up better by not flooring it.

It does not handle that great, but not bad for an economy car. I feel like I'm driving a go-kart and this car leans when I make sharp turns. Once I was driving on the highway, and I had to make a quick swerve into another lane to avoid a crash that was about to happen, and it did it, but did not seem to like it.

The suspension is very stiff, and is nowhere as bouncy as my old Dodge Aries. I think the steering on this car has the best steering of any car in its class, but the handling explains what this car really is, an econobox. But it rides good, and fairly well on bumps. It does not ride that smooth, but it's still the best car in its class.

Gas mileage is excellent. For mix of city and highway driving I average 28mpg, and my Trailblazer gets 14. So I'm getting twice the mileage in the Echo.

On the highway driving at 50mph, the RPM is about at 2500, and this is a very good driving speed. I only have to hold the pedal half way down the floor. Even driving 80mph, it still had more to go on the pedal, but I mostly drive slower than that for safety and to get better gas mileage, but this is a great highway vehicle, and it may be one of the best highway gas savers you could ever get.

On my closing statement, we are both very happy that we bought this vehicle. It will take us a little more time for us to find out how reliable this car really is. However I hear Toyotas have always been extremely reliable, and I don't think we could have gotten a better in this price range.

If anybody out there that is looking for a car that is excellent on gas, and do not want to make new car payments, then this is the car I recommend.