Back when the media were still calling the Echo a fine piece of machinery, I wrote this review telling it like it was. This made many people unhappy. I suspect this review has received more NRs than all of my others put together. Still, I love a good controversy, so in many ways this has been my favorite review.

This review has been added to no fewer than three times. When I first wrote it, it started out as a comment on another person's review, so I had not driven the car. Later, in a vain attempt to make everyone happy, I drove the car, and updated the review (see "update after road test"). Finally, a few months after this second update, I was vindicated when the media reevaluated this car. A final update includes some choice quotes.

So, if you want a thorough, entertaining overview of why not to buy an Echo, read on.

Original review:

Some people have been snowed. The Genesis group at Toyota's SoCal office designs nothing aside from ads and other promotional materials. I don't think they even do that. They're an "advisory group." They talk to the people who do the ads and such. Often what that means is they have little real impact. They're just good for making people inside Toyota feel good, as if they've still got it, whatever "it" is, and, secondarily, good P.R. At any rate, the main inspiration for all three of Toyota's new small, self-proclaimed "hip" products lies outside the United States.

Need more proof about the hollowness of Toyota's latest shtick? These three cars were done deals by the time the Genesis Group was even formed. On top of that, the Echo was not even primarily designed for this market. The basic car was designed in Europe (Toyota has a design studio there) for Europe, where it is called the Yaris. There, and in Japan where the same car is called the Vitz, it is a hatchback. In that form it almost looks OK. But Toyota knows that Americans don't like hatches. So they took the Yaris, tacked a goofy-looking trunk on it, and renamed it Echo. As in "echo-boomers," the children of the baby boomers and the intended market for this car.

Need any further proof? The ads try so hard to appeal to twentysomethings that they're ludicrous. They even equate buying a Toyota with starting a revolution. OK... Let's just say that anyone as in touch with the younger generation as this Genesis Group supposedly is could never come out with copy that's so ridiculous.

You might think I'm just not the audience for the ad. I've got a kid now, so it’s probably time for me to accept the fact I'm not so young anymore. But these echo boomers are supposed to recoil from ads that try too hard to be, well, I’m not going to pretend to know the current appropriate terminology for "cool." Just think of how the X-ers before them dissed the "Subaru as punk rock" copy. I'm not so tough--I actually liked the punk rock Imprezza ad.

But revolution? Well I guess this century has witnessed the Russian revolution, the Chinese revolution, a few smaller political revolutions in countries no one ever heard of (at least not until some of our boys journeyed abroad to try to set things right again), a number of technological revolutions, and various cultural revolutions involving minorities, women, and sex. Now, to cap off this chock-full-o-revolutions century, the one to top them all, we have the Toyota revolution. Perhaps this car should be banned from politically unstable areas? Hardly.

Well, I guess I should actually say something about the car itself. Like the Avalon, this car was designed by Dilbert. As with the Avalon, the idea was to put the biggest space inside the smallest box. It's an engineer's wet dream. Problem is, this makes the car butt ugly. Besides ugly, it looks like a joke. If GM or Ford came out with a car that looked like this, with tall, slab sides and a tacked-on, goofy tail, it'd be the punch line on Leno for years. Ditto the ads I already vented all over. How Toyota gets away with this is beyond me. Is Rev. Moon on the payroll? Now that would be some Genesis Group...

Just one more kick at the styling: One other reviewer likened the look of this car to that of the New Beetle. You know, cute enough to give them the warm fuzzies. It so happens that every VW stylist who managed to get their name associated with the Beetle has been lured away by Ford, Chrysler, and others with nice fat paychecks. I'm still waiting to read about anyone stealing the designers of the Echo from Toyota. My guess is it's not being used to pad many resumes.

To give credit where credit is due, this car is very roomy inside. There's even plenty of room for two good-sized people in the back seat. The extreme height of the car makes this possible. The tall windows and high seating position make visibility out of the car very good.

The most unique thing about the interior is that the instruments are in the center of the dash. This was done to appeal to Europeans. Renault did this on their tiny car, the Twingo, a few years ago, and that car sold very well in Europe. Toyota, ever the faithful copier of other people's successful products, puts a similar dash in this car. That and car stylists are always looking to do something different just to do something different. They got let out of the bag on this one. I've heard these center instruments are actually quite easy to use after a little acclimation. I'd think it would be bad to move your eyes away from the center of the road, but will reserve judgement until I drive a car so equipped.

I haven't actually driven an Echo yet. I'm not sure I ever will. I certainly have no desire to. I'm sure it drives like just about any other small Japanese car, just with a higher seating position. Bland and competent. The thing is, even if it was the best driving car on the planet I couldn't let myself own a car that looks like this.

Maybe I'm just not enough of a revolutionary? Time will tell. Either this thing sells to echo boomers, or it sits on car lots. Barring an upsurge of people who'll buy anything Toyota puts out, especially if it costs under 15k, I'm betting on the latter.

First update:

I've noticed a number of people "not recommending" this review. Since none have posted comments, two (um, now three) are anonymous, and only one has written their own review, I can only guess why they don't like my review: they disagree with what I have written, facts be damned. Maybe they already own one of these cars, so any review that is not positive is automatically bad. I personally recommend any review that makes a persuasive argument, whether I agree with it or not, but know that most people don't think this way. Oh, well...you people who have already laid down your cash (or will simply be making payments for many more years) just go on believing that this car looks cool--after all, it was designed by the Genesis Group. Uh huh.

That said, if you are still in the market for a car I see the Echo as a good choice if all you want is a roomy small Toyota at a semi-reasonable price. Just don't buy one because you think it was designed by this Genesis Group and is the epitome of cool. It's not. If you want a great performing, roomy small car with truly leading-edge (if still questionable) styling, I'd go for a Ford Focus. It's not a revolution either, but at least it doesn't claim to be.

Update after road test:

When I wrote the oridinal review, a number of people said, "Nice review. But you've gotta drive the damn car to make me happy!"

So, I finally got off my butt and drove the damn car. I got up the nerve to go to a dealer, walk up to a salesman, and say, "I'd like to drive an Echo" with a straight face. And, you were all right, I did have to drive the car to properly review it. The quality of the experience cost the Echo half its stars. It's now down to one. Why? Because before I assumed it drove nicely. I expected it to be fun to drive, like other small Japanese cars I've driven in the past. Well, it doesn't, and it isn't.

What's wrong with the driving experience? Here's a list:
* the engine feels weak unless the pedal is to the metal
* when the pedal is to the metal, the engine makes a decent amount of power but it also makes a lot of unpleasant noise; there is good engine noise and bad engine noise; this is the bad stuff
* the ride is poor, no doubt due to the short wheelbase; it reminded of an '85 Escort I used to abandon for weeks at a time on the streets of Chicago; every small road imperfection made itself known and unsettled the suspension; lots of bobbing back and forth
* the handling is unsettling; the high driving position makes the car feel tippy; it leans quite a bit even in slow turns; I didn't try any fast turns
*even at moderate speeds there is a lot of wind and road noise
*cheap feeling plastic everywhere: steering wheel, gear shifter, door panels, dash...

One so-so point: the gauges in the center of the dash are just as easy to use as regular gauges. The only downside is that looking forward you only see yards of uninterrupted cheap plastic.

One new good point: lots of useful storage everywhere. There are a few large cubbies in the dash for those of you who prefer to take everything with you (you know who you are). After all, you never know when you might need that waffle iron.

So, I actually expected to have fun driving this car, but had none. No part of the driving experience was pleasant, much less fun. If you think you want one of these, make sure you drive other cars before buying one. Drive a Ford Focus and Dodge Neon at least. And a Civic couldn't hurt. If you still feel the Echo drives well, I guess you're entitled to your opinion. I just don't know where it could come from. For your own sake, dig up the extra money to buy a better car.

If you must have a Toyota, then lease a Corolla. The Echo may be somewhat roomier, but the Corolla is much nicer. And according to the salesman it's actually cheaper to lease a Corolla right now because Toyota is subsidizing it, but not the Echo. Update on the Corolla: Japan for 2001 gets an all-new Corolla styled along the lines of the Echo, just larger. Since the US Corolla is only getting freshened for 2001, I'm not sure when we'll see the all-new design. Probably 2003. Or never. It's possible that they've decided that one car that looks like the Echo is enough for this market.

Final point for you slurpers of Toyota propaganda: the Genesis Group has been disbanded. It's leader and most of its other members have been reassigned. Though Toyota says the group has simply "evolved," Automotive News, a trade publication, states that the rest of the Toyota organization got tired of hearing how great this group was when it hadn't done much of anything. The article also states that, unlike a similar group in Japan, the Genesis Group never had any impact within the product development organization. The "revolution" ads, though, may have been all theirs.

Epilogue:

Vindication! When mildly positive reviews appeared in the car rags when the Echo first came out, I was dumbfounded. Echo-lovers who've NR'd this review might refuse to see it (or simply lack the faculties), but it's simply an awful car. Let me make this clear: DO NOT BUY THIS CAR. And now, months later, Car & Driver has come over to my side. In their comparison test of 13 small cars in the June 2000 issue, they put the Echo in a tie for tenth. Only two cars, both Korean, scored lower.

Some highlights from the new C&D review:

"Something entirely new from Toyota--a big mistake."

"It's noisy, it handles poorly, it feels cheap, and the interior details fall far below the Toyota standard."

"stump ugly"

Now where have I read this before? Oh, yeah, in my own much-flamed review (you wouldn't believe some of the mail I've gotten from these people).

Second Update, October 2005

For the 2005 model year the Echo was sold on a special order basis only. Toyota had given up on the car. Next year a redesigned Echo will be introduced in hatchback form with the model name used outside the U.S., Yaris. It's a better-looking car at least.

Toyota Echo Reliability

People often email me asking about the reliability of the cars and trucks they are considering. Existing sources of reliability information just aren't helpful enough.

In response, my website, truedelta.com, will more clearly identify what difference it will make if you buy an Echo rather than something else by providing "times in the shop" and "days in the shop" stats (among others). Those who help provide the data--which will require just a few minutes a year--will earn free access to the site's reliability information. To encourage participation, this access will otherwise cost $24.95.

For the details, and to sign up, visit www.truedelta.com.