Good, Sensible Transportation
The Toyota Echo is a popular vehicle. I seem to spot them everywhere I go, and I think to myself, how can a car that small have so much room?
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| After seeing all the T.V. ads from Toyota boasting how large the Echo felt, I just had to take it for a test drive and find out for myself. (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
After all, I've seen the ads on T.V. where the Echo is parked in a stall deemed "Large Car Only," and as the tow truck driver is just about to take it to the impound lot, the attendant looks in, realizes its interior space and moves on. I don't usually believe everything I see on T.V., but it wasn't until I had the opportunity to get behind the wheel of a real live Echo that I found out for myself. Truly, the tube was actually telling the truth.
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| The Echo really does, as Toyota states, provide "big-car comfort and room in a compact package, plus generous levels of equipment with an economy car price tag." (Photo: Alexandra Straub, Canadian Auto Press) |
Toyota Canada Inc. (TCI) describes the Echo accurately in saying it is designed for "drivers who want big-car comfort and room in a compact package plus generous levels of equipment with an economy car price tag."
In addition to room and features, the Echo has a lot of pep, making it fun to putt around the city in. My test car had the optional 4-speed automatic transmission making it ideal for city traffic. Its driving force is a 1.5-liter, 16-valve, DOHC, 4-cylinder engine with 108 horsepower that comes on at 6,000 rpm and a maximum of 105 lb-ft of torque that arrives at 4,200 rpm. The engine gives the subcompact adequate power to get form point A to B with little to no sweat. But of course, how hard can it be to pull around a mere 950 kg (2,045 lbs) and a carload of people.
