2001 Toyota Echo Consumer Reviews
Most Helpful Reviews
Positive Review
There is ample room for two average adults. The two spaces of the back seat would be suitable for small children and groceries. The trunk has room for the luggage of two people. This is not a family car. The 1.5 liter engine is low-power, very responsive. The car handles well, with rack and pinion steering. Most highway access ramps can be negotiated at 45 mph or higher. Acceleration is poor when three of four seats are occupied. Great for single commuter or college student. Climate control is plenty adequate. Controls are simple and straight-forward to use. Driver visibility is excellent. Head room/leg room may be issues for a driver over six feet tall. In-town mpg is probably 30 mpg. Highway cruising mpg is over 45. A 99% highway trip of 400 miles used less that 8.5 gallons. 20% city/80% highway economy with single occupant is 43 mpg, over a ten year record. If Toyota still offered this model, I'd have a new one.
VS
Critical Review
I bought my Echo new in 2001 and was in love at first. It was funky and a roomy and got great gas mileage. Never really liked the basic comfort or style inside although it has great little extra compartments all over. In the first 6 months of owning my Echo the 2 front windows fell inside the door- luckily my warranty covered it. Since that time I have had pretty consistent gaskit issues around the doors and windows; got a new transmission and clutch (at the same time) about 6 months ago; some alignment problems; water pump and serpentine belt just broke; replaced the brake pads a couple times; numerous stereo malfunctions; and my air conditioner broke. There could be more that I'm just forgetting.... It should also be said that this car does not do well at all in the snow and ice. I have slid off the road at least twice. All in all, my Echo has not ran to my hopes and standards. In all fairness though, I slacked on the maintenance for the first few years. I bought this car for over $14k in 2001 and now could sell it for probably $3k. I wouldn't do it again.
2001 Echo Reviews
Showing 8 of 459 reviews.
poor the engine doesn't work, It doesn't turn on, it doesn't pass state inspection, it heats up, out of service
01 5 speed with 545,000 miles just changed the oil and the guy checked the mileage twice to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Bought it in 2016 drove it from Florida to Tennessee then to California. Never heard of an Echo until I bought it. But now I'll never sell it. If you have a chance to get one do it.
My second, Been echo man last 15 years. Probably die with this car. Why did they stopped making these cars,( Value, Quality, Dependability,Affordability) Not something American Consumers Want
We inherited the 2001 Echo with 24k miles. We now have 166k and pretty much changed oil and tires and the thing won't quit! She was a small woman and at the time, was the only car she could find that she saw over the hood nicely. Has no pw seats, windows, locks. Base model. If it had cruise control, would have a lot more miles! Would not hesitate to hop in and drive cross country.
Gas mileage is amazing ..
Engine lite stays on .. can't fix oil leak .. ac.
.. great little car to zip around town in .. great starter car for new driver , college kid , second car to have around ... I have mine 24 yrs now ! 157 K. And still going .. smooth ride .. but it's time to say goodbye .. no real issues , just basic maintenance... Easy car to work on my mechanic said .. I replaced the belts 3 times now , which is basic .. Replaced alternator, ac too but now that went , I live in Florida, so I need my ac to run in my car , much needed .. Unfortunately there's a major leak somewhere , will not fix it , not worth the money .. Already recharged it few times , lasts 2 weeks .. Replaced the AC about 5 yrs ago , ran 3 yrs , but now it's no good .. I also have an oil leak that is not easy to fix , my mechanic said would need to remove a part inside the engine , just to get to the leak , which costs 1,000 bucks to do , so not worth it either . I just keep putting oil in every few weeks .. Engine lite stays on constantly in these cars, not sure why , have turned it off dozens of times , but it comes back on .. When the battery needs replacing , I buy an economy size , it's the cheapest and the car runs a long time , just as good as the expensive batteries .. Tires are inexpensive to replace .. 4 tires are just about 200 bucks .. I've kept the outside nice , decent body .. no accidents .. I gave a silver car , but the color had faded and looks white now , from the Florida sun .. Inside is roomy , good leg room , head room , you sit up high and can see everything when driving ... overall a good little car will miss her ..
Reliable
It’s a car
Great on gas. Replacing parts are cheap n easier compared to others. Great from a single mom and a few kids.
I've got almost 200,000 miles on my Echo and I've had to do nothing beyond expected repairs and maintenance. It's a small car, but that is part of what I love about it -- so easy to maneuver, and has the best turning radius of any car I've driven. It doesn't have the power of a larger car, but that's fine for me. The mileage is still close to the 30 miles per gallon it was when new. This is probably unrealistic, but I hope it never dies.
Small and fast
Front end suspension and alternator
Echo has a lot of power for a small car. Echo gave me a few issues that I feel need to be addressed. One the front end suspension is scary at times. It rattles when in gear but when going over bumps or holes it sounds like the whole front end will fall off. Which making it nerve racking to me. Secondly, when my alternator was going out, the car stalled in the middle of the road and the steering wheel locked forcing me to get a tow truck to move it. I was in the process of towing it myself when it happened. Other than those two issues the car seemed pretty reliable. Easy to move around in traffic and find tight parking stalls to squeeze into.
