Automotive Reviews
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Back-catalog of reviews written before 2008.
2000 Toyota Echo
01065 days
It looks like all those years of slamming Toyotas for being dull and faceless are finally starting to pay off. The new-for-2000 ECHO subcompact is anything but anonymous, and that’s quite a departure for an economy car. Traditionally, small cars are the appliances of any manufacturer’s lineup, but lately appliances have been getting interesting. Toasters have character lines on them, personal computers come in different colors, and the Toyota ECHO is an entry-level car with enough style to ensure that it will leave the showroom floor for reasons beyond its low price.
An all-new design, the ECHO is smaller and priced lower than the Corolla. The entry-level car has been designed with young, first-time buyers in mind.
At first glance, the ECHO looks like a larger car that shrank in the dryer. A short trunk and hood appended to a large passenger area (which has been maximized through cab-forward design and a high roof) lend it a dwarfish look. It sports the very expressive, acute-angle-intensive design theme that’s spreading through Toyota’s once-bland product lineup. The tall roof makes the car look narrower than it is. In spite of the rather awkward overall appearance, the ECHO’s a reasonably attractive car. It has almost no hood; the passenger compartment has been pushed forward as far as it can go. The ECHO’s front end slopes steeply up from a wide lower duct and crosshatched black grill up to the windshield. A deep crease carries the line of the turn signals from front to rear. The ECHO’s profile view is the chunkiest, and a molding around the rocker panels helps to break this up a little bit. The high, flat, vertical tail is also a recurring theme on Toyotas, and suits the very vertical ECHO well. Six-spoke hubcaps on 14″ wheels complete the look. It’s a very expressive, unique-looking small car that’s not going to blend into the background.
Inside, the high roof offers plenty of headroom, of course. Thanks to the truck-sized roof and car-sized floor, getting in and out of the ECHO is easy. The first thing that draws the eye is the unusual, centrally mounted instrument panel. The term “instrument panel” is a little misleading, because the pod contains only a speedometer and a fuel gauge. It’s a nod to the commuter who doesn’t really care about engine speed, battery voltage, or oil pressure. The seats are high off the floor, chairlike, and they’re upholstered in a handsome checkered pattern that is a step above the typical gray econobox interior. Desk jockeys used to sitting in front of a PC will be comfortable in the ECHO, because the view through the windshield is reminiscent of a computerized driving simulator, thanks to the low cowl, extremely short hood, and a slight dip in the windows at the rearview mirrors. Adding to the IMAX theater feeling is a dash that slopes away from the driver and front passenger, and interior trim that dives slightly toward the front of the car. The rounded dashboard features deep crescent-shaped bins on either side of the radio, perfect for holding several compact discs or cassettes each. Another useful shelf is located under the steering wheel, and there’s even a second, smaller glovebox living above the regular one. Large storage bins on the doors will also come in handy, because the optional AM/FM/cassette/CD player provides great sound.
A downside to the extreme cab-forward design is a lack of driver legroom. With the seat set back far enough to accommodate long legs, the steering wheel is out of reach. We spent a lot of time driving the ECHO with our legs bent awkwardly. On the plus side, there’s plenty of trunk space, and the rear seats’ slightly longer cushions are actually more comfortable than those in the front. Four passengers can ride in comfort; although it’s smaller, the ECHO features just as much interior room as its larger sibling the Corolla.
Cramped footwell aside, the ECHO is plenty comfortable and capable on anything less than a road trip. The 1.5-liter, 108-hp engine provides plenty of torque to get the car moving quickly–no flashbacks to dangerously slow Ford Aspires and Geo Metros, here. Toyota’s VVT-i variable valve timing system makes the most of the smallish motor, and enables the ECHO to keep pace with other small cars. The four-speed automatic transmission is unusually refined for a small, inexpensive car; it’s smart enough to stay in a lower gear when it senses that the car is climbing a hill, and doesn’t jump awkwardly from gear to gear.
The high seating position, sharp turning circle and stadium-screen-sized windshield make it easy to take advantage of the little Toyota’s maneuverability. Squeezing into parking spaces and narrow holes in traffic is a breeze. The ECHO enjoys the congestion of the city more than the freeway. On the downside, the car’s light weight and high profile make it somewhat prone to crosswinds, like a minivan. Strong gusts across the freeway make the ECHO nervous, and prone to wandering. When the wind isn’t bothering it, the littlest Toyota’s handling is decent. It’s not a closet racer like the Ford Focus, and feels a little top-heavy in hard corners.
The ECHO is very, very well screwed together. Along with some much-appreciated personality, Toyota has infused the ECHO with the solid, quality feeling usually associated with larger cars like the Camry or Avalon. On the safety front, dual airbags and upper interior impact protection are standard. ABS and daytime running lights are available, as well.
The ECHO is offered in two- and four-door models, and only one trim level. Standard equipment includes wheel covers, a tilt wheel, and an underseat storage tray. Air conditioning, power locks, CD/cassette, a 60/40 folding rear seat, and ABS are on the options list. It may not be loaded down with standard equipment, but the ECHO’s base price of around $11,000 makes up for it. Our test car featured two upgrade packages which included the air conditioning, CD, remote mirrors, and a sport body kit, and it stickered for $14,165. For such a stylish piece of basic transportation, that’s low enough to make the Toyota ECHO worth a look.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2000 Toyota ECHO, which we tested.
Length: 163.3 in.
Width: 65.4 in.
Height: 59.1 in
Wheelbase: 93.4 in.
Curb weight: 2080 lbs
Cargo space: 13.6 cu. ft.
Base price:
Price as tested: $14,165
Engine: 1.5 liter, twin cam DOHC 16-valve 4 cylinder
Drivetrain: four-speed automatic, front wheel drive
Horsepower: 108 @ 6000 rpm
Torque: 105 ft/lb @ 4200 rpm
Fuel capacity: 11.9 gal
Est. mileage: 31/38
6/2009 update: ECHOs are durable and reliable, almost unkillable little beasties like their predecessor, the Tercel. That also means that they command high-ish prices in the used car market, for the amount of car you’re getting, however. That said, the little bastards will run forever and won’t burn a lot of gas while doing it, and that’s a pretty compelling argument.
2001 Toyota Prius
01065 days
Listen, we’ve all got to get serious about doing our part for the environment. That means driving more fuel-efficient cars, and that’s going to mean making some sacrifices. Take the 2001 Toyota Prius hybrid. Aren’t clean air and conserved resources important enough to take the plunge and put up with a high-mileage, amazingly spacious small sedan whose operation is identical to that of a conventional car, despite its breakthrough dual powertrain? Yes, yes, we know, it’s a chilling prospect.
Okay, enough sarcasm. Fact is, the most amazing thing about the Prius is that it’s so ordinary. It’s true, Honda’s Insight beat the Prius in the first-hybrid-for-US-sale sweepstakes, but the Prius improves on the Insight in so many ways that maybe it’s not such a bad thing to be number two. Apart from their ultra-economical powertrains, the Insight and Prius have little in common. The Honda is a sporty, two-seat hatchback available only with a manual transmission; the Prius is a compact four-door sedan. More importantly, while the Insight seems to have been designed to compete with other futuristic electric cars, it’s obvious that Toyota was looking at the here and now when the Prius was designed. The Prius is a real car that just happens to have a futuristic, high-tech engine. And transmission. And braking system. And so on. How “real” is it? Over 35,000 have already been sold in Japan.
It doesn’t look too outlandish. The Prius shares its short-hood, short-deck, high-roofed bodystyle with Toyota’s Echo, although the cars are built on completely different platforms. That minivan-like nose and stubby tail mask the Prius’ size; it’s just about Camry-sized inside, thanks to a long wheelbase. In current Toyota fashion, the slab-sided Prius is accented with creases and character lines that don’t quite mask its height. The 14″ wheels look tiny under that thick body. The small spoiler on the trunklid has an amusing story, too; originally intended to be an optional accessory, Toyota’s engineers discovered that it increased fuel mileage slightly and decreed that it become standard equipment!
The slightly-futuristic look continues inside. Most notable are the sacrifices to ultra-efficiency that you don’t have to make–the Prius has comfortable seats, a quiet ride, a roomy back seat, a full complement of accessories, and it feels solid and stable. Like the Echo, the digital instrument panel is in the center of the dash. A vertical, dash-mounted shifter will take some getting used to for anyone who never owned a Toyota Previa minivan, and when the Prius is in gear the innovative shifter blocks the radio controls. Chances are most drivers won’t notice, though, because there’s a touch screen just below the speedometer that monitors the Toyota Hybrid System’s activity. Watching the arrows flash from red to green indicating the flow of power from gas motor to wheels to electric motor to battery and back again is downright mesmerizing.
At the heart of the hybrid system are its two powerplants, a 1.5 liter, 70-hp gas engine and a 44-horsepower permanent magnet electric motor. The electric motor can be powered by the nickel-metal hydride batteries (akin to cellphone batteries, only much larger) or by a generator whose power source is the gas engine. The Prius relies primarily on electric power, so the gas engine shuts off when it’s not needed. Running the air conditioning and freeway travel tend to keep the gas motor churning away, which is why the Prius’ city fuel mileage tends to be better than its freeway mileage. Even if it’s running all the time, the little four-cylinder is marvelously efficient; it’s limited to only 4500 rpm, which is unusually low for a four-cylinder. Toyota’s Variable Valve Timing with Intelligence (VVT-i) improves power output and efficiency for the little engine. With the extremely torquey electric motor to back it up, the Prius doesn’t tremble at the sight of a freeway on-ramp or a long grade.
Transferring the power from various sources to the road is a continuously variable transmission (CVT), Toyota’s first. The CVT is electrically controlled, and manages power output from the various sources. The result is smooth, unbroken acceleration (and some relearning required so Prius novices don’t panic when the motor occasionally revs as if the clutch has slipped)
The technology parade isn’t over yet. For the unwary, stepping on the brake pedal in the Prius will result in a neck-snapping stop ten feet short of the traffic light. It’s like being in Driver’s Ed all over again. The Prius does a lot of deceleration without even using the brakes, because whenever the car is coasting or braking, the motor becomes a generator and recharges the battery pack. (It also saves wear on the brake pads!) The result is a brake feel that takes some getting used to–the Prius gives a lot of braking for very little pedal pressure. ABS is standard equipment.
For a small, narrow car, the Prius handles well. It’s a bit stiffer than other small cars, but it isn’t tippy thanks to 38 battery pack modules weighing a total of 110 pounds mounted low in the chassis, keeping the center of gravity way down. We wouldn’t advise autocrossing one, but there’s no worry of the Prius turning turtle during quick lane changes. The Prius’ suspension is the same MacPherson strut front/beam axle rear setup used in the Echo, although the pieces are somewhat larger. High-efficiency tires provide a ride that’s a little bit firmer than one might expect.
Because hybrids are such a small niche–for now–the Prius is a one-price car, with options limited to floormats and an in-dash CD player. Astute observers will notice that the Prius has controls for a satellite navigation system already installed in the dash. It’s not available yet, but Toyota clearly has plans in that direction. An MSRP of $20,480 is comparable to the Honda Insight, which is currently the only other hybrid for sale in the US. The Prius’ real-car usefulness may make it a better value for many buyers (although it lacks the Insight’s gee-whiz-look-how-green-I-am styling). And yes, $20,000 will buy plenty of other cars, but you won’t be saving the planet with any of them.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2001 Toyota Prius, which we tested.
Length: 169.6 inches
Width: 66.7 inches
Height: 57.6 inches
Wheelbase: 100.6 inches
Curb weight: 2765 lb
Cargo space: 11.8 cu.ft.
Base price: $20,480
Price as tested: $20,548
Engine: (gas) 1.5 liter 16-valve DOHC inline four-cylinder (electric) permanent magnet, 274-volt motor with sealed nickel-metal hydride battery
Drivetrain: electronically controlled continuously variable transmission
Horsepower: (gas) 70 @ 4500 rpm (electric) 44 @ 1040-5600 rpm
Torque: (gas) 82 @ 4200 rpm (electric) 258 @ 0-400 rpm
Est. mileage: 52/45
6/2009 update: The Prius was the start of something big. Whether it’s really going to save the planet or not is up for discussion, but the cars themselves have definitely attracted a following, and those that pop up in the used-car market seem to be well cared-for. Toyota remains confident about the longevity of the hybrid system, as well. And yes, the second-generation Prius looks better, if you ask me.
2000 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T
01065 days
It’s an old, old problem. You love to drive, but your significant other is more interested in a practical car than a hard-core sports machine, and the cars like BMWs and Mercedes, that are attractive to both gearheads and pragmatists are way out of reach. Many car nuts have found themselves driving minivans for lack of an affordable alternative. It’s depressing.
The 2000 Volkswagen Jetta just may be the answer to this age-old conflict. Sure, it’s a staid-looking, very practical four-door sedan. But inside it’s got creamy nougat, in the form a basic structure that’s shared with serious speedsters like the Volkswagen GTI and Audi TT. It’s so eager to be on the road that it might you up in the morning with its keys dangling from its grille, like a restless dog wanting a walk. Car-guy material, indeed. To please the economy-minded buyers, the Jetta is available with a fuel-sipping 90-horsepower turbodiesel. For the serious road warriors, there’s a torquey 174-hp V6. And new for this year, as a perfect compromise, is a 150-hp turbocharged four-cylinder, which we drove.
The non-car person will notice that the Jetta has a very conservative look. It won’t blend completely into the crowd, thanks to big Volkswagen logos front and rear and a slightly hunchbacked look. All of the shutlines and seams are very precisely sculpted, as if they’d been drawn on. Square headlight units house the headlamps as well as projector-style foglamps and turn signals. It has a more squared-off look than the Volkswagen Golf whose architecture it shares. In photographs the Jetta resembles a Chrysler Cirrus, but in the metal it’s got a completely different look. The car person will notice the Jetta’s wheels-to-the-outside, poised stance. The 15″ “Avus” wheels are a nice, sporty five-spoke design that shows off the brakes. And up top, the center-mounted antenna is a Volkswagen hallmark.
Inside, passengers are treated to chairlike, upright seats that don’t feel like car seats unless you’ve spent a lot of time in a Volvo, Saab, or another Volkswagen. To unfamiliar bodies they feel unusual at first, but their forte is long-term comfort. After sitting in them for several hours without fatigue, you’ll understand what we mean. The machined precision of the exterior filters inside the car as well; the buttons and switches on the dash are flush-mounted so closely and carefully together that they look like decals. It looks good, despite the fact that Jetta’s interior is a foreboding black monochrome, broken up only by a chrome plate around the shifter gate which unfortunately reflects the sun midday. At night, things are livened up a little as the white-on-black instrument panel is backlit in a unique, brilliant blue with red needles. The impression of carefull, close-fitted quality is spoiled a little by the slide-out cupholder in the dash, which is somewhat flimsy. The smallish buttons on the optional Monsoon sound system take some getting used to, but it’s a decent system in the end. As a concession to active lifestyles, there’s a power outlet in the trunk.
Now, for the hard part; getting the non-car person and the car nut to agree on the driving experience. No problem for the Jetta; it is very much a feel-good car. That feeling of solidity is present in a smooth, quiet drive that makes the Jetta feel like a larger, more expensive car and makes the non-car person happy. At the same time, plenty of power and a predictable, forgiving suspension will appeal to the car person. The new, 150-hp turbocharged engine gives the Jetta a frisky, eager feeling. It’s not the fastest four-door available for less than $30,000, but it enjoys life a great deal, whether you’re carving up mountain roads or running over to a friend’s house. The Jetta attacks the most mundane driving tasks with an eagerness normally found only in sports cars.
A big part of that eagerness can be chalked up to the suspension. Volkswagen has been using the independent front suspension and beam rear axle for a long time now, and they’ve got it down to a science. Positive caster has been dialed into the front end to improve stability, and the car’s got quick reflexes thanks to the Audi’s in the gene pool. When it’s not being driven like an autocross car, the Jetta is easy to maneuver and lacks the hesitant, uncertain feeling frequently noticeable in cars with flabbier suspension setups. Anti-Slip Regulation (ASR) and an Electronic Differential Lock (EDL) work together as a full-time traction control system for the Jetta. It was never triggered during the Jetta’s stay with us.
The Jetta’s sporting nature is its primary edge against competitors such as the Nissan Altima and Ford Contour, and you have to pay a little more for that. But the Jetta isn’t an overly expensive car. ABS, cruise control, Volkswagen’s super-convenient one-touch up and down windows, and side airbags are all standard. The turbocharged engine is standard on the Jetta GLS, which starts at $19,200. Our test vehicle featured the Monsoon sound system, automatic transmission, heated seats, and a leather interior. It stickered for $22,300.
So car folk, take heart. You don’t have to give in completely to the practical pressures of the real world, just because you have to share cars with someone who doesn’t like them. Not completely, anyhow.
Specifications:
All specs are for the 2000 Volkswagen Jetta 1.8T, which we tested.
Length: 172.3 in.
Width: 68.3 in.
Height: 56.9 in.
Wheelbase: 98.9 in.
Curb weight: 2975 lb (automatic), 2922 lb (manual)
Cargo space: 13.0 cu.ft.
Base price: $19,200
Price as tested: $22,320
Engine: 1.8 liter turbocharged I4
Drivetrain: four-speed automatic, front wheel drive
Horsepower: 150 @ 5700 rpm
Torque: 155 @ 1750-4200 rpm
Fuel capacity: 14.5
Est. mileage: 22/28
6/2009 update: Jettas still look nice, though VWs of this vintage have a reputation for getting unreliable after a few years. They’re not that difficult to find though, so perhaps some of those concerns have been addressed.