|
Toyota Echo economy car expands inside with a tall structure
Bob Plunkett
Date Posted: 5/10/2005
|
MEMPHIS, Tenn. -- Crossing the Mississippi River at Memphis, we're rolling toward Tennessee on the I-40 slab in a miniscule vehicle which doesn't seem large enough to transport travelers in comfort, much less provide adequate space for their luggage.
Yet the new Echo subcompact sedan by Toyota carries all and handles an interstate trek at a comfortable clip.
It carves out surprisingly spacious room for riders in the five-seat passenger compartment, accommodates all of the bags in a generous cargo bay, then delivers a kick in the throttle from a juicy little aluminum engine and somehow still manages to rack up high fuel economy figures, which extend more than forty miles down the road for every gallon of the regular-grade fuel consumed.
Echo also goes against the grain for ho-hum design of economy cars by dressing up with exterior styling that looks progressive, even daring.
Rather than the typical long, low and slinky shape of a conventional car, this one stands tall in the aerodynamic format of a vertical bubble on wheels which seems to tip forward due to the high tail and low nose united by an arched roofline inset with a boldly raked windshield.
Inside, the cabin floor dips low so you can step aboard easily, and the ceiling bows high to fit tall chair-like seats. Passengers in the two front buckets sit upright, with their heads positioned higher than normal for better visibility though an expansive wrap of windows.
Still, ample air space remains overhead, which diminishes the crammed and jammed atmosphere of the typical tiny car.
From all aspects, this one looks, feels and functions differently, but that's Toyota's big idea behind the Echo: Adopt a revolutionary approach to subcompact car design.
The result is downright impressive and clearly a step forward for the development of a small economy car.
As the subcompact replacement in Toyota's line for the aged Tercel sedan, the Echo morphs into a two-door coupe and four-door sedan aimed at a youthful market.
Such a market demands a cheap set of wheels, and Toyota delivers with price points skewed as low as $9,995 for a coupe and $10,295 for the sedan, plus $455 in delivery fees.
Despite the low-dollar figures, Echo is not a cheap car in tone, feel or function.
It looks snappy and feels substantial, behaves with precise movements and delivers more than adequate power.
To create this different kind of car, Toyota's car planners reversed the traditional design process. Instead of working up an external form before wringing out space for people within perimeters of the resultant structure, they began with the personal space and then worked outward layer by layer to the shell.
Ultimately, Echo's exterior form was determined by dimensions required for the passenger compartment.
That meant stretching the chassis and raising the roof.
Also, the floor depresses to gain even more vertical space inside, and doors measure deeper than normal for easy entry or exit, while front buckets have a high seat position to set up that erect posture for better outward visibility.
The structure produced around this space still adds up to a three-box scheme consisting of congruent cubes with a big one in the middle for riders rising above smaller ones in front and back for the engine and trunk.
Together it's a rigid form with front, lateral and rear bracing rigged to disperse impact energy from a collision.
On-board safety equipment includes dual frontal air bags and seatbelt pretensioners with force limiters, plus front seat frames with integrated headrests designed to lessen whiplash injury from a rear-end collision.
Optional safety gear includes anti-lock brake controls and daytime running lights.
Echo's chassis suspension is conventional, consisting of MacPherson struts and coil springs up front and torsion beams in back with toe-correcting geometry.
Steering by rack and pinion goes beyond the economy norm with a sub-frame mount to control noise and vibration.
Brakes utilize front ventilated discs and rear drums.
Echo's designers also adopted a different approach when selecting the powertrain. Rather than draw something out of Toyota's parts bin, they developed an entirely new engine constructed from light-weight aluminum and plastic composites, then equipped it with sophisticated combustion controls for the multi-valve system.
The in-line four, displacing 1.5 liters, has an aluminum alloy bloc and heads plus a plastic composite for the intake manifold, with dual cams on top and four valves for each cylinder.
Toyota's variable-valve timing technology goes to work here, balancing power output with high fuel economy. It reaches to 108 hp at 6000 rpm, with 105 lb-ft of torque at 4200 rpm.
Fuel economy averages 37 mpg, and the federal EPA has certified the Echo as a low-emission vehicle (LEV).
A manual five-speed transmission works well with the plant, but an automatic with four forward gears and electronic controls is available for $800.
Echo's cabin with front buckets and rear bench seating provides a number of storage bins scattered about as door pouches, seatback pockets and console bins, with dashboard cubbyholes near the control panel of the audio system for cassette tapes and compact discs.
The standard audio kit includes an AM/FM stereo receiver with six speakers and cassette deck. A compact disc player may be added but requires a package of other equipment such as power steering, intermittent windshield wipers, remote controls for dual exterior mirrors, a digital clock and 60/40 split to the rear folding seatback.
Basic equipment ranges from a tilting steering wheel to front buckets with four-way adjustments, fabric covering on seats and 14-inch wheels with wheel covers.
Echo's instrument cluster mounts not in the usual spot in front of the steering wheel but high on the center dash. The driver must adapt to this new position, requiring a sideways glance rather than a nod of the head.
Power door locks and air conditioning show up on the list of options, along with a sports kit consisting of ground effects like rocker panels, over-fenders and various body cladding, plus a rear spoiler for the lip of the trunk.
|
| Vehicle Specifications: |
| 2000 TOYOTA ECHO Specs |
| Description: |
Subcompact coupe, sedan
|
| Model Options: |
Subcompact coupe, sedan
|
| Wheelbase: |
93.4 inches
|
| Overall Length: |
163.3 inches
|
| Engine Size: |
DOHC 1.5-L I4
|
| Transmission: |
Manual/5, Auto/4
|
| Drive: |
Front
|
| Braking: |
Disc/drum/ABS opt.
|
| Airbags: |
2 (front)
|
| Gas Mileage: |
M/5: 34/41 mpg
A/4: 31/38 mpg
|
| Price: |
$ 10,000 to $ 14,000 |
|
|
