So if you follow the
Efficient, cheap beaters! Used car ads thread, you know I just picked up this cheap 2004 Toyota Echo. It's going to be next winter's beater car.
And it's the base model. Base, base, BASE!
How base? When I showed it to my dad he chuckled and said, "that's pretty...
fundamental." Fundamental as in: no options. No A/C or power steering. It's pretty close to
1998 Firefly base.
It immediately reminded me of the Firefly for its lack of amenities. And then it made
me chuckle when I started noting the differences between them.
Things neither car has:
(Things that I bet most car shoppers today would not be OK without...)
- power steering (this surprised me in the Echo... in 2004??)
- air conditioning
- cruise control
- tachometer
- remote hatch release
Things the Echo has that the Firefly doesn't:
- ABS!
- tilt steering!
- dual (A & B) resettable trip odometers (Firefly: none)
- split/folding rear seat (Firefly: folds, but full width)
- cargo cover
- interior-adjustable (manual) side mirrors (Firefly: roll down the window to adjust)
- map lights!
- rear cargo light!
- switches on BOTH doors to turn on the dome light! (Firefly: only on driver's door)
- stowage cubbies galore!
- exterior/lockable hatchback "latch/button"! (Firefly: hatch access requires the key)
- audio (Firefly: came with nothing)
- power! (Over twice the Firefly's HP)
Things the Firefly has that the Echo doesn't
- temperature gauge
- top of class fuel economy (at the time)
Key specs:
- Engine: Echo: 1.5L, DOHC 16v, variable valve timing, 108 hp / 105 ft-lbs
- Firefly: 1.0L, SOHC, 6v, ~50 hp (XFi cam) / 58 ft-lbs
- Curb weight: Echo: 928 kg / 2046 lbs
- Firefly: 813 kg / 1792 lbs
EPA ratings:
- Echo: 30/38/33 (for the sedan 5-speed)
- Firefly: 36/44/40
Driving the Echo reminds me a lot of
the base "$9998" 2015 Nissan Micra I got to test drive last year. Similar bare bones mission and power to weight ratio. (Although the 2004 Echo stickered at
$14k twelve years ago.)
From:
Review notes: 2015 Micra S 5-speed extended test-drive - Darin's thoughts - Micra-Forum.com