In dealing with some, not all, Xa/Xb owners I have been repeatedly knocked on for my car, an 04 Echo. Why is this? I know it wasn't the most popular version of this chassis, but I don't see the reason for the high and mightyness I get from a lot of Scion owners. I'm not accusing anyone, I just want some honest opinions.
Thanks

 

I drive an xA and don't have anything against Echos. I think that was the first car that I saw the center mounted gauges in and I liked that part cuz it was unique. Aren't the xas/xbs basically echos with different body styles? i live in the midwest where everyone and their freakin brother drives a huge pickup truck with a confederate flag in the rear glass. i think they all personally have something against small foreign vehicles that get good gas mileage, and they arent shy about showing it by spitting in the direction of my car, or riding my ___ when im already going above the speed limit. I wish I could identify them, but they are always wearing camo gear, so it is impossible (which is probably the point of always wearing camo gear).

 

Yes the Xa and Xb are just re-bodied Echos, which is part of the reason I don't understand a lot of the animosity I receive in person and on forums. You are totally right about living in a hillbilly rich area. Those people that run websites like anti-rice.com amongst others only perpetuate this attitude. Hillbillies don't like being reminded that their F-150 or Silverado are 90% made of foreign parts. Those people are best ignored when possible.

But it still doesn't answer my question. Why the stigma against the Echo?

 

The only reason I can think of is Scions are 'lifestyle cars" whatever that means and Echos were just subcompacts & not intended for the tuner crowd. Personally, I would rather my xA say Echo. I think that's a better name for a car. I appreciate the compliments on my car, Except tC because those are my real initials...
Haven't had to deal with 'patriots' except a buddy who does it just to give me crap...

 

not to be an ___.. i do accept some cars and others i dont.. an echo isnt a scion... even if it shares the same chassis and engine.. its built for a different reason and purpose.. no one wants to say it.. so they just ignore you..

 

Everyone thinks my car is a hybrid and I get more questions from the ladies than I did the classic benz I use to drive.

 

Do you think this still holds true to a heavily modified one like mine?

 

i do.. yours may be quicker then mine.. but its still an echo.. and eventually just a rebadged echo.. its still cool that it is heavily modified.. but its not a scion

 

a scion is just a brand name Toyota corporate established in order to import more vehicles. That is why Lexus exists. US government limits on how many models import brands can import. There is no such thing as Lexus or Scion in Japan, they are all Toyotas. I don't know why you think Scion or not makes a difference. I think they treat you that way just because the little name brand difference.

 

It looks like you have a nice looking/performing Echo , keep on maintaining - and get to that 300K mark

Stop worrying about what others think-say-feel about YOUR ride. Just enjoy the ride, and know deep down your consuming less gas then most other drivers out there- thats the bottom line at the end of the day.

 

i like the echo, it has 2 and 4 door options. and it has a body kit with fender flairs. both the xa and xb came from the success of the echo, so there is no need for animosity. and if you do the front end conversion, then more power to you.

 

I had an Echo,and sometimes wish I still did for the trunk space it had

 

There is no reason for anyone that is worth being called a human being should bad mouth your Echo...Without the base of the Echo, who knows what Scion would have been based on.....

 

Well, if not for the US Echo, the xA would probably still be built on the x platform, like the dozen other x-platforms Toyota sells worldwide. Parallel thought though, if the Echo wasn't so wildly unpopular, the Yaris probably wouldn't exist!

 

Not worrying, just wondering. My car should be out of the shop tomorrow. I will be sure to post pics and dyno sheet when ___ is said and done. This is stage one, 180hp. Stage 2 (next year ) will be internals and bottom end, possible 300+ hp.

 

You can still be jealous of the owners of the Japanese ist, with 48pmg 1.3L and all wheel drive, in the xA body style, but then aren't we all?

So much for the fuel economy anyway, not with that power output. 300 hp? 20 mpg hwy would be on the efficient end of the spectrum.

 

At that point, I don't think I am worried about it. If I go on long trips I would just switch the maps on the emanage and turn down the boost. At least thats the plan...

 

You're trying to add "sporty" to a car that didn't really start out with it. The Scions did start with it, even if it was more appearance than reality.

Maybe it's because you're trying to turn a cheap econo-sedan into a racecar. Think of the low end models of other car makers and how you perceive someone trying to make a racecar out of it Don't get me wrong, I used to drive an ECHO and liked it and it was a big influence on my getting an xB. Also, it was the cheapest car Toyota made at the time, not to mention funky shaped, but not in a good, Scion kinda way. People often confused it with the Prius, but it didn't have the hybrid "green" badge of honor even though its probably better on the environment in the long run. Toyota hardly even marketed tho ECHO so it kinda fell into an area of the unknown and never gained any respect.

I'm not hating on your car, I think its great. Just trying to give some possible answers to your questions.

 

Where I purchased this car, Germany, the Yaris (which had been out since 1999 there) was and is a very popular car, especially for the tuner crowd there. Actually a company called SSR specialized in supercharging the 1.3 and 1.5L models. So you can see a little bit to my confusion when I brought it here. The Germans thought it was cool because it was the sedan, as that is the one model they never received.

This all just seems to be the root of all modern sport compacts, from the Civic to the Neon to the Focus, not meant for it, but somebody wanted it. :D

 

Sometimes people just want what they can't get. My 2 favorite things about the ECHO:

1) being at CostCo and packing loads of stuff into the trunk while many midsized car owner's trunks were full and they had to overflow into the back seat.

2) the name. It was often the same exchange and I had fun with it:

"Is that one of those.........."

"No, its not a hybrid, it just uses gas."

"Oh, whats it called?"

"An ECHO"

"An ECHO?"

"An ECHO"