It wasn't designed for looks. It was designed for comfort, convenience, safety and affordability. So it's tall. Way tall. Unheard-of tall for a subcompact. Like, taller than a Cadillac, which is much, much longer.

With one swift, upward stroke, Toyota designers have erased the biggest factor against owning a small car: that feeling that other vehicles could squash you like a bug. In the Echo, it no longer feels like everyone is bigger and faster than you. Now you look down at Cadillacs, as you get nearly 40 mpg on the highway.

You might also be passing them, propelled by your smooth, energetic, high-tech, 108-horsepower, politically correct LEV (Low-Emissions Vehicle) engine. That's assuming they don't have the gas pedal down.

While the roof is tall at 59.1 inches, the windshield takes a long time to reach the summit, making it expansive as well as rakish. There's a cool little radio antenna at the upper left corner, reclining as if blown by speed. The high rear deck allows for a relatively huge trunk with 13.6 cubic feet for cargo.

The optional sports body kit includes fender flares and rocker panels of truly funky flat gray plastic. We wonder if their absence might improve the aesthetics, but we'll probably never know because the kit is part of an option package that includes things most buyers will really want: power steering and a 60/40 split folding rear seat.

Even though this is the least expensive Toyota, it doesn't feel cheap. The hood slams shut with a solid sound, as do the doors and trunk.

Big slanted-eye headlights and a short hood comprise the Echo's cab-forward design. The narrow black grille connecting the lights doesn't complement them the way it might. Most of the opening for air to the engine is under the molded bumper. The 14-inch steel wheels with six wide spokes might also be snazzier.