Overview & Reviews

Toyota is a Japanese brand whose refined, well-designed vehicles have earned it a great deal of popularity. Toyotas also have a superb record for reliability and durability, which goes a long way toward justifying their typically high purchase prices. For buyers who plan on owning their new vehicles for a long time, the Toyota marque is a very compelling choice.

The automaker's name is a variation of the surname of its founder, Kiichiro Toyoda. After years of research, Toyoda unveiled his first prototype, the A1, in 1935, marking the birth of the Toyota Motor Corporation. The '40s witnessed the launch of additional passenger cars and even a pickup. By the end of the decade, the automaker had produced more than 100,000 vehicles.

Toyota grew bigger in the '50s and expanded its roster with a slew of new small cars. The company also unveiled the utilitarian BJ truck; this vehicle was the precursor to the Land Cruiser. By the end of the decade, Toyota had commenced exports to the U.S. with the establishment of Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., Inc. The first Toyota to be sold on American shores was the Crown; it held the distinction of being the first Japanese car to be sold Stateside.

The '60s witnessed even more growth for the emerging juggernaut. Toyota introduced the Corolla, an immensely popular model that is still in production today. Vehicles like the home-market Publica, the 2000GT, Hiace and Miniace were also launched. The decade closed with Toyota reporting annual domestic sales of 1 million units; cumulative exports also reached 1 million.

Japanese-market cars like the Carina, Light Ace and Publica Starlet were launched during the 1970s. In the States, the Corolla grew in popularity and the Corona and Mk II models debuted as well. The successful Celica sports coupe was also rolled out and would remain in production for more than 30 years. Toyota's shadow had spread far beyond Japan by this point. The decade's oil crisis had made the manufacturer's compact, fuel-efficient models more popular than ever in the United States. By the time the '70s drew to a close, the automaker had exported more than 10 million vehicles.

Toyota expanded its presence in the U.S. market during the '80s, with the introduction of popular models like the 4Runner SUV and the MR2 sports car. The true high point of these years, though, was the birth of the Toyota Camry sedan. Originally known as the Celica Camry in Japan, the car went on to be a hit of phenomenal proportions, earning kudos as America's best-selling car of the year time and time again.

During the '90s, Toyota rolled out the Avalon full-size sedan and expanded its selection of SUVs with the compact RAV4. By the end of the decade, more than 100 million Toyota vehicles had been produced in Japan. The company also proved itself on the cutting edge of new technology with the rollout of the Prius, the world's first mass-produced hybrid. The car debuted in Japan in 1997; by 2001, the fuel-sipping sedan had made its way to American highways. Despite the presence of a growing number of competitors in its segment, the Prius continues to boast class-leading sales.

Toyota's current lineup is relatively extensive, including minivans, cars, trucks and SUVs. The brand remains extremely popular among savvy consumers who place a high value on quality and dependability.

User Reviews:

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  Disappointed - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Disappointed - July 5 - 3:53 pm

  My family has owned and used many Toyota’s prior to the 2015 Camry. We even have the 2014 Camry. After having the 2015 Camry for 5 years now, I must say I’m disappointed in this model. I’ve had the battery replaced about a year into owning my vehicle. With the replaced battery, my car still had a few moment when it has to jump started. Moving forward, the speakers and screen aren’t that great. My 2014 Camry had a larger screen with a clearer image as well. There is a vast difference between both cars when I use the back up camera at night. The volume has to be turned on tremendously in the 2015 Camry in order to get a decent sound going. Also, the paint has started rusting and chipping off of this car already, which is crazy since I’ve had other Toyota’s had more wear and tear but the exterior paint is still on. I’m highly disappointed in the 2015 model. I don’t know if Toyota was trying to rush, but the quality of the Camry model definitely went down. They focused more on the aesthetic, but neglected the aspects of the car that makes it a quality car.

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  Corolla rocks - 1994 Toyota Corolla
  By MyCorolla - November 16 - 2:00 am

  National car dealers hate Corolla and consumers like it. Corolla can easily last more than 15 years. So far we have only fixed Alternator and front brake rotors. Everything else still running. In fact, my corolla still very quite. I do oil change (syntetic) and clean fuel system on schedule. I am confident this car will last 200K.

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  disatisfaction - 2013 Toyota Corolla
  By mfbernier05 - November 8 - 1:09 pm

  I bought my car brand new back in April 2013. I paid for leather and heated seat. Since I bought to car everything I drive it I have chronicle back pain. the discomfort is behind description. It was the biggest mistake of my life. In addition, the dealer where I bought the car was in my opinion, the worst of all.

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  Toyota screwed up the Corolla this time - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By RegretfullyToyota - November 8 - 1:06 am

  I was Toyota loyal fan for so many years. This time, I hated it because I did not do a good research. 2010 Corolla oil filter, acceleration pedal, steering problem, and maintenance requirement light within only 5000 miles. It is very bad design on oil filter. Not to mention the recalls. Toyota really screwed up this time. I want my money back.

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  I bought two of these for taxis, beware people - 2016 Toyota Prius
  By Curtis Becker - November 7 - 8:04 pm

  I bought two of these a 2011 and 2012 and put them in to service as yellow cabs in San Diego. So for the two colors have gone through two hybrid batteries and three engines My total repair bills on the two cars of been $17,000 EachHybrid battery was around 3500 Each hybrid battery blew out at about 150000 to 190,000 miles Blew the head gasket at 200,000 miles Replace the heads then blew them out a month later regular driving nothing crazy I was in the car and the block cracked Replaced the engine with a junkyard engine and blew it out a month later Had to order any engine from Canada remanufactured but the real me almost $3000 and my taxi was out of service for almost a month because of that. The dealerships treated me like garbage and did not give me any leeway considering the fact that I had bought two of these cars All of my friends that own taxis in San Diego are blowing through the engines especially in the heavier V model at about 170 to 250,000 miles you can expect to blow through your engine and guaranteed youll blow through your hybrid battery before 200,000 miles. Keep in mind that even at a junkyard these engines are going to cost you about $1500 on the low-end because theyre in such short supply because of the engines blowing out The 1.8 L engine is too small for the weight of the heavy vehicle its not a light vehicle by the way. Steer clear of this core or dump it before you get to 150,000 and youll be OK also one thing to note I have been driving Taxis for 24 years 100 hours a week. The blind spots are terrible out of this car and its terrible backing it up in a parking lot. Also youll be slamming on the brakes a lot in traffic because youre sitting so low you cant see whats going on in front of you its a very very dangerous car please do not buy one of these spare yourself the agony that I have gone through

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  Longitivity on parts - Brakes - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By cirandousti - October 21 - 2:54 am

  I purchased a 2010 new model less that 2 years ago. Now at only 32,200 miles the brakes are gone on my car. When I called the dealership I was was informed that some New vehicles are being sold with brake live span of 15,000. This is seriously the reason Toyota is having horrid experiences with this vehicles and after the recall incident you would think that they would sell more "reliable" parts on their vehicles. I am so mad that I have dish out $$ on a 32,2000 mile car, that I will be seeking to trade this vehicle, recommend to ALL those who listen to NEVER purchase a Toyota vehicle. I regret ever purchasing a Toyota and will NEVER purchase another.

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  worst experience with Toyota Customer Service - 2014 Toyota Corolla
  By Gaurav - September 30 - 12:28 am

  I have been a Toyota owner for the last five years. My family has owned multiple Toyota cars in the past years, hence, the reason why my family decided to purchase a Toyota vehicle. Since the ownership of my Toyota Corolla, which was bought brand new, I have had multiple issues with the vehicle, i.e., temperature gauge had gone bad two-years after purchasing the vehicle, drivers window stuck in down position, and the vehicle began to shake vigorously at around 40,000 miles and then again at 78,000 miles (when my children under the age of 5 were present during both incidents). I have been getting the vehicle serviced and maintained on time from a Toyota authorized service dealership. I have been completely unsatisfied with the level of care and commitment Toyota has provided. For a company that strives on "innovation, quality and reliability," Toyota has failedto comply with their standards and level of concern. I had registered a complaint with the Toyota Customer Experience Center, who disregard my complaint and faulted me atthe vehicle’s condition. The Executives that I had dealt with repeatedly continued to say that the engine failing is not Toyotas problem, even though I am able to prove that my maintenance was done on a timely basis. The Customer Care team members are rude and beyond help, with no sense of professionalism or mannerism. I have an $8,000.00 expense at the cost of Toyota’s faults and oversight. I am appalled to learn that Toyota knew about such faulty engines and issues but chose not take any action to fix such vehicles, given the fact they claim they have the most reliable cars – I think that is an understatement. Now, I will think twice before going back to a Toyota and never recommend anyone to purchase a vehicle from Toyota until they are able to accept responsibly and value their vehicles and customers.

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  Worst decision Ive ever made in my life - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By F - September 20 - 7:17 am

  The wind noise from passenger side window in the this car is overwhelming at anything over 30 mph. When I took it into my dealership (Clearwater Toyota in Florida), their Service Advisors advice to me was to "play heavy metal music at loud volumes" to drown out the noise. Nice. This was my first (and will be my VERY LAST) Toyota purchase. Complete garbage. Will be selling this piece of junk at my earliest convience. Avoid this car like the plague, especially at Clearwater Toyota in Clearwater, FL.

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  Vibrations, Howls, Squeaks, Failed Rear Diff - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By SAS99 - August 28 - 3:42 pm

  Transmission and Engine combo feels very weak. It shifts erratically. It will downshift when coasting through the neighborhood at random. It will not hold 6th gear with even the slightest hill or head wind. The transmission will shift flare from 2nd to 3rd gear often when cold. The transmission also has a slipping sensation from time to time. The engine feels weak with this transmission. You have to floor it to get power out of it. The fuel economy is about the same as previous generation Tacomas at about 18.9 MPG....really not a major improvement when considering the step down in performance with this new trans and motor. The rear leaf springs squeak like crazy at only 10,000 miles and have been to the dealer three times for it. I also have a case with Toyota Corporate they are saying there is no fix for it and to live with it. It is embarrassing to drive through a parking lot and people look at your brand new nearly $40K truck because it squeaks like a rusty box-spring mattress. There is a noticeable vibration at highway speeds felt in the Steering wheel and in the gas pedal, if you let off the gas it goes away but if you apply gas it vibrates/buzzes. It is very annoying and almost makes my hands numb while driving. The rumor is that this is a Design oversight/glitch that Toyota dropped the ball on. I drove another brand new 2016 Tacoma and it exhibited the same traits. Finally the rear differential was making a howling noise at 50 to 60 mph if you are feathering the throttle or lightly applying throttle on a downhill stretch of freeway. I took it to the dealer and they said it was not normal so they kept my truck for 3 days and replaced the entire rear differential already, with less than 12K miles on it. I couldnt believe it. Now not even 300 miles later I hear the noise coming back again in the rear differential. I would have a hard time recommending the 2016 Tacoma to anyone. It seems like Toyota Quality Assurance has really dropped the ball and Corporate is slow to release any information or resolutions for these issues. Driveline vibration has been an issues for years past on previous generation Tacomas as well so this is very troubling.

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  I Walked Away from This Thing - Fast - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By MRamirez - August 26 - 9:47 am

  I’ve owned several Tacoma trucks, including my current 2010, which I love. I discovered the new 2016 during a dealer for service department. I wasn’t too interested in upgrading before, but I took a very quick test drive and thought I was sold. I liked the interior and exterior re-design. So I ordered a Limited and waited several months for it. But I began doing my homework and reading reviews, which raised a few flags. Regardless, the truck came in at the end of January and I was excited. I asked the dealer to let me take it on an extended test drive before I took delivery. I had it for over an hour on city and highway speeds. That test drive changed everything and confirmed many of the reviews. The engine was very under-powered. It worked too hard on the highway, the transmission shifting was awful, and the engine was very coarse and loud. The brakes pulsated, like the ABS was engaging, with normal light braking. And there was this strong, high-frequency buzz that transmitted through the steering wheel, pedals, and seats at highway speeds and certain acceleration points on side roads. I could even hear the buzzing vibration rattle the interior components. That was the killer for me. I thought perhaps these were isolated problems on that truck. So the dealership let me take another Limited out for a spin. Same problems on that one! The dealership’s explanation? “Sounds like they all do it, so it must be a normal. Plus, we’re selling them like hotcakes so it must not bother everyone.” Very well, but they bother me. I walked away from the deal and got my deposit back. I was very disappointed but glad I didn’t spend the $38K on that. My 2010’s engine is more refined and owns the highway with its power. No issues with shifting, excessive engine noise, or uncomfortable vibrations. I will hang on to my 2010 for another year or so and hope Toyota gets it right in a few years.