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:

• 

  Piece of junk - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By jasinlee18 - April 14 - 10:00 am

  Everything on the interior is made of soft plastic and broke within have it for 4 months. Cd player skips and sticks and holds cds captive. Brakes went to nothing in 3 months clutch went after 15,000 miles. And they swear this car is worth 18,000 dollars (the S).

• 

  Get a honda - 2006 Toyota Sienna
  By Rick - April 6 - 7:16 am

  For a company trying to take over the big three, I am quite disappointed. The dealer experience was lousy first and foremost. I cant get more than 14 mpg avg. The seats are fine for a 15 minute test drive but really wear down on longer trips. My sedan from 1997 is much more comfortable. The trim under the driver window is starting to peel already. I wonder when the rest of the plastic will fall apart. The wood highlights are unattractive. Interior noise is greater than I remember from the test drive. The back seats are quite stiff to fold down. The package system that Toyota uses is strange and annoying. There is already a rattle in the right rear door.

• 

  Tacoma engine/tranny combo a joke - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Unhappy Tacoma owner - March 25 - 1:48 am

  My 2016 shifts up and down whenever it feels like it. Sometimes 2 gears at a time on a flat road with the cruise on and no wind. The 6 cylinder engine is a piece of crap teamed with a 6 speed tranny which the 5th and 6th gears not being used at speeds over 75. Had mine back to the shop 4 times and they said this is how they run. Well after owning 9 previous Tacomas that isnt how the older ones run. I hooked it up to my boat and it couldnt get out of 3rd gear with my boat behind it. I had to turn and unhook the boat and I drove right to my dealer and demanded my 2014 Tacoma back. The 2014 pulls the same small boat perfectly. Im 5 11" and my head hits the sunroof constantly and I would be worried if I hit a big bump while driving the 2016. Beware and give it a nice long test drive if your interested in buying a new Tacoma, they have a ton of engine/tranny problems. Just google 2016 Tacoma shifting problems and you can read 1000s of post about unhappy owners like myself. Oh yeah, mileage on 8 fill ups was 12.5 to 13.4, no kidding. I probably had a big lemon, but Toyota Corp. told me this is how they run so Ill leave it up to you to decide. Ive read enough posts to know theres MANY others just like me out there.

• 

  Extremely disappointed - engine problems - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By dat22 - March 20 - 8:16 pm

  We purchased a used 2003 toyota camry 16 months ago and have repeat problems with the engine/head bolts stripping out of the engine block. This is a know issue related to NHTSA Item Number : 10037592, Summary : TOYOTA: THERE MAY BE DAMAGED CYLINDER HEAD BOLTS THREADS. *RM, and specifically with engine 2AZ-FE. Dialership and Toyota executive level have not done anything to help. I will not buy another toyota.

• 

  Camry not that good - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By bvon - March 14 - 1:56 am

  After purchasing my 2007 Camry, which was a hassle because the salesman was pushy, I started having trouble with the transmission slipping! On top of that some interior trim pieces didnt match and one fell off! Im shocked. Toyota has this "supposed" impecable quality. I can now say that it is all rumors spread around. I did not buy this car based on looks. It is pretty weird looking, the big front bulg is horrid. I bought it for reliable driving, and I have to say it has failed. Im looking to trade it for another vehicle, and I heard that new Saturn Aura would be perfect, plus it looks are nice.

• 

  Worst 2015 Vehicle - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Frank Skelly - March 7 - 5:17 am

  My 2015 RAV4 is the 20th new car I have purchased and the worst one by far. The navigation screen is slanted so that for many hours in the morning, afternoon, and evening, it reflects sunlight directly into the drivers eyes blinding them. The center console arm rest moves forward when you brake and moves backward when you accelerate - I took it back to the dealer and they said it is working correctly - but I have never seen one move as freely as this one and I have probably driven over 100 autos with moveable console armrests. Also the armrest was leaking white grease down into the storage are below it and the dealer did nothing about it. I believe it was built with one or more of the stops that are supposed to be in the armrest to keep it from moving freely were left out during manufacture but the dealer - Fort Worth Toyota took no action to try to discover why it moves so freely. Also the speedometer reads about 4 mph high and when I took it back to Fort Worth Toyota, they overlaid a photo of a GPS speed over a laptop computer video of the speedometer and said it was accurate at 70 mph, but that is a bold faced lie. I have since talked to a number of other owners of RAV4s and they also have the inaccurate speedometers going all the way back to the 2008 RAV4. If the speedometer is reading high, it is probably also recording mileage driven as 4 miles high which probably helps them advertise that their vehicles get better gas mileage than the really do. The US justice department should look into this as this is another example of what Volkswagen did with their diesel engines. The width of the windshield supports on each side of the car and the way they are angled create very large blind spots making it hard to see coming vehicles when you are turning either right or left. The clock is angled up and is partially shielded from view by the navigation screen and is really small so it cant be seen most of the time. Also the display in the instrument panel where they show the temperature is extremely small and almost unusuable. To make a long story short, I will never buy another Toyota as this is the worst vehicle I have ever owned and I would encourage others to not buy Toyotas either as their maintenance department is terrible and will not attempt to try to fix problems with their cars.

• 

  Never Again - 1994 Toyota 4Runner
  By Richard Travis - January 24 - 10:00 am

  Dont buy one. Engine went and so did everything else on the vehicle. Very uncomfortable to ride. No acceleration. My worst buy ever.

• 

  Want my 2003 Acura TL back - 2014 Toyota Avalon
  By CL - January 18 - 6:34 am

  I am so glad I leased this Avalon because I cant wait to get rid of it. It has so many blind spots it is not safe to drive. Cant see the hood because the dashboard sits so high so cant judge where the front of the vehicle is. Front bumper sits too low. Road noise is deafening. With the crappy low profile tires that came on it the ride is very uncomfortable and you feel every bump! Navigation system has no way to just shut it off and no way for a passenger to program it while vehicle is in motion. Not user friendly at all. Sound system is inferior to my Bose system in my Acura. Seats were very uncomfortable on a long road trip and lack of lumbar support in passenger seat was disturbing. Only good thing is leg room in the back and the trunk is spacious but lacks a cargo net which I love in my Acura. With 175,000 miles my Acura rides better, is quieter and has better gas mileage than this Avalon. And to think the Avalon was my dream car turned nightmare!!!

• 

  2016 broke tacoma - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By broke tacoma - January 14 - 2:23 pm

  I picked up a new limited 12/31/15 drove it 62 miles and the check engine light came on took it to the dealer on 1/2/2016 and its still there 1/17/2016 .they are working with toyota to figure out the problem they cant seem to get the parts for repair. wish I had never bought the truck and would never buy one again

• 

  cracked windshield - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By SB - January 8 - 6:03 am

  We have owned our 2016 Toyota Tacoma for 2 months today, I parked truck in parking lot at work come out 3 hours later to go to lunch and my window was cracked shape of L, there was no sign of anything hitting it called the dealership Thomasville Toyota and they told me nothing they can do, to call our insurance company. Now I see I am not the first with this issue they need to recall and replace all windshields.