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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  Nothing but problems - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By laura alvarez - March 2 - 6:03 pm

  Problems with vcs, trac, abs lights coming on and medal grinding noise when making a right turn, it has been taken in several times to the Toyota dealership and they cant figure it out, read all the reviews about this problem and decided not worth the hassle and felt very unsafe driving it, returned it for another vehicle, 2006 gmc Yukon what a shame for being a Toyota; had a Chevy 2003 suburban for 6 years 120,000 miles, not one problem other than fuel pump, should have kept it!

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  Warning for Future Buyers - 2002 Toyota Sienna
  By WeileMom - March 1 - 2:00 am

  Overall Ive loved our Sienna XLE. We traded in a 2000 LE that had oil gelling and planned to keep the XLE for 10 years. However, we have many complaints, the largest being squeaky breaks-a known Sienna problem since 2001. The breaks dont just squeak- they SCREAM! I would love to hear from other people with the same problem because Toyota says they can do absolutely nothing. The mechanics at Toyota told me to brake harder!! Also, the paint is bad and chips easily; the carpet colors are too light and show dirt; we have had a couple of warrantied things replaced. My husband is 65" and his knees touch the dashboard on the passenger side.

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  Reliability? - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By erieguy - February 27 - 7:45 am

  I have been leasing a 2012 Camry XLE with heated leather seats since last May. I never thought the heating worked well on the heated seats, and learned today that the drivers side only warms up to low after an extended time and the passenger side seat does not work at all even though its light indicator is on. So much for reliability. I drove the immediately previous model and after about a year its radio went haywire and had to be replaced. The car is very overrated in my book and will not buy at lease end.

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  Not for highway cruising - 2004 Toyota Prius
  By road warrior - February 26 - 10:00 am

  The Prius is an excellent choice if you do mostly city driving. It averages 46 miles per gallon. The car is surprisingly spacious and controls are convenient and easy to use. Build quality is high. However, the car is not a good highway cruiser. At speeds over 60 miles per hour especially in windy and wet conditions, the car has a very unsteady feel. The power is ok but the handling felt very "slippery" and thats on pavement that was merely wet.

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  Transmission & Tire Pressure Sensors - 2007 Toyota Tacoma
  By Raymond8 - February 25 - 1:23 am

  My 4-dr, 6 cyl, 5.0 was great until I hit 30K miles. Started having "slipping" or transmission problems. Took it in for servicing & got the standard, "cannot recreate issue." Also, the Tire Pressure Sensor (TPS) system light comes on for no apparent reason, tire pressure is OK - 3rd time this has happened in 1.5 years. VERY disappointed in Toyota... was hoping to have this truck for 8+ years. Probably going to sell ASAP.

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  2016 Highlander falls short of expectations - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Scott Ahern - February 24 - 2:50 am

  Vehicle feels heavy when accelerating. No HID or rear LED lights available :( Entune System is horrible! Toyota should offer Android Auto & Apple Carplay. it is 2016 you know. Navigation is not always accurate, does a poor job of finding alternate routes. Have to use portable Tomtom GPS for long trips. I would not buy again.

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  Love it, except for two things - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Ryan - February 21 - 12:16 pm

  Let me start with the positives - I love the look and feel of this truck. its fun to drive and the off road version has some really cool features. So far, in the snow its been fantastic. The ride is comfortable and isnt overly noisy, but you still get to hear a good engine growl when you get on the gas. As for the negatives, there are a few. First, the Entune entertainment system is just awful. Its not the hardware - the hardware seems to work well (CD player, navigation system, etc.) Its the interface between your phone and the hardware. It never works as its supposed to. I get nonstop error messages about how my system cannot communicate with my phone, even though I have my phone connected with the lightning cable directly into the USB port and have their Entune app running on my phone. Controlling Pandora is an exercise in futility and recently, I tried to just listen to a few albums stored on my phone which was a total failure. I dont know who designed the app, but its awful and really an embarrassment. With the technology thats going into apps and in-car entertainment these days, this is about the worst design imaginable. I pray they come out with a software update soon, because its intolerable from a guy who loves Pandora, Apple Music and the music stored on my 128GB phone. Secondly, while I read that the transmission in this vehicle is designed to operate this way, I find it to be very jerky and slow to switch from Reverse to Drive. Coasting to a stoplight usually results in pretty abrupt downshifts and it seems like the vehicle is constantly shifting, sometimes unnecessarily. Also, for fuel economy, it seems that its always 1 gear too low. Ill be driving along at 45mph, and need to step on the gas to pass someone. Ill go to do so and without stomping it to downshift, theres very little power there. Again, Im sure this is for fuel economy, but its slightly unpleasant. Finally, when Im backing up and go to switch to drive, theres often a 3-4 second lag before the gear catches. Its not the end of the world, but its something of note. All in all, I like the truck, but for a brand new vehicle at this price point, I expected a bit more. Toyota, please fix the Entune system.

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  Do not buy AWD. Run flat tire nightmare! - 2006 Toyota Sienna
  By William - February 4 - 8:13 pm

  The run flat tires on this vehicle wore out after 12,000 miles. Replacement tires were $300.00 each, which toyota did not have in stock. Forced to install regular tires.There is no spare tire for this vehicle and Toyota wants $700.00 to install a donut spare kit behind the third row seat,rendering it unfoldable.Toyota refuses to make good on this problem. The fwd has a spare tire mounted underneath.There is no room for it on the all wheel drive version.

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  Dissatisfied - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Jim - February 3 - 4:10 pm

  The ride is rough, and the wind noise is unbearable. I had the windshield and seal replaced, as per the dealer internal memo to solve that problem, but it made no change whatsoever. I am so dissatisfied, I am searching for another 2007 vehicle and am selling the Camry.

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  Not Perfect, But OK - 2010 Toyota Highlander
  By 1toresearch - February 1 - 2:16 am

  My wife and I bought this car as the Family vehicle. Luckily, we purchased an extended warranty when new. The Gold standard I have of a reliable vehicle is just gas it up and go. I also include regular service intervals at dealer. This Highlander is not that vehicle. Although mechanically it seems great the car has its flaws. Automatic tailgate does not work reliably. Ours has been replaced but the problem has returned. Check enthusiast web sites and you can see the problem well described. We have also used our extended warranty on AC water leak into cabin, replaced sensors and a headlight switch. The warranty has paid for itself. My wifes 1st toyota and she does not want another toyota.