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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  The lIttle Prius that Could - 2001 Toyota Prius
  By MikeyA - September 4 - 3:56 am

  My wife and I bought our 2001 Prius in December of 2009 knowing we were buying a car with 90K miles on it. It now has 130K on and it running great with few problems at all. Its far more reliable and cheaper to repair than the BMW we sold to buy it. Of course the quality of the plastics inside the car leave a lot to be desired, I guess you cant expect too much for the price of these cars. The hybrid part is really great but I hope theyve improved "kicking" the engine does when it turns on at a stop. Its very abrupt.

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  Third Camry is not the charm - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By ecrinker - August 31 - 5:22 pm

  Ive been driving a Camry for 24 years - an 87 and a 2000. I drove them for close to 200k miles each with no complaints. 5 months ago I bought the 2011 with no hesitation. Loved the exterior, and the interior was familiar - it felt right. After driving it for 2 days, I began to notice the ride was bumpy and the car didnt hug the road. It was hard to control on curves. I joked it was a bucket of bolts and thats how it felt. The doors seem lightweight and the passenger door has no stop. It opens fully and very wide, into other cars. Theres clunking when you go from braking to accelerating on freeway. The gas pedal seems to pulse. Cruise control varies by 10mph. This is not my Camry.

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  1997 Toyota Rav4 (auto 2.0l 4dr) - 1997 Toyota RAV4
  By panowak2 - August 28 - 8:22 pm

  I owned this 6yr. old / 57000mi. Rav4 for 5 years, used it for USPS duty for 2 years. It had decent engine performance, but got worse in higher gears. Overall seating package was not very good, with awkward rear access coupled with poor thigh support made it uncomfortable for taller peoples. Gas mileage was fairly poor at about 22 mpg. overall; never got above 24 mpg. Traction on ice and snow was bad as can be for 4wd. Rear trunk room was good, as was overall reliability and materials quality. Engine and transmission usually were flawless. Almost no body rust at 11 yrs. old. Tire wear was a bit excessive over time, and getting tires for it was very expensive.

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  Brake problem - 2005 Toyota RAV4
  By RICE - August 27 - 1:23 am

  My wife bought rav4 2005 from maplewood brach and it has a sever problem of brake during snow and cold weather. It slides on very little snow. Even if you are driving low and try to stop it skids. It doesnt stop immediately as you step on the break. It keeps going with a sound gggggg struggling to stop. So my wife is not happy to drive during snow time.

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  was good until after a year - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By kevin1001 - August 26 - 1:51 pm

  i had the car for a year with 80,000 mile on it and everything was excellent for the first year. after the year past, my mpg just tanked on me and i was only getting 12 mpg. it got loud when i am driving on the highway, the rear speakers had static sounds. the brakes just sucked with the crappy ABS in it. then i got into my accident. the passenger seat belt didnt lock when my passenger side got hit, the airbag blew. then when they went back the seat belt lock. good car, but not good in accidents.

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  Reliablility... little else - 2010 Toyota 4Runner
  By pjcrage - August 19 - 8:57 pm

  Toyota=Reliability in my experience and that is why I bought this truck. Now after 16 months and 45k here is the verdict.... Reliable..so far no major issues Comfort - little Performance - well underpowered but gets from point A to B Styling - beautiy is in the eye of the beholder..its ok for me Build quality - tinny construction, lotsa squeaks Fun to drive - Toyota? no, just FUNctional to drive Overall value - ok to me since it seems to be accomplishing the objective i set out to achieve - reliability

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  OK Car, BAD Doors, AWFUL Tires - 2011 Toyota Sienna
  By pseca - August 17 - 4:32 pm

  Pay very special attention to the plastic coated steel wire that is part of power sliding door mechanism. You can find this wire in the groove/track under the rear windows. The plastic coating of this wire on my van dried up and cracked, exposing the steel wire. When this happens, the door will be hard to open. When the steel is completely exposed, eventually the cable can snap. It happened to me and my doors (yes, both sliding doors) are only in manual mode now. I was told that it would cost $2000/door to fix. The front doors have welding issues. When they are opened and closed, they make a LOUD "snapping" noise. This model came with runflat tires. They are expensive to replace.

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  THE CAR THAT DOES NOT DRIVE - 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder
  By LALA - August 13 - 10:00 am

  I HAVE HAD THE SPYDER FOR ABOUT 9 MONTHS AND HAVE HAD NOTHING BUT PROBLEMS. I HAVE THE SEQUENTIAL SHIFT AND HAVE HAD MAJOR TRANSMISSION ISSUES.

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  Switched from Accord - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By bill McDougal - August 12 - 5:10 pm

  The reviews on Edmunds are accurate. Excellent performance. Poor visibility to the rear. Horrible seats. Sincerely wish Accord had not gone to Variable Cylinder Management. Thats the only reason I went to Camry. A big mistake.

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  Mixed bag - 2006 Toyota Corolla
  By N - August 8 - 3:13 pm

  Got the used car in 2008. High resale value bites both ways, doesnt lose much value when selling, but aint getting as much as competitor cars when buying. Decent build quality, but some haphazard metalwork and greasing present, probably clogged doors drain hole. Car is relative quiet and comfortable, but steering feels artificial, especially when hard turning corners; feels like wheel orientation and steering dont match up. Rattling present at 30K, unacceptable for Toyota. Lot of blind sides when backing up; lot of newer cars seem to have similar problems (trunk too high, pillar too thick, window too small). Bumpers cant take a hit. Reliable but disappointing purchase.