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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  be care of the oil consumption - 2001 Toyota Camry
  By leon_lz - July 27 - 10:00 am

  the camrys from 97-2002 had a design flaw, which you have to change oil more frequent than the manual said. the manual recommends you to change oil between 5k-7.5k, no way you can wait for that long. because the camry was running at higher temp to reach good fuel economy, therefore, the oil can loose its lubrication ability faster, so i would say, change it at 2.5k, or you will have a problem called oil gelling. search google.com by toyota oil gelling as key word, you will know what is going on. Overall, it is a good vehecle. but not the model between 97-02. you have to change oil more often.

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  Love it - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By Bertha - July 27 - 10:00 am

  Love my Highlander - we looked into the Pilot, Trailblazer and Extera but the HIGHLANDER was the best. Very comfortable, perfect size for a small family, great mileage for an SUV. Repaced an american mini van that gave us nothing but headaches. This is my second Toyota and I am loving it.

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  Worth Every Penny - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By TOMMY - July 27 - 10:00 am

  I have the Moonshadow grey LE. The performance is good. Very quiet and smooth ride. No unwanted rattles or vibrations. The materials used inside and out are of good quality. Pleanty of storage. The wind noise is pretty bad and the driving position is a little uncomfortable. (I am 511") The steering wheele seems so far away. The gas mileage is about 28mpg combined. (I expected better since I drive on highways mostly) The trunk is huge as are the back seats.

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  MY NEW LOVE - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By ABC - July 27 - 10:00 am

  I have driven Volvos, when I needed a new car I did research and rather than going back to my first love, I decided on this Avalon. Im happy I got it, it feels safe, it is reliable, and is a very good looking car. Has all of the features I wanted, would have liked to have navigation, perhaps Toyota will add this in the future.

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  Still Simply the Best - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By Bonius - July 27 - 10:00 am

  I love the Camry and have for many years and now this one has rekindled the love. No wonder its the best selling car in the country! Silky smooth, elegant, very practical and ergonomically engineered, excellent gas mileage and looks and feels like a state-of-the-art player that should cost alot more. I looked at several nice cars in the <30k range and for my money the Camry XLE was by far the better choice. Roomy but not the "big- empty" feeling. If you are considering a family sedan and dont at least look at the Camry you definately cant make an educated decision because this is one to be reckoned with. I know this is the best car I could have bought.

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  I love my Tundra - 2008 Toyota Tundra
  By sfvwolf - July 27 - 7:50 am

  I have owned chevy, dodge, gmc, and ford pickup trucks, and Im here to tell everyone that my new tundra is the best truck I have ever drove in my 40 years of driving. From the comfort of my power seat, and the interior design, the fit and finish of the exterior, the performance, the handling, and my favorite of them all is the body style of my tundra SR5, it is sweeeet. There is NO pickup truck out there on the market today that even comes close. I love my Tundra.

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  My Car - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By Joseph - July 27 - 4:57 am

  My Car is Black, it runs, good, great miles per gallon, Alloy wheels (Black). Engine hood needs some TLC, Very peppy.

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  Best value at proven reliability. - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By Jeff - July 27 - 3:53 am

  Timing couldnt be more perfect. In the small cars category, Toyota brought a Europe-proven model to the US market and beats the rest in the category for value and reliability with fuel efficiency, kick in the drive and my 4-door sedan Yaris is the biggest small car at this price! Even driving at my high speed average of 82 mph on highway commute, fuel efficiency is still at good 37 mpg.

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  Safe and Sound - 2000 Toyota Sienna
  By cwardlaw - July 27 - 12:56 am

  Our Sienna has been virtually trouble-free, and weve also experienced an accident. The Sienna did an admirable job of protecting everyone, and the ALR rear seatbelts held the kids car seats tight during the wreck. Still, I dislike this van. I find the Sienna dreadfully uncomfortable. The front seats are mushy and offer virtually no support. The cargo space behind the third-row seat is not terribly good, and I wish the Toyota had the same disappearing third-row seat as the Honda does.

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  V-6 Sport is a fun car. - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Rob M - July 26 - 9:13 pm

  Great car. 30 mpg on highway. Fast when you want it. Sturdy, excellent handling. JBL stereo not too bad. Lots of space. Electronics are solid