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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  frustrated consumer - 1993 Toyota Camry
  By dont believe the hyp - January 1 - 2:33 am

  this car has needed a new engine at 125,000miles, new tires, and multiple tripsto the dealer. After paying 1400 dollars for a top to bottom review of the car , the steering mechanism is now broken and needs repair estimated cost 500 dollars. Driving this car is like being invested in technology stocks in 2001 and sure fire loser. I think Toyota owes me a refund

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  Its a swing and a miss! The new Tacoma strikes out - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By MD60 - December 21 - 4:26 pm

  Couple of Details and info for you. I live in Denver 5280 feet above sea level, this may affect my outcome. Second this is my 3rd Tacoma a 1997 then a 2007 now the 2016. I have past trucks to compare to. The new Tacoma is a giant disapointment! The power is way lower than the previous 2005 to 2015 trucks. If you own one of those keep it! The gas mileage on my 2007 was an average of 18 mpg, my new 2016 is averaging 15 mpg! 3 mpg less from a newer truck with a 6 speed transmission. Speaking of the 6 speed transmission, why did Toyota waste the money putting it in? The engine makes so little torque and power that I never get to use 6th, 4th and 5th mostly. In the mountain 3rd and 4th work best. Save your money on this over-priced failed updated from Toyota. I will sell mine right after the holidays, my only question is what to buy? Having owned 3 Tacomas just not sure what I will buy since Toyota has nothing I want.

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  The biggest junk i ever lease.. - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By Thomas V Fandino - December 19 - 1:42 pm

  First the windows sound that looks like a air leak. The engine and transmission sound awful for a new car. You can hear all the noise as the vehicle change gears. My dashboard lights go intermittent from time to time. The breaks cry noisy . When you are in cruise control the vehicle calculates the front vehicle speed and slow you down. If the front vehicle change line the Toyota accelerates suddenly but if the front vehicle was close to another the speed safety control delay too much to kick in again making the vehicle unsafe. The 4cyl are a lot different from the 6 cyl. They looks the same but they are not.I can reflect more problems but at this point i feel sorry for myself to buy this peace of bran new jub k..

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  Dont buy - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By Or0213 - December 14 - 12:26 am

  One of the worst cars I have purchased. This car rattles all time on the inside. This 2009 Toyota corolla has already had a radio replaced and still continues to have issues with it.

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  Beware Im done with all Toyota products - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By 2002Rav4Sucks - October 25 - 5:40 pm

  Dont buy Toyota. Read the reviews here. All of them. Some people even posted a good review before the on- board computer fried and then burn the transmission. Or before the engine burnt from the known oil sludge problem. Then wrote another bad review. I paid $14,000 used. Good deal private party with 40k miles. At 88k miles the engine blew-up from oil sludge. I didnt know about the "oil sludge recall" until after I had it rebuilt for $4,500. Then at about 97k miles the jerking shifting started. This is my daughters car so I took it in to my mechanic. He said on board computer $1300 and the transmission is cooked because of the computer problem. $5,600 for rebuild and new computer (contd

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  UGH! - 2004 Toyota Tacoma
  By J Williams - October 10 - 12:16 am

  I ended up with this garbage since I had to sell my toys, get a family vehicle for my wife and I got her scraps of a truck. I commute 72 mi each way during the week and I thought this would be decent on fuel but with lack of power Im constantly using the O/D feature just to keep up with the diesel trucks on the freeway! Ive been very good to this truck and has failed miserably at keeping me even close to happy. Best vehicle to consider if; short commutes, small hauling, and your a midget 4 or less.

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  piece of crap under powered junk - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By david wellman - October 9 - 6:57 am

  junk buy cars made in japan like masda infinity

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  Buyer beware - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By Hermania - October 3 - 9:41 pm

  I bought my Camry new in 08. At 75,000 the engine blew. I took it to the dealer and they stated there is a design flaw in all Camrys in that they burn oil at a rate of 2 qts per 3000 miles. If you check your oil between changes you will discover this for yourself. It was in the dealership for 3 months and is still not running properly. Please take this advice and dont listen to the Toyota dealers. There is a serious design flaw in all Camrys. They are counting on you not checking the oil in between regular oil changes and before you realize it, blown engine. I was a big fan of the Toyota lines but now will not even consider buying one. I am not disgruntled by this experience , I just want to save others the headache of going thorough what I did. There are better choices out there. And by the way: all toyota service centers are crooked! Buyer beware.

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  Toyota are cowards - 2013 Toyota Tacoma
  By Michael Boucher - August 19 - 11:40 pm

  This vehicle Ive owned for 2 years. It has automatic accelerated twice. Toyota refuses to deal with the issue, blaming the weather tech floor liners. Which come no where near the gas pedal. The truck should not continue to accelerate while you have both feet on the brake mashing it to the floor.

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  Never Again - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By SPD - August 1 - 7:25 pm

  We decided to purchase an SUV and looked at just about everything. Since we own a Lexus (ES330)) and never had a problem so we decided we would go with a Toyota. If we had an opportunity to drive the Highlander for a day or two prior to making a decision we would have never bought it. First the "Chrometec" wheels are nothing but glorified hub caps. When you purchase the top model you expect to get real wheels. We cant use/tilt the moon roof because of road noise. We suspect it has to do with the aerodynamics of the tilt and cross bar of the luggage rack but someone eat Toyota should have tested that out. Here nor there its too loud to use. The positioning of the navigation screen is horrible. Most of the time there is such a glare on the screen its unusable - this was a really poorly thought out design. In addition the system shuts off and reboots for no reason - it appears we are not the only ones experiencing this. If you are using the Navigation and it shuts down your are out of luck until it reboots. We also have the vented seats but on the cooling mode you can hear the fan noise over your left shoulder if you are the driver - ridiculous. Lastly the floor in nothing more then felt. Looking at trading it in and only had it for a few months..worst vehicle I have ever owned. Cheaply made..