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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  High performance peace of mind - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By joe - April 6 - 2:26 pm

  As a father of three children, and a passion for sports cars, finding something that boasts performance and economic efficiency was no easy task until I took this camry se v6 for a test drive. It makes a statement with high performance driving and looks. Rest assured whether youre hauling groceries with the family or just haulin on open road, the smiles are impossible to hide. Overall comfort and interior quality makes you forget your not driving a $50k automobile. All of the creature comforts and styling at half the expected cost.

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  Not for All - 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Patrick Goungo - April 6 - 2:23 pm

  This vehicle is only for young people. If you have infants or small kids, very bad for them, no room.

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  Awesome Used SUV - 1997 Toyota 4Runner
  By Steve Kania - April 6 - 12:16 pm

  Outstanding value through and through! Runs and looks great! Extremely durable and reliable and gets much better gas mileage than I thought it would. Have over 150,000 miles on it and it looks like itll go another 150,000!

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  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.

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  New car - 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Kos - April 6 - 6:10 am

  Good car. Seating could be more comfortable, mileage has averaged around 35.

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  Excellent truck - 2008 Toyota Tacoma
  By Michael - April 6 - 2:53 am

  This is a very nice truck; probably the best deal for your money until you need something F-350/F-450 sized. Lots of towing capacity (6.5klbs) with the towing package, and performs great off- road. Both the 5 spd. auto and 6 spd. manual transmissions perform very nicely. If you do your own work, all components are very nicely spaced out and accessible.

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  10,000 mile followup - 2010 Toyota Prius
  By Michael - April 6 - 2:20 am

  This is a follow up after having my Prius V for around 10 months and logging around 10,000 miles. Overall this is a good vehicle and it’s not been back to the dealer except for oil changes and the brake recall. My overall mileage has averaged between 46-51 during the period – as measured by miles and gallons – the dash readout is usually optimistic by 2-3 mpg. Great electronics: Bluetooth phone and audio streaming – navigation, keyless entry, push button start. However, it’s annoying that you can’t do certain functions with the touch screen while moving (set navigation; dial the phone, etc.). The problem areas of this vehicle for me are: Seat comfort & road noise – See suggestions below

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  Love my Highlander! - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Terri Hurtado - April 5 - 3:46 pm

  This is a great car to own, sporty yet dependable..this is my first Toyota! Everyone said I would love owning one and its true so far!

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  Is OK ..Just Ok - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By pointswest - April 5 - 8:52 am

  This was a replacement to years of minivans.. I was surprised that reliability has not been as good as I expected from what I was told of Toyota ( good marketing I guess),and some repair items under warranty required discussion elevated to dealer manager before issue was resolved. To the question , Will I buy another Toyota ? probably not

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  corolla s - 2006 Toyota Corolla
  By ladycactus - April 5 - 4:30 am

  I am not pleased with this car at all. fuel mileage is 32mpg on hwy. inside noise is to loud, any slight wind blows the car all over the place its not stable. the factory windshild crack easy with the smallest of pebbles.