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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  You would think I would be happy. - 2009 Toyota Sienna
  By spadedevil - November 28 - 5:35 pm

  Went from a 1996 Chrysler Town & Country to a 2009 Toyota Sienna. It feels like every time I turn around some little thing is breaking. It just doesnt seem like the quality that I was expecting is there. Stupid little things bothered me at first. Things that were on my 1996 I had expected would be standard by 2009. Memory seats, light in the glove box, turn signal control lights. As I drive it more things started to break. Folding seat in the back wont fold. Power adapter in the rear of the vehicle clips broke and pushed inside the wall, sliding door seal started coming off. Sliding door sometimes decides not to work. Thankfully nothing engine wise yet, but I dont have much wont

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  Old Tacoma vs new Tacoma - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Jim - November 27 - 2:03 am

  I have been driving a 2005 Tacoma for ten years while waiting for an update, so I went out to test drive a new 2016 as soon as they came out with the intention of buying one since I love my old Tacoma. My initial reaction to test driving the new Tacoma was extreme disappointment. My old 2005 has been one of the best vehicles I have ever owned but I was looking forward to more power (the 2005 is a 4-cylinder manual) and better gas mileage. The first thing I noticed was that my head was touching the cab roof in the TRD model I test drove which had a sunroof (I am 62" but never had this problem in my old Tacoma). I checked some of the others on the lot and apparently those equipped with a sun-roof have a lower ceiling that I could not live with but the others without sunroof were ok. The second thing I noticed was lack of power with the new v6/new automatic transmission and this is compared to the old 4-cylinder with a manual transmission not vs the old v6 so twice as bad. One thing I have long lamented is how noisy the cab of the old Tacomas are, so this was an improvement but not as much as expected from all the hype. I am an IT tech, but dont care about lots of technology in my vehicle as I see it as more stuff that can break so all the new tech in the new Tacoma does not do anything for me. I would rather not be scrolling through menus while trying to drive. I will leave the tech to someone else to review. The interior surprised me as well and not in a good way. You can the dash in any color you want as long as it is black. The dark gray dash in my old truck does not show dust, but solid black in the new one is hopeless. I guess they dont expect people to use these outside the city? Other than that, the interior is seems pretty nice. I did not think the seats were an improvement but maybe they just needed breaking in? The exterior actually seemed nicer in person than it had in pictures as I was not initially thrilled with the new look in photos. Is it just me, or did they raise the hood making it harder to see? It definitely seemed like the field of vision shrunk.

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  03 Corolla Gets Less than EPA Mileage - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By gloriairolon - November 24 - 10:00 am

  I never get the EPA numbers Toyota says I should. It is always 4 or 5 mpg less. It rides like a truck. The seat position is cramped, low and uncomfortable, esp. if you sit in it for more than a few minutes. The dealer cant seem to fix the rattle in the front dash, even after four trys, and says Toyota is working to fix the problem. No luck to date.

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  Not worth the money - 2008 Toyota Avalon
  By Jim - November 18 - 2:06 am

  Overall, not the quality I expected from a Toyota. I previously had a Volvo S80 and it was a much better built car than the Toyota is. The interior plastic trim is very cheap. At first it looks like brushed metal, but it is just painted plastic that scratches very easily. The seats are not that comfortable for what is considered to be a large car. The body side molding chips very, very easily.

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  Heed my advice, Do NOT, get a Toyota! - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By David - November 17 - 7:36 pm

  I traded in my TRUSTWORTHY Ford Escape for this....and coughed up a good amount of cash. They asked for 34,000 Dollars, for a Toyota....but, this is with the V6 and highest Luxury trims....Well, it was not better build quality than by Ford Escape.....which was on 05. It drove like a Camry......boring, and looks horrible. Also, I noticed, it took much of its styling from the Ford Edge, which I would recommend over this vehicle. The car rattles on paved roads. Navigation is sluggish, like Windows XP, and the entire car is lackluster. Thank god for the high resale, I am getting a FORD!

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  Nice car but doesnt hold up in a crash - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By jaye_037 - November 16 - 1:39 pm

  I loved this car when I bought it- it has a fun, youthful design, great on gas and is fun & zippy to drive. Beware though- this car does not hold up in a crash. I had a head-on collision in 2009 in a Yaris that caused $10,000 damage to the car and bent the frame beyond repair- and the airbags did not deploy. I contacted Toyota about it and got a canned response stating that I wasnt hit hard enough to set off the airbags - but it was sufficient to bend the frame beyond repair and left me with a concussion from hitting my head among other injuries. When I bought a Corolla my insurance rate dropped considerably due to the lower risk of death or severe disability in the event of a collision..

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  Terrible car, do not get! - 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By ruthey - November 16 - 10:00 am

  I have had this car for a little over a year. I got this car as my first car. I am currently 18, i got this car when i was 17. I was so excited to get a car and my dad told me i had to get this one. It worked ok for the first few months but slowly gone down hill. when the recalls came out, and they replaced the recalled items. that is when the problems had started beside from the air conditioner and heater. it smells like smoke when i turn it on, so i do not use it. it is loud and it takes off from me. i hate this car and i will never buy another Toyota and Toyota doesnt do anything and refuse to. I tried to get it as a lemon but since theyll take it not do anything, it cant go through as 1

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  Nice car with poor reliability - 2010 Toyota Venza
  By rancher8 - November 16 - 10:00 am

  It looks great, very nice to drive, i love all the features, but i will never buy another Toyota. Ours is getting a new transmission installed at the time i write this review- and its backordered, our service guy said its a common failure on awd Venzas. Our A/C quit needing a new compressor unit, right seat heater quit, front brake rotors warped, the nav system often freezes up, and after 32,000 miles this car rattles and is starting to feel old. Its a nice vehicle but i seriously doubt it will hold up well, my old 98 Rav4 felt better than this with 200,000 mi. While loitering around the service department waiting i can say Im not the only one disappointed with my new Toyota!

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  Great on Gas, Poor on Reliability - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By mrack - November 16 - 3:43 am

  I average 32mpg in city per tank, 40mpg pure highway driving. Ample storage. Enough power to get you moving. Throttle response varies from 0.2 sec (noticeable, but on par with other DBW cars) to well OVER a second on warm days (omg what is wrong w/ my car). Variable means you cant adapt to it because it changes. This causes premature clutch wear because rev-matching for downshifts cannot be done reliably. Toyota will not warranty clutch repair no matter how few miles. Mine is still holding on, but it has developed a shudder at 20k miles... its just a matter of time. No tach available on the manual hatchback. Im on my 3rd factory MP3 stereo.

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  Almost Great SUV - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By Florida SR-5 - November 12 - 2:00 am

  I was excited about my first Toyota. I drive mostly highway miles. It had a pull to the right and my arm would be fatigued after trips over 15 mins keeping it straight. Many trips to the dealer later no fix. At the Lemon Law hearing the mech. expert who drove it agreed, but the other two who didnt, sided against us. I was shocked and stuck with it. Later I took it for a routine alignment at a different dealer and explain my past problems and they fixed it just like that. My ratings are based on it pre-fix, as Toyota assured me there was nothing wrong it then.Hope you dont have a problem because Toyota has your money for life.