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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  This car was snapped together! - 2010 Toyota Prius
  By Larry - October 17 - 1:40 am

  I think the previous generation was the best Prius so far, this newer generation is BAD. I have so many squeaks and rattles that I have given up trying to fix them, I just turn up the music. I don’t think the price that is asked for these cars are worth the savings in gas, I just going to drive this for a couple of years and get rid of it. Toyota should be ashamed of them selves for putting out such a disappointment. I really miss my 2008 white prius; it was the touring model and had everything on it.

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  Disappointed - 2010 Toyota Tundra
  By disappointed - October 8 - 7:36 pm

  This is my 3rd and maybe last Tundra. It looks and drives great but within a week and 125 miles the check engine light came on. Toyota says its a cam sensor and they have to tear down the engine. To make it worse they are struggling to find the parts . This is another of Toyotas nasty secrets because the dealership new what the problem was the minute they heard. My previous Tundras were great but I think I just made a 40K+ mistake.The only highlight is that the Dealership is really trying to help they are good people.

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  Boring and Overpriced - 2012 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By oildrip - October 8 - 11:35 am

  Where do you start with this strange car. The trunk is taken up with the battery so Im not sure why they bothered with the tiny opening from one rear seat that is capable of folding down, I guess a broom handle can fit through there. Very little trunk space, a few suitcases and its full. The cloth seats are cheap and not very supportive, the leather are much better. The interior screams cheap, the navigation has a very poor resolution display. The winning noise as you slow down drives you crazy in city driving. I find the start and stoping of the engine also very anoying and very noticable in this car.

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  Unsatisfied - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By Delsher - October 8 - 11:10 am

  I am very unhappy with my corolla S, the vibration of the steering wheel when I stop at the red light is very bad, the RPM fluctuates between 750- 780, and when the heater on sometimes fluctuates between 500-900, went to the dealer and their answer was you are not driving BMW, and that all Corollas vibrate like that.

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  NOT WORTH THE MONEY - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Dave Lazeroff - October 5 - 1:18 pm

  I leased a 2016 Highlander XLE awd with a sticker price of nearly $40k. My wife has bugged me for years for a Highlander so i finally broke down. The vehicle is okay at best. The road noise is unbearable between the wind noise from the windows completely closed to the road noise from under the car-probably due to lack of sufficient insulation. My 2015 GMC Sierra is a million times quieter on the freeway than the Toyota. The gas mileage is sub par at best. My full size 6000 pound 4 x 4 truck does as well on the freeway with respect to the mpg. It does handle decent. Feels solid. And, of course, it will be reliable-its a Toyota. The voice command works very well. It understands me and my trucks voice command never does. I cannot see how a $40k sticker vehicle cannot have remote start. I would have had to upgrade to a platinum limited to get cooled seats and remote start. For another $100.00 a month on the payment. I leased this one. $3k down and $350 a month is not bad considering if i would have bought it the payment would be double. I am glad i did not buy it because i will not be keeping it once the lease is up. I should have bought a Grand Cherokee but it does not have a third row like the Highlander which is what sold me. The front seats are very hard and uncomfortable especially on a four hour drive. I had to get out every hour or so and stretch my legs and walk around. Have not had a chance to check out the awd yet, i will do that this winter in the snow. Oh, and the ac is awesome. I live in Las Vegas and it gets to 115 here and the ac works great, extremely cold. I am just under six feet and weigh 230 pounds muscular and have no trouble fitting in the drivers seat.

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  Disappointed with Quality - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Aaron - October 5 - 4:03 am

  Have owned my Camry for just over 2 years now. Very disappointed in the quality. I always feel like my car is out of alignment/balance and the steering wheel shakes like crazy. Ive had it checked multiple times and they dealer says "theres nothing wrong." The seats are very uncomfortable and not good for long drives. I hear sounds coming from the dash that arent causing issues, but seem out of the ordinary. Had to have tires replaced at 20k, which I thought was ridiculous. Also had to have the brakes replaced at 30k, which seemed too soon as well. The only positive things I have to say about this car are that the new design is great and dont hear road noise. Glad I leased!

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  My 2009 Camry - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By My 2009 Camry - October 4 - 10:00 am

  I ordered a new 09 Camry and went to get it on a cloudy day after it came in to the Kingsport,Tn. dealership. Then I drove it home and parked it inside of my garage. Got my new Camry back out on a sunny nice day; thats when I noticed the paint had marks all over the car. I drove it straight back to the Kingsport dealer with only appx. 50 miles on it and the dealer agreed the paint was messed-up. After 3 meetings with factory Toyota reps., which agreed with me on the paint, Toyota rep. laughed , told me the warranty didnt cover it and they werent going to do anything about it. I explained to them I had always been a Toyota man.Still got a bad paint job. Buyer, BEWARE!

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  Very disappointed - 2012 Toyota Sienna
  By rzuch - October 3 - 5:35 pm

  I am so disappointed with the Nav system in my 2012 Sienna, and even more disappointed that Toyota refuses to do anything about it. The Nav system makes poor decisions, often adding quite a bit of time to my trip. And I cant hear the instructions when the radio is on as it does not turn down the radio volume. My last car does this and that was purchased 7 years ago! Entunes is mostly worthless as its dangerous for the driver to use it when the car is moving, so youre better off having the passenger use apps on a smartphone instead. The Toyota Nav system doesnt even change the time of day when moving into a different time zone. Id be better off with a $150 Nav unit from Radio Shack.

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  ACCELERATING IN REVERSE/ BRAKES LOCKING - 2017 Toyota Camry
  By t Graham - October 2 - 9:51 am

  Has any one else experienced acceleration while baking up and having the brakes lock. I have owned my Camry for 11 days. The first 10 days and 300 miles were fine. At around 330 miles while backing out of my driveway the care accelerated and the brakes did not engage. My car ended up on the other wside of the street feet away from an apartment complex swimming pool. goinbg to dealer tomorrow. Will update.

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  orthless - 2007 Toyota Prius
  By B Howard - October 2 - 3:50 am

  Bought it initially due to high travel. The cheap wheels slipped on wet pavement and were jittery. Although I have had no mechanical issues with the vehicle, now that Toyota reputation has gone down the crapper, I have a useless piece of crap to trade in or sell. I will not buy another Toyota based on the loss of value at trade-in. And that includes the Toyota dealerships. You are better served to look at other brands. Plain and simple, dont do it!