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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  Reliable and Worth every penny - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By haseebkhan770@gmail.com - August 24 - 12:30 pm

  I bought this car brand new in January 2009 and traveled a lot for work. I now have 200K miles and use this as my second car for short trips. So far everything still works and no major mechanical issues or rusts. As long as you are changing the oil every 4K miles and tune up every 75K miles you should be good. Just be easy on the gas pedal since it doesnt have a lot of power.

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  Its Ravulous! - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By My Rav4 - August 24 - 4:33 am

  I love my Rav4. Its got plenty of room and great gas mileage. Since mine has a manual transmission it seems to have that extra pick up and it responds well. I still think its a cool car to look at. It has some inexplicible dings and a little problem with the tire cover wearing out at the seams, and problems with the computer chips caused me to go back to the dealership a few times, but I still love my car.

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  Loving my second Tacoma - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Ryan - August 24 - 12:18 am

  I LOVE my truck! I received an excellent trade for my 2004 Tacoma xtracab (access cab today). The main reason I traded was for 4 doors(we wanted both our vehicles to accommodate the kids). I got the SR5 double cab V6 with the tow package. The seating position is almost identical to my 2004 Tacoma (which I like), and the seats are much more comfortable. Very quiet smooth ride with excellent steering and handling. Lots of people have complained about transmission issues and rough shifts and hunting and slow shifts from reverse to drive. I have not any of these issues. For me, I find that the truck is plenty fast and responsive, but I do have to give it lots of throttle compared to my last truck and my wifes 2014 Highlander. I have no complaints about the frequency or smoothness of transmission shifts. Highways speed limit here is 65, and cruising with the cruise control engaged as high as 70-75MPH I get no more "gear hunting" than any other V6 I have driven, but it may be different at higher speeds. That includes going up hill as well. Maybe Im just lucky, but I have not had the transmission concerns that others have posted- its possible the Atkinson Cycle engine means you have to give more gas to go (you can really feel the power come on strong ~4K RPM), but it still has plenty of pep- and the official 0-60 time is good for me. I have been getting between 19-20 MPG mixed driving- so a bit less then the sticker, but much improved from my 2004. For info Im 62", and I have plenty of headroom. I also had good headroom in a model I sat in with a sunroof. I think my only complaint Is the scout GPS phone NAV app is not great (good directions but no close-up map view to help interpret the directions). My wifes car has the Toyota Entune sweet with integrated NAV- its awesome- so if you have the cash and GPS is an important feature for you dont rely on the Scout App. If you use your iPhone map app the directions will play over the speaker, so thats nice. Bluetooth pairing and touchscreen sensitivity/response are excellent (better than the Highlander). I have 2 forward facing car seats in the back- both fit fine with plenty of room for me and a passenger with both kids in the back.

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  My Boy - 2003 Toyota Matrix
  By cc - August 23 - 8:33 pm

  This little car has all the benefits of a small, sporty fuel sipper and the hauling capabilities of a minivan. He drives noisy and eats parking bumps (too low). I will keep him until the hybrid is born.

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  2013 Camry - 2 days old - 2013 Toyota Camry
  By grnmtnguy - August 23 - 7:57 pm

  I traded a 2005 Camry LE for the new 2013 Camry LE. Performance is about the same with the 4 cyl. automatic. Very responsive and I expect that the highway mileage should be about the same as experienced with the 2005, around 35 mpg. The seats are more comfortable than the 2005 - a major improvement. One very serious shortcoming is that there is NO way to lock the trunk. The valet key allows you to lock the glove compartment, but if you are traveling and have valuables in the trunk there is no way to protect them from theft if you leave the car in a valet parking lot, service provider or anywhere where the vehicle will be left in someone elses care. I consider this a serious oversight.

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  Great car for the price - 2016 Toyota Corolla
  By Randy ODell - August 23 - 6:40 pm

  I bought the car from Carmax. It had 19911 miles on it. I took it on a trip after purchase. Its a great car. Smooth ride, comfortable seats. My only complaint is road noise. It does have some road noise. Not as quiet as I first thought. The mpg is not 38 mpg as stated. More like 33 or lower. Still a good car for the money.

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  Great Reliable transportation - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By Andy - August 23 - 4:20 pm

  This is your 4th year with the Camry and the ownership experience has been totally hassle free; just routine maintenence. The V6 is not that powerful compare to the competition but it has more than enough oomph for my needs.

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  Avalon - 2005 Toyota Avalon
  By goskins0 - August 23 - 3:06 pm

  Plenty of room for head, legs and gut. Seats are comfortable and roomy. Car is extremely quiet and drives well.

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  Its Toyota - What else! - 2005 Toyota Sienna
  By VGN - August 23 - 2:53 pm

  I bougt this van about 6 moths ago. No complaints. Quite ride, easy to drive, more spacious.

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  I wont buy a used one of these again... - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By Wendybabendy - August 23 - 1:56 pm

  I purchased my Camry used, approximately 2 years ago (so it was only 2 years old) - and while it was obviously abused by the prior owners, I have had nothing but increasing issues with "non-abuse" areas of this car. Rattling (something in the rear - I think a heat protection piece by the exhaust), the front end scrapes badly (not sure whats up with that, I think a bolt fell out), plastic parts falling apart, horrible upholstery... not my favorite car by a long shot. I had to put a dash cover on to prevent glare (it was nearly blinding), and there is WAY too much plastic. I know thats the going "thing" these days (less expensive, etc), but for the price of this car, even used, I expect more. It is comfortable, and has good amenities, but that doesnt make up for the overall poor workmanship otherwise. I am going back to Scion and hoping that they didnt screw that line up like they did this one.