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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  eh..... - 1997 Toyota Avalon
  By infinitijw - December 7 - 10:00 am

  its an ok car... its not exciting not fast, not technological, but it is safe and reliable. i also own an infiniti and it makes the avalon look quite sad. ive seen the new avalons and they look so much better, i guess they didnt figure out how ugly their cars were till about 2000. anyways its still an ok car, an economical one for families that need space.

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  The 4Runner is the Stallion of SUVs - 1999 Toyota 4Runner
  By R. E, MASSA - December 7 - 10:00 am

  The 4Runner is have is a 4 cylinder inline 150HP engine. It run well but I wish it would be a V6. Fuel economy is not excellent, not far from what the V6 will do, with a lot less power. Quality wise is superb, It bounces a lot in the city driving, but is very comfortable and smooth in the highway. Its a good deal for the money and extremely reliable.

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  4runner fan - 2000 Toyota 4Runner
  By Greenmile - December 7 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my 4Runner limited for 2 years and havnt had any issues at all. I have taken it out 4 wheeling many times and I was extremely suprised at how well it handles off road. I also commute to work about 80 miles a day. So if your looking for a SUV that looks nice and drives awesome this is the one. I also have a xterra and the 4 runner blows it off the road.

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  Reliable - 2002 Toyota Corolla
  By Laroco - December 7 - 10:00 am

  Very reliable, very good in gas mileage, very small gas tank capacity. You have to fill the gas tank just a little over 200 miles drive. I can drive my Camry to over 400 miles before fill-up. Engine performance is very weak. This car is not for racing, its for daily commute.

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  Excellent build quality - 2003 Toyota Tundra
  By BLD - December 7 - 10:00 am

  The truck was delivered new in pristine condition. Problems: front disc brakes warp easily. Some front suspension noise or roughness. Poor dealer service. Not enough engine torque especially going uphill. Poor mileage. Not enough storage cubbyholes inside. Rear seat back should tilt foward for more storage. Hard to park due to big turning radius. Bed height is too shallow.

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  Better than anticipated - 2010 Toyota Prius
  By william - December 7 - 9:20 am

  Thought car would have small car performance and was blown away by acceleration, ride, quietness and braking. Seats very conf. on 100 mi. trip. Got 55.2 mpg. wasnt planning on buying car but after test drive I was hooked. Ive owned bmws, hondas, lexus, mercedes, and porsches. This car feels so good in so many ways. Toyota is definitely ahead of the pack!

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  Engine Whine - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By Les - December 7 - 3:33 am

  Our Rav4 problem is that the engine(6cyl) starts to whine at 40mph and continues at higher speeds although it is somewhat less obvious due to wind and road noise. I have never seen a review where an owner is concerned about this problem. Dealer says no technical notes from Toyota. Looks like we dump the car.

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  Plastic Door Handles - 1999 Toyota Sienna
  By PlasticToyotas - December 7 - 2:33 am

  Why on Earth would ANY car company use plastic door handles that break continuously? We are extremely gentle on the handles since we discovered this scam that Toyota has. The handles still break. Since buying this van all of the door handles have been broken at least once and some have broken more than once. Again, we are very gentle with the door handles and they still break. This is such an issue with me that I will NOT buy another Toyota that has plastic parts that are pulled on. My drivers door handle just cost $125 (parts only) at the dealership, the only place locally to get the parts. I have no plans to ever buy a Toyota again because of this.

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  A few things stink - 2007 Toyota Avalon
  By fishavenue - December 7 - 2:16 am

  The gps system is effectively inoperative. You cant get the enter key to hit a letter or other item with any sort of reliability. Entering a street name could take twenty minutes. The dealer here in Newark De, said that this is typical and fixing would cost a small fortune. So I use a $150 garmin. Pathetic, dont you think? I have about 50k miles on the car. Also, the seat heaters stay on all the time, so I had to disconnect the fuses, so I lost that function. I am a little disappointed in the car for these reasons. Other than that, it has a beautiful ride with excellent mileage. My next car will not be an Avalon - I may go to a Buick or a Lexus.

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  Luxury doesnt have to mean clunky - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By John - December 7 - 1:10 am

  My first luxury car. Drives and handles like a much smaller car. Test drove a lot of different cars in the same category and the Avalon was the winner hands down. Doesnt feel like you are driving a boat and it has power to spare, found myself doing 90 miles per hour without even noticing I was going that fast - it was so quiet and smooth. Have a car pool and they are loving the room in the back seat, plus the seats recline in the back. Am getting 24 to 26 miles per gallon which is a nice plus given the current price of gas. The sound system and CD player are great and having a tape deck for those of us who still own tapes was a nice extra.