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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  Rav4 problems - 2015 Toyota RAV4
  By RL Williams - September 20 - 7:06 am

  After driving four other brands in the Rav4 class, we felt it was the best compromise of spacious interior, comfort and mileage. The ability of the back seats to fold flat easily was a factor when compared with Volkswagen. A conventional automatic transmission was our choice over the Subaru and Honda CVT. The ride quality and looks of the VW and Subaru was superior to the Rav4 however. After 5000 miles in the Toyota I would recommend driving some additional cars before selecting the Rav4. The cold start up is very annoying, instantly going to 2400 rpm instead of just starting and idling. The dealer says that is "normal". It may be normal, if so, Toyota needs to change the design. Also the stereo is not intuitive to set up or use. You cannot delete a station, it can only be replaced with another, and occasionally the touch screen seems to lock up and refuses any command. This is my first automatic transmission car in a very long time, so Ive had to make very sure not to use my left foot. If you even touch the brake pedal while accelerating the ecm commands the engine to idle. At least thats what Toyota says I did when attempting to merge into traffic and the throttle had no response. An interesting solution to unintended acceleration! The Rav4 seems to be a dependable, use full automobile that is uninspired in every category so far. As a follow up to the original review, Toyota and the local dealer say that the extremely hi rpm start is working as designed and that here is no way to change the idle. As to the brakes, they to are operating as designed- soft and mushy. Im impressed with the increasing power the engine has as it starts to break in. Also the small turning radius of the car is very impressive. So, a great working car that doesnt make me love it.

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  Mixed review - 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By S S - September 20 - 4:33 am

  Having been a Toyota owner now since the late 90s I unfortunately have to say that things have been going down hill as far as my experience with Toyota and this Avalon. I have had more little issues come with this car than the total of all my other Toyotas. So Ill start with the issues. 1) The tires, Bridgestone Turanzas are by far the worst tires Ive ever had. I finally got rid of them at 17k. Increasingly noisy, poor traction, very harsh ride, like stones. I test drove an Avalon with the Michelins on it and they were much better. My car was located and I had no idea these poor quality tires existed until driving this care for a few weeks. I replaced them with Pirelli P7s and they are much better tires on this car. 2) The headliner started falling down around the rear of the sunroof. The dealer attempted the first fix from Toyota and succeeded in getting fingerprints all over the headliner. This is not to be confused with the headliners falling down near the rear window on the 2013s, this is another issue. The second time I took it back Toyota had come up with another fix and it worked, and the dealer succeeded in getting finger prints all over the headliner and complained about having to clean them off because the tech had used gloves and he couldnt have done it? Well at least that defect if finally fixed. 3) The chrome trim at the bottom of the rear passenger drivers side window started lifting up. You can push it down, but it comes back up if you raise the window. The dealer said theyd call when they get the replacement, havent heard in over a month. Ill need to remind them. 4) The vinyl on the armrest is cracking on a corner. Toyota uses vinyl all over on these leather interiors FYI. The cracking is occurring on a sharp wrap around surface where you dont even touch it. The vinyl material surface is flaking off. Others on the TN website are reporting the same issue but much worse in some cases. Toyota did replace the armrest under warranty. 5) The radio just dies in AM or FM mode. You can move from station to station (as if in mute) but no sound. If you stop the car and re-start its fine. And of course the dealer is unable to help since it only does it once in a while. So thats my list of issues at 20,000 miles. The negatives you will want to make sure you are OK with on these cars 1) Harsh ride, better tires help but Toyota seems to think people want a car that rides harsh and handles so-so instead of a car that rides nice and handles so-so. 2) The seats are pretty firm and as time goes on you feel like you are riding on the seat frames. Poor design for comfort. 3) The power lumbar is very poor, the adjustment is very limited and its hard to find a comfortable position. My 2012 Camry was much better. 4) The NAV unit is absolutely horrible. Unfortunately Toyota sticks you with this NAV and mediocre stereo. The NAV updates are near $200 and only available once a year. If you ask the dealer, they dont seem to know much about it. I use my iPhone most of the time its much more intuitive, roads are updated constantly, and the GUI is much simpler. 5) The Entune firmware is like something from the early 2000s. Its horribly slow, and the Bluetooth setup needs to be re-paired every now and then since it gets messed up. Toyota has really fallen behind with this firmware, the apps are ancient and my iPhone blows it away, yet my iPhone cant interface with the display. There is all these harassing screen warnings that I eventually figured out to disable for the most part, but I now rarely use it since its so dated compared to phone apps. Most people I know with Toyotas rarely use their NAVs or Entune, if ever. So the likes 1) MPG, MPG, MPG incredible. For a full size car its hard to believe you can get 40-45mpg with a little finessing and attention to mpg increasing techniques. 2) The drivetrain is great. The Toyota Hybrid Drive System is flawless so far and the transitions between Electric and ICE drive is hard to notice. The ECVT transmission has no shift points and is smooth as butter. The drive power delivery is quiet and smooth. 3) I like the brakes, they have a balanced amout of effort stopping power. 4) Steering is precise and well balanced as far as effort and road feel for a car this size. The steering wheel design is also great. Very comfortable. 5) The exterior is attractive IMO as is the interior. Great aesthetic design again IMO. So the bottom line is the 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Touring is a very nice looking car inside and out with an excellent proven Hybrid drive train that delivers excellent MPG for a car this size. Where it falls down is the harsh ride, firm seat bottoms, poor interior quality material (vinyl), and some pesky quality fails at 20k.

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  Cant tell a book by its cover - 2001 Toyota Celica
  By James Wolf - September 20 - 2:53 am

  I fell in love with this model from the first day I saw it. With Toyotas reputation for reliability I bought it but have ended up deeply disappointed. My last vehicle, a Nissan, went 225,000 miles with no repairs. In 4 months the a/c quit, the new front tires had to be replaced & realigned and the oil leaks in the engine cost $650.00 to correct. You cannot see anything out back with the spoiler & small windows. Getting in and out is always a struggle with the steering wheel jammed in its lowest position and the Toyota dealer says he cant fix it. You cannot read the speedometer either with the steering wheel so low. The car has not been in an accident... it is an accident!

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  Great little car - 2004 Toyota Echo
  By dickrwh - September 20 - 2:00 am

  A great little car. I average high 40s fuel economy in the city even though it is rated low 40s. My highway mileage is somewhat lower since I tend to drive too fast. It seems to have a natural highway speed resonance of about 80-85. I have sometimes found myself over 100 mpg.

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  new to toyota - 2004 Toyota Matrix
  By dollarguy - September 20 - 2:00 am

  Overall a very nice car, i have not driven it a whole lot yet. Could use a bit more grunt(torque) Quiet! seems well built

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  Dealership-Car. 100% Delight! - 2004 Toyota Prius
  By Brad_in_SoCal - September 20 - 2:00 am

  So heres the deal. From day 1 I was told 6 months wait list. Not true. LESS THAN 2 WEEKS from deposit to driving off the lot. The car is amazing, everyone at work is AMAZED... Even my 85 year old grandfather was acting like a 10 year old kid with a thousand questions. AND, I can get from Los Angeles to Seattle on less than 2 tanks of gas that will cost me less than $40 TOTAL!!! If you have questions but dealerships scare you, email me. I will be happy to help in any way I can. (SERIOUSLY!) :) This is an absolutely BRILLIANT automobile I think everyone should test drive when considering a new car.

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  Havent gotten stuck in the snow! - 2004 Toyota RAV4
  By mwitkes - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I have had my Rav-4 for 2 months and put on 5500 miles so far. The 4-cyl is peppier with the improved 2004 engine and the 4 wheel drive has already proven itself in 2 New England smowstorms. The cargo area fits more than I expected with out having to put down the seats, but the legroom in the the front and back are tight. I used to have a loaded V-6 Accord and I dont miss it, I just wish the Rav had a optional V-6. I absloutely love it... only issues are a rattle in the dash and I had to replace a tire that was damaged and nobody had the Bridgestone tire I needed.

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  I would never give up my Rav - 2004 Toyota RAV4
  By Roxy82 - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I love my car, thats all there is to it, its the best car or SUV Ive ever owned.

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  Great toyota - 2004 Toyota Tundra
  By Lenny456h - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I really love my toyota it is very fun to drive alot of people love it i feel really safe in it and its a awsome truck

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  Quality/Sporty Ride - 2004 Toyota Camry Solara
  By SusanE. - September 20 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this car with several issues at hand, quallity, reliablity, comfort, and able to fit the "kids" in. But yet still have a sporty look. Well, this car far exceeds my wants and needs. For this single mom, this is a great pic. Hands down!!