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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  my camry - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By john roberts jr - June 12 - 2:00 am

  this is by far the best car ive ever owned no wind resistance, smooth ride and great gas mileage.

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  Only 1 problem - 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By FJLUVER - June 12 - 1:33 am

  The FJ has great power, excellent off road capability, and handles like a dream. The only flaws with the FJ is the huge blind spots, and the airplane style rear windows. The mirrors compensate well for the blind spots though. Wonderful car.

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  Lot for the money - 2002 Toyota Sequoia
  By orange - June 11 - 8:50 pm

  Friends who own other SUVs love our Sequoia for its look, interior space and engine smoothness. Our kids now refuse to ride Moms Benz or the Pathfinder. Looked at the Expedition because of huge discount but bought Sequoia instead. No regret.

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  This Could Be The Ultimate Truck - 1997 Toyota T100
  By Biscotti - June 11 - 10:00 am

  This truck has to do it all: work hard all day in 4WD out in the woods on a tree farm, haul the kids to school, and look good downtown on a night out (and be easy to park). It does all of this in great style, and has never had need for more than regular maintenance. It is a torque monster - it has literally pulled stumps out of the ground many times. All this and fuel economy too, are you listening Detroit?

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  my 4runner - 1994 Toyota 4Runner
  By Debbie Miller - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Its been a joy!!!

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  Amazingly fun! - 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder
  By Joe Alt - June 11 - 10:00 am

  This was the best purchase I ever made... this car is so much fun, I am amazed it is simply a Toyota. I still get people asking me, "what kind of Porshe is that?!"

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  GREAT CAR!! - 2002 Toyota Echo
  By JAN - June 11 - 10:00 am

  AFTER ONLY ONE DAY OF OWNERSHIP, I LOVE THIS CAR. IT HANDLES WITH GREAT EASE, EXCELLENT ON GAS AND MORE COMFORTABLE THAN MOST SMALL CARS. YOU SIT UP HIGHER WITHOUT THAT FEELING OF SITTING ON THE FLOOR.

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  So Proud I Picked The Real Winner - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By NationwideDriver - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Im recently retired at a fairly young age with a goal of trying to see most all areas of our wonderful country. I had the luxury of evaluating and personally test driving 27 vehicles I felt had potential to be the best. The Highlander was chosen. Son of a gun, turns out I made a perfect choice! Shes wonderful! Shes spectacularly satisfying. A quality and truly reliable trooper, as well proven after many miles of often very challenging driving conditions.

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  This IS the one! - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By CeeLee - June 11 - 10:00 am

  We Test drove all the Mid-Size SUVs and drove the Highlander last because the Toyota dealer never had any in stock. As soon as I closed the door for the test drive, I knew this was the one. This car/suv is so well built! 4- cylinder is enough if you dont tow.

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  2018 4Runner Still Great After All These Years - 2018 Toyota 4Runner
  By Mark Brundage - June 11 - 6:30 am

  I recently went SUV shopping for my wife and I, and she really surprised me. I had done some pre=shopping on my own as her work schedule isnt really car shopping friendly and had previewed many of the new crop of crossover cute utes (CRV, Rava4, Mazda CX-5) thinking that was what shes like. Car like handling, AWD and good gas mileage. Whats not to like, so after we look at and test drive the above we are at the Toyota dealer and shes just not feeling any of the vehicles weve driven and says to the salesman and I , "I want something more substantial, tougher" and points to a 4Runner. So we take it for a ride and she loves it. Well, I guess after almost 32 years of marriage she can still surprise me occasionally. So we make a deal, and the dealer doesnt have one on the lot with the equipment we want (TRD Off Roar Premium) and they make a trade and get one from another dealer that is in transit from the port in NYC and have it shipped to them. Weve had the truck for about three weeks now and have about 2000 mixed miles on it. The truck rides great on bumps, tracks and handles well even in a torrential downpour on the highway, has great visibility day or night. With the TRD Off Road options including terrain assist and electronic locking rear differential I know is going to make it awesome in the snow this winter, but I will provide an update to this review once Ive substantiated that assumption. Now there are a few cons, it catches the wind a little bit going down the highway, and the fuel economy would be better with a 6 or 8 speed transmission, but overall Toyota has done an amazing job of tuning a body on frame SUV to ride and handle far better than it really should, have added a bunch of nice near luxury features such as Bluetooth phone integration, airbags galore, crawl control (look it up, its pretty cool), computer controlled integration of the stability control, ABS and traction control systems to provide ridiculously strong off road capabilities, LED taillights and projector beam headlights that work really well without diluting all the things that made the 4Runner a super reliable, rugged go almost anywhere truck. If you live in NYC (I grew up there) is the 4Runner the best choice for you, well maybe not the TRD Off Road or PRO versions, but if you live in rural Maine (which I do now) and need to get through Maine winters or want to go camping, or hiking or boating where others cant, then it gives up little while offering a lot. Check it out.