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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  I like it - 2007 Toyota 4Runner
  By howie b - February 5 - 8:36 am

  I purchased this used with about 32K miles. It replaced a 98 4Runner with 231K miles that I gave to my son. The 07 is very nice, well kept by the prior owner. So far I am impressed with the ride quality and the smoothness of operation. Greatly advanced from the 98 in terms of ride comfort. The 2010 I liked even better but there was the slight matter of the price, the 07 was $10K less. Be careful in the used 4Runner market though, they can be pricey.

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  Good Car, Beware the Paint - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By Patti - February 4 - 10:51 pm

  This was the only car Ive ever bought relatively new from a dealer. Bought at 60k miles, sold at 90k. It was very comfortable, performance was great, fuel economy about 31 usual driving, up to 40 on road trips. It wasnt great on ice, my theory is the weight of the car was distributed too far to the back to make for optimal front wheel drive traction. The only problem I had with it in that time was the paint. I had the blue color, and that paint would scratch/chip if you BREATHED on it wrong. The front hood was a mess of chips. The paint was kind of a ridiculous worry, but it stressed me out, and made me happy to get rid of it at the end of our time together.

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  I like my 09 avalon limited but.... - 2009 Toyota Avalon
  By Derek - February 4 - 11:30 am

  Seats are too hard, gps is a rip off, people. How Dare you Toyota can continue 2003 made gps installing in 08, 09, 10 models. We paid for what? Crap. You should update it if you charge people $2,000 for it. I really like that car but for sure its overpriced. No question about it.

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  Decent Car - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Satish - February 4 - 4:06 am

  My last cars were a 2000 sonata which i sold with 100k, then i had a mazda 6 for a few year. I brought this as my wife`s and our kid baby carrier. I was aware of the hesitation and did test drive 2. One had it and i picked the other. I have 40k and need tires.My wife drives very smooth. We took it on a 2000 mile trip and got like 38 mpg. Compared to my 5 speed Jetta it lacks in finish, performance and handling but its a different beast.I looked for post June build date in 07 where all the problems suddenly disappeared per all research i did.

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  Super mileage, but no fun to drive - 2008 Toyota Prius
  By Sabine Cordes - February 3 - 9:23 am

  Our mileage (5,700 miles) is 38.7 mpg compared to 20 mpg with our BMW which it replaced. Excellent. But no fun to drive; the indifferent imprecise steering feels like a 70ties car, and it accelerates very slowly in the beginning. Once it moves, it is okay.

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  Cant beat them... period - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By gooddeals - February 2 - 5:56 pm

  I have owned this one since it was new. Prior to this, we had a 1992 Camry LE. So, over the last 16+ years I have driven 2 cars, both Camrys. You just cant beat these things. After 7.8 years I finally had to replace the Panasonic factory battery. Ive replaced the front brakes twice, rears once, synthetic oil (Mobil 1 5/30) since it was new. One set of tires. The AC is still working fine (and I live in Georgia!), pwr dl, wdws, cruise, transmission, etc. Flawless, never had problems, just change fluids and filters & enjoy!

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  V8 4X4 Sport - 2004 Toyota 4Runner
  By jj8111 - February 2 - 2:00 am

  I love this truck. Ive had it since December 2003. Already replaced the stock dunlop tires. They are terrible. Good for city/highway driving but they had no bite off road or in the snow.

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  best suv - 2004 Toyota 4Runner
  By mguz5 - February 2 - 2:00 am

  the toyota 4runner is a great truck its also fun to drive and very reliable the sport edition has a strong v8 engine that produces 245horsepower

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  Toyota does it again - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By njzyota - February 2 - 2:00 am

  I purchased my 2004 Toyota Camry on the 2nd of January of this year as a replacement to my 1996 Toyota Camry. There is a big difference between the two vehicles, this Camry has a much more roomier interior than the last one. The little extras sach as the power seats, the lighted rear-view mirror,the magazine pockets on the back of the front seats,the booming sound system w/CD player the illuminated cabin upon entering the vehicle, and the automatic shut-off of the same once the ignition is turned on and the outside temperature reading, imenities that in some vehicles you pay extra for, However, these were all included in the price of my vehicle.

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  Unhappy owner - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By ManManMan - February 2 - 2:00 am

  The gearshift is not very smooth at times and hard to shift to the reverse gear. It needs to release the clutch totally before reengaging the reverse gear again. To shift to 2nd gear then reserve gear, but it didnÂ’t help. The clutch is extra sensitive compare other cars that I had. The most annoying thing is the driver seat squeaks after two weeks old. I brought it back to the dealership on six occasions and they replaced the seat frame at the 3 visit. After the seat frame replacement, it started to squeak after a month. It jerks while driving the first 10 to 15 second. Warm up the car for 1 to 2 minutes before drive off, but it didnÂ’t help.