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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  searching for a gear - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By hammer - May 16 - 5:29 pm

  the 6 speed transmission will stall when changing into second gear it will hesitate about 5 seconds while you just roll befor eit catches and takes off the toyota dealer said was searching for a gear and was normal almost hit twice while rolling, the back up camera is poor as it shows the back license plant

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  Proud to Join Avalon Family! - 2007 Toyota Avalon
  By T.W. - May 16 - 4:56 pm

  Three weeks into our 07 Avalon and could not be happier! Smooth, silent, and getting great gas mileage (32+)! Seats the family (2 boys and 2 dogs) easily. Trips are nice and love the luxury! Probably will never own anything else.

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  Best hatchback on the market. - 2011 Toyota Prius
  By gregprius - May 16 - 2:46 pm

  This is by far the best car of its type on the market. It has a great ride, great handling, lots of room and helps reduce polution. Why would anyone pay the same amount of money and get a car with far less milage? Adds that say a non hybreed gets 40 MPG are lying. Real world drving milage is way less for a non hybreed. The Prius gets great milage even around town!

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  Toyota Tundra TRD Rock Warrior! - 2011 Toyota Tundra
  By mowerman2011 - May 16 - 10:56 am

  I am a proud owner of a beastly 5.7 rock warrior trd tundra. Currenly own a lawn service business and it work like a hoss that it is. I love the 4X4 on a switch on the go. I went from a ford v6 4.2 litter and that got really bad gas mileage versus this monster of a truck. If your looking at the ford raptor and comparing to this well its a no brainer... buy the tundra! The tundra is more affordable and it will out last the ford raptor. Hope this helps.

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  Beats Honda Crv - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Chuck DeLaney - May 16 - 8:31 am

  Had been driving large crossovers for many years. Kids and grandkids grown or moved away. Knew that Toyota and Honda both have great reliability ratings, so drove both. For my wife and I, Toyota beat Honda in most all categories, except possibly gas mileage. Honda seats very uncomfortable, lots of wind noise and a very rough ride. Settled on Toyota Rav4 over Honda CRV. Little worried about new softex seating material in Toyota, did some research and everything was positive. Found that Mercedes us almost same (Different named) material in their cars. So far, everything is going great, my wife has more high tech equipment on this car than in her much higher dollar crossover. Havent had the car long enough yet to comment on mileage, etc. Will update after 6 mos. Seriously doubt if there will be anything negative to report.

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  Great car for the money - 2006 Toyota Matrix
  By Jockeyfox - May 16 - 7:40 am

  I traded in a large truck for the Matrix. I travel 100 miles a day and wanted a fuel efficient vehicle. This car filled the bill. If I set my cruise on 65, it can get 35-36 mpg, average 33. I thought I would miss the trucks cargo capacity, but so far, it has been fantastic. I cant believe how much I can get in it. The only problem I have had is with the paint. The car is white and there are about 8 chips on the front and hood already with only 20,000 miles. Other than the paint, I really love this car, especially when gas is $3.00 a gallon.

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  Working classs Lexus - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By ArtF - May 16 - 5:10 am

  Sleek design on the outside and very roomy on the inside. Im one of those got attracted to that "what is it" statement and it really stands out to that category. I used it everyday for work and its very easy to maneuver and parking is a breeze with its smooth steering. Since owning the car, my family loves to go on long driving coz its just fun to drive.

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  Love my Celica - 1997 Toyota Celica
  By Happy Camper - May 15 - 7:30 am

  Bought the car new. Has 130000 miles and still acts new. Burns about 1/3 qt of oil /4000 miles between oil changes. Engine clean & dry. Great car for long auto vacation for two. Would like more than the 130 horsepower but is adequate. Expect to drive this car for many more years.

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  not a caddy ,please - 2008 Toyota Avalon
  By haybailer - May 15 - 3:33 am

  The touring is a low rider, street driver with low profile tires and a sport tuned ride. It rides like my 2000 4matic although the Avalon is fwd, Taller strut towers and low profile, so Im told so far. Tire bite good in snow, Nokians. But ,Im trying to soften the ride this summer threw after market seek. Softer struts. These cars are fine for the money.

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  This is really a great SUV - 2008 Toyota Sequoia
  By kelvin x - May 15 - 12:36 am

  This is my first large SUV. I traded in my 2007 Mitsubishi Outlander XLS for the Sequoia SR5. And I am very happy with it. I feel like the king of the road. I compared it to GMC, Chevy, Nissan and Mazda and the Sequoia stood out more to me with better engine performance 381 hp! 401 lbs torque, wow, better mpg, interior quality, comfort and better looking than most. Just buy it, you wont regret it!