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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  Navigation sucks!!! - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Mrs. D - March 20 - 3:26 am

  Before you buy this vehicle, be sure that your cell phone is compatible with the Camry XLE 2015 . My husband purchased this vehicle for me is a birthday gift in June 2015, right off the showroom floor with only 10 miles on it. Before I even got 8K miles on it, I noticed the navigational system kept rebooting, going back to the Toyota welcome screen while I was driving the car. Toyota has had my car 3 times since we purchased it, so they finally figured out that my cell phone is not compatible ( Samsung Galaxy Note 5) with the car. We told Toyota corporation that should have been disclosed by their sales person before we made the purchase, so they said they will be doing an update to the entune app in March, but I think theres a defect in my navigation system. I will never ever purchase another Toyota vehicle, also the car has no get up in it, and the gas mileage is horrible. So before you buy a Camry XLE, be sure to do your homework first. Very disappointed Toyota Customer

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  hesitates, cant be fixed - 2006 Toyota Highlander
  By matus - March 19 - 3:00 am

  after 18 months I still cant trust this vehicle to accelerate when I step on the gas. It takes too long to shift, double shifts and hesitates. Ive had to change the way I drive so I dont get slammed into. Interior space usage is not very efficient. Buyers remorse. Toyota, after three trips to dealership says theres nothing wrong with it.

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  Troublesome - 2005 Toyota Tundra
  By roadking218 - March 16 - 2:20 am

  Love the interior and truck size. Hate the mileage. Extremely poor for a small V8. Poor workmanship. never expected a recall from a Toyota. Tire wear was excessive.

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  ok run of the mill car - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By iosax - March 10 - 10:11 am

  the weakest link is comfort, like most new cars the middle console is very intrusive. The door is also molded to allow for a bottle holder, extremely annoying, who needs to be crowded by 10 bottles and cups when driving?! it feels almost like an airplane seat visibility is not great either, because of the rounded contour is very hard to estimate distance in the back windows a little too small electronics very basic, almost antiquated steering wheel doesnt extend quite enough

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  Should Be Better - 2013 Toyota Tacoma
  By likenicethings - March 9 - 5:50 am

  There are only a couple of choices for a mid-size pickup. The Tacoma is an average vehicle that could easily be much better. All Tacomas speedometers are off by 3 mph and all 4-cyl engines tick like toy engines. The 4-cyl engines are less than adequate for a useful pickup truck. The transmission has to downshift twice going up marginal grades at 65 mph. I want more mpg than the standard 1/2 Ton PU, but need enough power for adequate highway driving.

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  Be sure this is what you want - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By demetrios999 - March 7 - 5:01 am

  Run the numbers before making your decision. 50 mpg is impressive, but the Prius costs several thousand dollars more than a comparably equipped gas-only vehicle (think Corolla). If you drive 15,000 miles per year, the difference in annual fuel costs between a car that gets 30mpg and a car that gets 50mpg is only $600/year @ $3/gallon, or $800/year at $4/gallon. You may never make up the cost difference. Power is acceptable (not great) when you punch "Power Mode", otherwise it is a road hazard. I always punch that button when driving from a stoplight or getting on the highway, and turn it off when I am up to speed.

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  Ok truck but noisy - 2013 Toyota Tacoma
  By Anthony - March 6 - 4:19 am

  I owned a Nissan Frontier and the tires were bigger and the seats were better and you did not hear a lot of noise from the engine and like the Tacoma the engine has some power on the v-6 model but the Frontier v-6 is more powerful can handle bad weather better but the Tacoma has a better blind spot area than the Frontier both trucks are way over priced the Tacoma is mostly hype from its rich past the truck is made to fast and is poorly engineered Toyota is becoming like GM to big and it hurts when you fall from the top what can make the truck better is bigger tires and correct the engine noise problem and a better braking system this may be my last Tacoma

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  Not the happiest - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By filbert - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I find it ok to drive and as far as the performance its ok. But for as much as it costs it defenetly needs improvements to the interior design.

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  Back to square one! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Tom Anthony - February 28 - 6:34 am

  After anxiously awaiting for the much talked about ( hyped) new Tacoma, I am so disappointed. First, let me say that I test drove the Limited at two different dealers and all seemed " good to go." I factory ordered one and after waiting 6 weeks, it finally arrived. Thankfully, the dealer where the purchase was made is located about 50 miles from my home. Thankfully because this gave me a chance to experience the " real world" characteristics of this truck over a longer period of time and greater driving distance rather than merely a short " test" drive. I am in complete agreement with those reviews which describe the constant shifting of the transmission while attempting to garner enough power from the engine to satisfy its needs. Any light load or slight acceleration causes this shifting action - very disturbing. I think the " acclaimed" Atkinson engine, which really only a resembles a true Atkinson cycle design slightly, is too underpowered. Also,no power front seats is a "no no." They are very uncomfortable. Well, rather than ramble on and on, I will close with two pieces of good news: 1. I loved the rest of the truck. All the bells and whistles are great. 2. My dealer has three day return policy. I brought the truck back within that time frame and the purchase price was refunded to me. Now I will look more closely at the Colorado or wait to see what 2017 brings. Toyota are you listening?

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  Its an okay car - 2016 Toyota Corolla
  By Redline056 - February 27 - 1:36 pm

  Its an amazing car in the summertime. It handles good in the rain. The car sucks at accelorating in the first gear but when you get past first gear the car comes alive. But the winter time sucks in it it becomes very slick the car mostely slides around and the car gets stuck in small amount snow (had a lot of problems with that) because the car is so low to the ground. But once again good for summer. The sports button in it doesnt seem to make alot of difference in the cars acceloration. The only thing i have noticed is that it holds the high rpms in the auto part of the tranny. The interior of the car is very user friendly with a good sounding radio. The trunk space is amazing in the car i also love how bright the lights are on the car but tend to get flashed alot because people keep thinking i have brights on. Its a good car to buy good fuel mileage but not a winter car. For winter i would suggest to buy something different.