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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  from corollas to solara - 2002 Toyota Camry Solara
  By Richard Hughes - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Moving from 2 previous Corollas, this is a big up. Smooth exceration, quiet ride and excellent sound system. From previous Toyota experience reliablity should not be a concern.

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  Great Truck- Great Price - 2003 Toyota Tacoma
  By Irefire - January 18 - 10:00 am

  Great truck. Everything is well engineered. Looked at the Nissan , I believe the Toyota is a better value and will hold up even better than the Nissan (which is saying something.) Easy to drive. Make a Stick available- please !! Tough on gas 16-18 at best around town.

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  Corolla - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By Pawel89pl - January 18 - 10:00 am

  The new corolla is totaly redisinged and more horse power. With the new body also the body kit and 15inch alloy rims wat else could u ask for.

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  Review of 04 Highander V6 LTD - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By Bill Burleson - January 18 - 4:06 am

  Excellent vehicle for fairly short times, gets uncomfortable on long (4 hrs or more) trips. I am 72 years old and this may not be a problem for a younger driver. Easy to park and maneuver, good visibility for driver.

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  2007 LE - 2007 Toyota Sienna
  By peter - January 17 - 5:56 pm

  Great van, bad fuel economy - after 4000 miles average 14m/g, 50% city and 50% freeway driving.

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  GREAT CAR - 2005 Toyota Avalon
  By DEANNIE - January 17 - 7:46 am

  Satsified a need to have room for my wife + two booster seats in the back, eliminating need for an suv/minivan which are inherently slow, relatively poor handling/braking, gas-guzzling, and less safe than sedan/wagon counterparts. The fun-to-drive rating of 7 would have been a 9 had I bought the Touring model, but Toyota doesnt allow Touring models to have the best safety feature out there - VSC/traction control, so I went with the softer-suspended XLS which has vsc option. The XLS is still a good-handling car, but lacks precision the way a firmer suspension would provide. Stereotypical Toyota qualities are inherent in this car, even if its in first year of the new-gen Avalon.

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  Not impressed - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By lmarie517 - January 17 - 12:53 am

  This is my first Toyota, and I must say I am not impressed. The car is sluggish at best, transmission shifts often and hard (especially noticeable during braking). The car cant seem to get out of its own way. Transmission also has a very noticeable delay. I cant get rid of this car soon enough.

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  I love my prius - 2006 Toyota Prius
  By mdrobins - January 16 - 10:26 pm

  I love this car. I love the MPG monitor, it allows you to re-train yourself into better driving habits. If you dont speed, accelerate easily, stop slowly and less often you can get up to 52 MPG. I can go over 430 miles on one tank. If you do this, it is worth the price tag.

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  $2000 to fix the head lights? - 2007 Toyota Camry Solara
  By kathleen - January 16 - 4:16 pm

  The problems that are popping up are rather disappointing. We have a 2007 Toyota Solara convertible with HID head lights. The head lights work when you first turn them on but one goes out after 10 seconds and the other goes out after about 20 minutes. I was floored when they stated the bulbs were $368.00 each, and they did not stock them. I went to an auto parts store and purchased a bulb for $89.00 but it did not fix the problem. I took it to the dealer to repair the lights when they informed us that it would cost $2000 to repair the system and it was not covered as our car has 40,000 miles on it and I voided because I put in an after market bulb. The problem has not been fixed yet.

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  All was fine until Door Cable Broke - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By OCCasita - January 16 - 6:00 am

  Our 2004 Toyota Minivan 8 passenger was a fine, reliable, easy to drive, no frills (we bought the LE), family van. Weve been camping, endless school pickups dropoffs, family events, etc. Never a worry. Then, the cable in the automatic door broke. Thank goodness we only have one auto slider. The cost to repair? $1400! We have duct taped the thing in the shut position until there is a recall on this problem. After our shock, I have found that there are more vans with this problem than can be counted. Too bad Toyota is not willing to deal on this. We had been considering Prius/Matrix/Camry for a purchase this year. Now we will reconsider.