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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  Great vehicle - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By csuziwin - January 4 - 11:26 am

  Comfortable, great on jeep trails. not too big or too small.

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  Wonderful car desperate for console re-design - 2014 Toyota Prius v
  By DN Word - January 4 - 7:25 am

  If you want a sporty and responsive car that uses less gas than a lot of others and is great fun to drive, this is a car to consider seriously. I am very glad I bought this car, even though I can never exceed 46 mpg regardless of where I happen to be driving (mountains, freeway, city). I would happily give it five stars if it werent for the climate controls, digital displays and virtually useless navigation (for which I paid well over a grand.) I dont even mind that rear window visibility is a little awkward because the backup camera is so wonderful. And the storage area is larger than it appears, even though you will have to move anything you have in there to change a tire, but how often, really, does that happen? And what car, these days, is any different in that respect? That fifth star is missing because of the center console and digital displays. Want to see your odometer reading? You must toggle through mind-boggling displays hunting for it. And I have yet to figure out how to get the front window defogger to adequately function. Maybe its not functioning at all? The heating and cooling are stupidly hard to operate (dangerous even, if you consider you are usually driving when you want to adjust them), and not very effective, but maybe thats because I havent yet learned to operate them after more than a year of reading the monster manual. For years, Toyota made a simple three-dial control that was so intuitive and really gave you what you wanted in the way of heating or cooling. Guess that went away with the speedometer dial that could be seen in peripheral vision, rather than the despised digital speedometer, which must be read, and more frequently, since the engine makes so little sound to indicate variations in acceleration. Too bad Toyota made a five-star car and equipped it with a 2-star interior console.

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  This RAV is the Mac Daddy - 2009 Toyota RAV4
  By glowwing - January 4 - 7:16 am

  Im 52 and this is by far the nicest car i have ever owned. i would never have guessed any car would beat my 4runner but i was wrong. The loaded 4 runner is great but all things considered the RAV takes the gold star!

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  The Best Compact Truck Ever - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By Gio - January 4 - 2:16 am

  The new Toyota Tacoma 2005 is the best compact truck ever. The handling is impressive for the siza of the truck. the 4.0L V6 is amazing for a small engine. The truck is one of a kind. The gas mileage is great. I reccommend this truck to a true truck lover.

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  Looking forward to a long relationship - 2011 Toyota Corolla
  By gascostsalot - January 4 - 12:46 am

  I looked over many cars and narrowed em down to the Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla. The 2012 Focus is all new styling for body and auto transmission. The front of this Focus looks cheesy and isnt functional, being nothing more than mostly a bug catcher. A new, double clutch auto transmission, worried me also - no track record regarding functionality and durability. The Focus gas cover was cheap plastic with matching body paint. The Corolla I chose was an S model. Ive owned for 1 month. This had the 16" wheels I liked. The steering is TOO responsive, but im used to it now. Terrific gas mileage at 31mpg driving 75-80mph. Comfortable. Too much static creating vinyl and plastic inside tho.

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  Mine may have been a lemon - 1998 Toyota Corolla
  By thecasualgamer - January 4 - 12:07 am

  Mine was actually a 4 speed auto, but manual was the only choice listed. I bought my Corolla in 2013, expecting it to be a cheap car that would be easy on gas, but it had problem after problem.It also had an oil burning problem. I learned a lot from this car though and it will hold value due to it being my first car ever. It was recently totaled and now I have an 02 Avalon. Heres to hoping that itll be less problematic than the Corolla.

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  UGHHHH!!!! - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By JJ - January 3 - 11:13 pm

  While the truck does have towing capacity that is all it has, but it cant even do that at high speeds. Heck a golf cart can pull something, it just cant do it with any speed and neither can my Toyota truck. Gas milage is average for a truck. The interior is small compared to Mazda and Nissan. Also not very comfortable. Road noise is very loud. The body metal is even thinner than before and the vehicle can be dented just by leaning on it. Everything on a Toyota is an extra option costing you more money to upgrade. Toyota is relying on its name and reputation to sell there product instead of giving the customer options. Im getting rid of my Toyota and getting a Nissan.

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  Superb! - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By jshcy - January 3 - 8:15 pm

  I just purchased a Camry LE at a fantastic price. Prior to purchasing the Camry, I test drove the 2013 Altima 2.5SV. The Camry won out on quality and refinement. It is extremely quiet and smooth. Fit and finish is also excellent. You cannot go wrong with this car. Everything in the car works intuitively.

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  overall a great truck - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By jays99taco - January 3 - 3:26 pm

  I sold my 1999 taco and got the 05. Love this truck. The 4.0 is powerfull and the difference from the 3.4 is night and day. The access cab is the #1 reson I wanted this truck. styling is a bit contemporary but it fits the truck well. I have the sport seats and they are comfortable. The TRD off road pkg is awesome. The truck definitely is larger on the exterior and the interior is very spacious. My father is 64" tall and he is very comfortable in this truck. The composit bed is a great Idea. I will have to see how it holds up. Take one for a drive and see for your self.

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  From Supercrew to Prius - 2008 Toyota Prius
  By Shawn - January 3 - 12:13 pm

  I dont usally write reviews but I felt I needed to write this one. Ive owned this car a week so Ive still got new car fever. Ive been driving a Ford Supercrew for 7 years so going to a Prius was a new view on the world to say the least. If you are a big vehicle driver you need to check this car out... no regrets. My 2 kids have enough room in the back even with me (61" 220 lbs) in the drivers seat. We all have room to spare. My wife and I find ourselves fighting over who gets the car. Our first tank of gas got 46.7 MPG and we are doing even better on our 2nd.