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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  2001 Toyota Corolla - 2001 Toyota Corolla
  By hampton careen - September 12 - 5:03 pm

  Car has been a good experience, good mileage, good service, will recommend the car to all my friends.

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  Windshield problems - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Rich - September 8 - 11:43 am

  I have only 10,000 miles on my new Camry LE and have gone through 2 windshields. The first one was when I bought the car new I had already signed the papers when I noticed the the windshield was damaged the dealer replaced it and I was satisfied. I do a lot of highway driving and recently have incurred a crack that is about 8 inches long on the passenger side of the windshield from a very small stone. I have also notice a 1/4 inch chip just behind the mirror assuming from another stone. I have owned a lot of vehicles over the years and have never experienced this much problems with windshields. It has to be more than bad luck. The glass appears to be too thin.

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  2007 Toyota 4Runner SR5 - 2007 Toyota 4Runner
  By CG - September 7 - 9:43 am

  This is my 4th Toyota and 2nd (and last) 4 Runner. The entire cab rattles; including the annoying squeaks in the dashboard; plastic on plastic rubbing. This is the first Toyota I have ever had that had rattles. I have had it 21 months and the rattles started the 6th month. I have a total of 20,000 miles on it. I took it in to the Indianapolis dealership I bought it from and they told me that they were not going to be able to fix all the rattles. Are you kidding me! Next vehicle purchase will be an Acura.

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  Nice - but wouldnt buy another - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By steve - September 6 - 2:50 am

  Rough ride, lots of road noise. Noisy engine. Hard seats. If youre 6ft or taller youll be VERY cramped. Light color interior is bad, dark colored clothes such as blue jeans will rub off color onto seats - impossible to clean. Uses oil canisters instead of spin-on oil filters, location difficult to reach. Not as good as the older Corollas. Would look at something else. May actually trade this one.

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  Disappointed with Highlander - 2007 Toyota Highlander
  By kraley - September 4 - 4:06 am

  Purchased the Highlander about 2 weeks ago and ready to trade it in already. Vehicle makes a weird, rattling/vibrating noise when accelerating from a hard stop. Doesnt go away til you pass 40 mph. Interior visibilitily at night difficult. Cant see buttons etc. well. Worst of all, there are no A/C vents in second row. Passengers sitting in the back row are totally dependent on front seat passengers for A/C vent control. This means front row passengers freeze so that the back seat passengers are getting enough air. This is such a basic oversight I cant believe I spent over $31K for this vehicle.

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  The Good Bad and Ugly - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Judy Limburg - September 3 - 7:00 am

  We bought our 2009 Toyota Camry XLE in the winter of 2012 with 30,000 miles on it. We now have 77,500 miles on it. We are a bit disappointed at the amount of work weve had to do on it . . . we had to have the fuel pump replaced. The struts were next. New tires and, if memory serves me, a new battery as well. And now the ABS module is on the fritz. Fortunately, the first two repairs were under warranty. But, of course, as soon as our warranty runs out, we have the MAJOR expense of the ABS module to deal with. Its at the dealership now being diagnosed. We are anticipating a repair cost of $2000 or so. Not fun. The good - the car is comfortable, reliable (mostly) and gets good gas mileage. The bad - the repairs weve had to do. When you buy a car at a reputable dealership, you dont anticipate having such major repairs to make. The ugly - the $2,000 we will most likely be stuck with when we get the call from the dealership later today.

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  Reliable but basic - 1995 Toyota Pickup
  By Kratze - August 31 - 4:06 pm

  Ive owned my 95 pickup for about 9 years and it just finally gave me the first expensive repair ever. Up till now, its been ultra ultra reliable and has not cost much except for maintenance. But the interior plastics are starting to crack badly and the body is rusting a little in places. It has almost no amenities and the drive is average. Ive put quite a bit of weight in the bed at times and it hauls it very nicely. Interior space is almost nil. Although I often wish it had more features, Ive been very pleased with it. Though I have to admit mine wouldnt exactly be a bargain at this point given its present condition...

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  Beware of this!!! - 2005 Toyota Matrix
  By Beware - August 28 - 10:56 pm

  My husband and I have been through 9 cars and we bought and paid off this vehicle in full because we like that it was a Toyota (great reputation in quality and durability) it was a four door and had great space and very attractive and sporty look. Unfortunately weve had the worst experience ever out of 9 cars!!! It only has 15,000 miles and Ive been in the service deptarment more than I ever did for all my cars combined!!! To all who are looking into this car be aware that some matrix have been know to have a "long-crank" problem (mine is one of them). Sometimes it wont even start and I have to keep trying to start it with the key until it finally does. Very scary especially for a mom!

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  The seats are full of lint - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By dineen - August 28 - 1:33 pm

  I had a honda civic since 2006 and I figured I would try something new. In Sept I purchased a Corolla LE.. The car seems ok but the material for the seats is horrible. It is a gray material and it picks up lint. I mean it is really bad. The car is two months old and the seats are filled with tiny pieces of lint. I called Toyota and they said that is the first that they have heard of it. I am very frustrated. I cant remove it with a lint roller. I have to pick each piece individually. WOW!!! all those things I heard about Toyota are true.... bummer!!!!

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  Really enjoyed the 51 miles per gallon. - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By Cheryl - August 28 - 10:27 am

  The Fuel economy was unbelievable. Good, excellent even, but: and its a big one. The machine rides like a buckboard. Rough, very rough. The struts do not do the job. If you live down the street from your work and all are paved roads in good repair then its worth considering for the fuel savings alone. The resale value/ trade-in was not all it was cracked up to be. The largest disappointment were the mice. Literally. We had mice in the battery compartment, mice in the spare, mice in the rear seat. Mice in the ac. The mice were colonies. The fought, they died, they stunk, and stunk and stunk until we had to give up the ride. They came in though the engine cowling at the hood, under the wipers. They chewed through the cabin filter. We had them cleaned out by the dealership once, very expensive, and the car sanitized. They came again, we cleaned it out ourselves and placed wire over the air intakes under the wipers (YouTube) but during the summer every time we hit a bump, you guessed it: The smell of decaying mice through the air vents. Finally we traded for a Subaru. its a much better ride but I sure do miss that 51 mpg.