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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  I will not buy again - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By UnhappyCustomer - June 16 - 2:00 am

  Nobody in my family works in the auto industry. No relative works in the auto industry either. This is my second Toyota car. I bought it in late October 2010 for about $16,665. This was bay far the biggest mistake I have ever made in buying cars. It turned out that part of one airbag was not installed properly. It seems that steering wheel will be out of control if the speed is high (say about 70 mph). There are some rattling sounds when the engine is turned on. You can not hear the rattling sound when the car is moving because the road noise is even worse. I would definitely NOT recommend this car to any friends.

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  I have never driven a Camry I liked - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By kittycats - June 10 - 2:45 pm

  We have owned 4 Camrys that my husband keeps bringing home because they are cheap. Well duh, they are cheap because they are CHEAP. Everyone of them lost their engine around 150,000 despite the fact that we do everything the manual says to do (I have a beautiful oil slick in my garage too). The ride is awful, pickup worse and not all the great on gas. This last one was in an accident and gratefully no injuries, but was totaled (I thanked God for that one too). After my experience with this model, I honestly do miss my AMC hornet, at least it was peppier, fun to drive and did not blow up on me. I do not recommend.

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  This will be my last Toyota - 2004 Toyota Tacoma
  By Dissapointed - May 13 - 8:56 pm

  Actually this was my first Toyota ever. It will also be my last. This thing is as unreliable as can be. It leaves you stranded randomly and then it runs great for a few days again. The problems started shortly after the 60,000 mile mark, and to no surprise the drivetrain warranty expired at 60,000 miles. This is my last Asian vehicle ever (Had a Honda Accord years ago and it was a money pit).

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  Never Again! - 2007 Toyota Corolla
  By djyi21 - May 2 - 12:36 pm

  By far the worst investment I ever made! There was paint over the clear coat on the car and you could feel it. I took it back to the dealership and said there was nothing they could do about it. My factory tires lasted about 50k miles. My suspension is creaky and my car is leaning on the drivers side. My belt snapped at 40k miles. My brake pedal is loose and wiggles! The lack of power on this thing is horrible. It handles horribly. Dont ever put a roof rack on this car. I have one now and it just acts like a sail. The car loses an immense amount of power. Ive invested to much money into this car. I wish I would have never bought it.

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  16 Camry xse - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By Kirk - April 5 - 4:42 pm

  16 Camry - paint bubbling on front edge of hood in one spot, field rep said was due to rock chip so I asked why the other chips werent doing it of course couldnt explain. lets get real rust doesnt happen over night specially on a car with the build date of less than a yr. - clicking noise happens 1 time each time I back up, was told normal condition.. Really, Toyota purposely sells cars that make noise?? - I buy a bew car every 18 mths or so, previous 2 were new camrys before that a CTS, and before that a Lexus 470, before that a Corolla and corolla was bought because I bought a new tundra which I loved but horrible mileage so I used corolla to go to work n back n drove tundra rest of time. This is just from 2007 until now and pretty much have bought new every 18 mths my whole life... - Never had any problems with any of my Toyotas until this one and now come to find out it doesnt really seem like toyota cares.

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  Safety Hazard - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Taco Owner - April 2 - 2:02 am

  In all honesty if not for the engine and transmission this would be my favorite truck I have owned. Looks are flawless in my opinion and comfort is what Id expect from a 4x4 truck. But thats the best Ill give it. On day 3 of owning the tacoma my check engine light came on with the most awful vibration. I immediately took it back to the dealer to find out 6 injectors needed to be replaced. While there I reported a bad delay in going from park to drive, and this especially concerned me backing out of my driveway in the mornings going to work, a couple times up to 5 seconds (imagine sitting in the highway 5 seconds stalled). After three visits to the service dept about this they check the transmission fluid to find it is nearly a quart low! This is still within the 1000 miles and they claim they cant reproduce it. I reproduced it in the truck with the mechanic and that still got me no where as "thats normal". As the other reviewers also mentioned the throttle response and shifting is horrible. They are ABSOLUTELY CORRECT. Nearly every day I press the gas pedal moderately and it gets hung in the wrong gear, bogs the engine, begins to slow slightly, so I press harder. Suddenly after a few seconds it decides to rev very high and jump into far too low of gear (or out of gear completely) and significantly slows the truck. I completely let off the gas, coast down the highway, and wait for it to shift back in to gear (again stalling in the highway). All while the service manager says the shifting is "normal with these new electronic transmissions". If you dont mind a truck that will stall you in the middle of the road, buy this truck. Otherwise go buy something else. It is obvious from the transmission fluid and characteristics of this transmission this truck never saw a day of quality control or testing.

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  Should have bought the odessy - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By Soccer mom - February 23 - 10:00 am

  I am not that pleased with my sienna I should have spent the extra $$$ and went with a honda. The ride isnt as car like as the odessy was.

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  Terrible Seats! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Mark Kriston - February 8 - 7:17 am

  Went to the Toyota Dealership to purchase a Tacoma. Love the looks of the redesign and was ready to but. Test drive lasted 30 seconds. Drivers sea is extremely uncomfortable. Cant imagine sitting in it for more than 15 minutes without experiencing significant back and leg pain. Im 62" 220 lbs. The seat cushion is stationary and does not ratchet up or tilt back. Also the thigh support is none existent! Shame.

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  No Apple Carplay - I am switching to Acura - 2018 Toyota Avalon
  By MD - February 3 - 7:17 am

  This car has no Apple Carplay! I am switching to Acura TLX.

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  The illusion of reliability. - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Brian - January 27 - 3:48 pm

  When you think of the name Toyota one of the first things that may come to mind may be reliability, well the 2016 tacoma is far from that. For having the truck for over a year and now 25k, it is now clear to me that this truck was not ready for its release, Ive had issues with the truck ranging from the transmission delaying to getting several recalls done on a brand new truck, not to mention the current famous recall for a quarter million trucks that has had my truck and thousands of others Tacoma sitting at the dealership for over 2 months. If you do your research make sure you hear it first-hand from actual people who own the truck, websites such as tacomaworld.com are very informative and will give you first-hand reviews coming from actual Tacoma owners who own the truck. Thousands of owners share my disappointment for what the Tacoma could have been, due to its recalls, and problems with the truck and the unfortunate part has been that all of us have been ignored by Toyota about the problems we have been having with the Tacoma because they are still going to sell thousands of them regardless of the customers being unhappy. Do yourself a favor before you buy and really research what people are saying about the Tacoma, not just magazine authors, or professional reviewers.