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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  Worst car I ever owned - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By jitenshajin - November 22 - 8:06 pm

  I bought this car from my mother since she could no longer drive. It had 5000 miles on it. Kept it for 2 years and hated driving it. It was terrible in the snow. ABS did basically nothing. Steering was unstable in the snow, as was acceleration. I usually drive or tow cars to the junkyard, but this one I couldnt wait to trade in, at 4 years old and 24000 miles. The only plus was that it was good on gas.

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  Big mistake camry 2010 xle - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By abbas memon - November 16 - 9:50 am

  The reason I bought the Camry is because I traded my 02 Camry xle and bought the same car thinking it will be as good as my 02 Camry. When it is windy car is very hard to control I am scared out of my mind that it is going to skid. I think the material they use now days (probably from China) is very cheap and crappy. Big mistake I hate the car and I am thinking about replacing it with a SUV or something els. I wish I had listened to my wife and bought SUV. I will probably loose a lot of money when & if I buy another car. I dont think they will give me fair price when I am trading it. I just had no idea that is is going to be so bad. I dont know what to do. I am afraid to drive it in winter.

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  Worst Car Ive ever driven! - 1997 Toyota Corolla
  By Kevinster - November 12 - 3:07 pm

  I admit this car has its place... and its not with me. Ive driven quite a few cars and I would consider myself a "car guy", so Im going to base my review on that. Apart from the quite ugly exterior theres not much to talk about there. Upon entering the car youll notice it sits VERY low to the ground and for a "family sedan" you would be surprised. A nice amenity it has is that it has power windows, and the amenities stop there. Although the interior has some decent soft touch plastics, youll notice its not very inviting. The look is very bland. One thing Im surprised on is that it has no cupholders. The seats feel like youre sitting on an old sofa and the rear seats seem to be missing headrests. It has a radio with a tape player; so nothing out of place for that year of vehicle. Now for the drive. The suspension feels okay, and I can say thats the best thing about the car. Its not so soft, but it does soak up a bit of the bumps in the road. Steering is quite bad and has very little direct response, but most people could live with it. Now, the acceleration is my main issue here: it feels like it has none. You practically have to floor it to even get moving to speed and there is just no enjoyment in driving this car. The brakes are also quite unresponsive. If you actually enjoy driving this is NOT the car for you. If you could care less about what car you drive, want something cheap and to get to point A to point B I suppose this car is okay. But with how low it rides, how small it is, lack of cupholders and with the slow moving speeds I would say this isnt a good daily driver.

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  Boring - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By Wendy A. - November 11 - 5:26 am

  I bought this car after reading some really positive reviews. I dont know what they were thinking. I think this car is boring and ponderous to drive. And the quality is so-so. It is pretty quiet, but so are a lot of other cars out there. Mark me as disappointed. I really liked my old Lexus a lot better (but I dont like the new Lexuses (Lexi?) as much as the old). Toyota didnt hit the mark on this car.

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  You Get What You Pay For - 2017 Toyota Corolla
  By Jay0893 - November 2 - 12:59 pm

  First time leasing a Toyota. Bottom line: its an economy car. If you travel and have rented cars--it would be the one youd be driving if you the cheapest rate was your no.1 priority. Its...a solid inexpensive car that optimizes features to the extent possible for a car of this price and category. Being brand new--easier to tolerate some of the irritating things that Id expect from cars like this, primarily: extremely noisy above 40-50 MPH. Seats are very basic and stiff--comfort adjustments seem to be a given basic feature in cars today--the corollas would be too--if it was 1980. Decent control panel and ease of Bluetooth. Speakers and sound are terrible--like a cheap speaker bought in a pinch at Walgreens for 5.99. Surprisingly bad. Headlights and safety features are strong. Gas mileage of course is exceptional--you can drive the thing all month in your avg. metro area on one tank of gas. It is a complete sled of a car on acceleration until the engine warms up (in 2017? And with a little car with no weight to it-would have thought a basic feature) Very nice optimization of cargo space --they really do a nice job optimizing. You can fit much more than youd think in this little car. But in the end--its nothing luxurious by way of smooth ride, or comfort beyond normal day to day city driving. Solid. Reasonably priced, bland but decent enough exterior look. Sure the rental companies are all over Corollas, also seems a car youd lease your teenage child as a first car or reliable college car--as buying or leasing brand new is very affordable. My number one irrantant that, had I known at signing, would have been a deal breaker: the noisy ride. Definitely zero in on that in test drive to make sure you can live with it or itll really grate on your nerves.

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  You Get What You Pay For - 2017 Toyota Corolla
  By Jay0893 - November 2 - 12:59 pm

  First time leasing a Toyota. Bottom line: its an economy car. If you travel and have rented cars--it would be the one youd be driving if you the cheapest rate was your no.1 priority. Its...a solid inexpensive car that optimizes features to the extent possible for a car of this price and category. Being brand new--easier to tolerate some of the irritating things that Id expect from cars like this, primarily: extremely noisy above 40-50 MPH. Seats are very basic and stiff--comfort adjustments seem to be a given basic feature in cars today--the corollas would be too--if it was 1980. Decent control panel and ease of Bluetooth. Speakers and sound are terrible--like a cheap speaker bought in a pinch at Walgreens for 5.99. Surprisingly bad. Headlights and safety features are strong. Gas mileage of course is exceptional--you can drive the thing all month in your avg. metro area on one tank of gas. It is a complete sled of a car on acceleration until the engine warms up (in 2017? And with a little car with no weight to it-would have thought a basic feature) Very nice optimization of cargo space --they really do a nice job optimizing. You can fit much more than youd think in this little car. But in the end--its nothing luxurious by way of smooth ride, or comfort beyond normal day to day city driving. Solid. Reasonably priced, bland but decent enough exterior look. Sure the rental companies are all over Corollas, also seems a car youd lease your teenage child as a first car or reliable college car--as buying or leasing brand new is very affordable. My number one irrantant that, had I known at signing, would have been a deal breaker: the noisy ride. Definitely zero in on that in test drive to make sure you can live with it or itll really grate on your nerves.

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  About to put on 4th SET of tires and only have 72,000 miles on car - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By lucy123 - October 15 - 1:07 am

  I bought my camry off the showroom floor. It is a 2007 SE. Less than one year from the date of purchase I found myself back in the dealership to purchase NEW tires. The dealer gave me a "discount" and said the factory tires were "softer" therefore wearing out faster. Since then, I have put on 2 more sets of tires, ONE set per year and I in less than a month, I will have to purchase my 4th SET of tires! These tires are not cheap! I bought the camry because of the low maintenance reputation. I was wrong! Did I mention that I have had the two front bearings go out and a water pump? YES....my 2007 Camry SE is a LEMON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  Hate it! - 2009 Toyota Sienna
  By Kimberli - October 5 - 8:10 pm

  We traded in our 2002 "Jalopy" Grand Caravan for this van. It is my first brand new car EVEr! I am so disappointed in the reliability. Ive had a front end noise that dlrshp cant duplicate, my brake/accelerator footpad shivers at certain speeds and in certain road conditions. Again dlrshp cannot duplicate. Most importantly, long road trips 4+ hours are horrible. The "lumbar support" is unsupportive and lower back hurts after just 2 hours!

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  Dissapointing Quality - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By kjonim - October 2 - 2:00 am

  Very dissaponting quality of interior parts. 14 days spent since Purchase date. Do not buy cars made in California. Interior buzzes will drive u crazy. Recently right front door developed new ratteles and buzzes. This is my 4th toyota and definitly the last one.Toyota quality definitly took a nose dive. I also own Mitsubishi which has no such quality issues.

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  Not a car for the snowbelt - 1999 Toyota Camry Solara
  By Unhappy in Ohio - September 27 - 2:00 am

  Plain interior-wheres foreign fit & finish? Speed rated tires suicide in snow. Windshield fogs. Main problem, struts! Complained many times about clunking noise. Dealer finds nothing loose. After research, I uncover known strut problem. Failing strut on an icy road cause car to swish left into a skid after hitting dip. $7,500 in sheet metal damage, luckily no one hurt. During repairs, rented 2003 Impala; felt safe & in control for 1st time since 5-99 when I bought 1st (& last!) Toyota. Hurray for Moms apple pie & good ole American Chevrolet. (P.S. any Solara lovers want to buy totally repainted 99 SEV6? hahaha)