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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  Overall a good Camry. Still need improvment - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By ChadShephard - October 30 - 1:29 am

  Well, its a Camry. Most of the charateristic are the same. I really want to focus on suggestion and improvement.... 1. Road noise a major issue. Some wind and engine noise as well. Need better sound damping. 2. Interior layout seem outdated. The shift handle should be move way from center 3. Ugly front grill. Dont know what they were thinking with the grill. 4. Did I mention ugly front grill. Any suggestion on what I can do to hide the lower part of the grill would be appreciated.

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  evaluating our Prius - 2006 Toyota Prius
  By Ann Talbot - October 29 - 9:50 pm

  There is a ratle in the dash but that is the only complaint.Mileage is 30 % less than advertised but 42 mpg is fine. I sorly miss instruments like tachometer compass temperature.The exterior is alarmingly velnerable to dings due to the lack of any "bump- strips". The ovehead sunglass tray looks and feels cheap. The upolstry does not look or feel in the same class as our old 1990 626. Im glad it says Toyota on it. Time will tell if it was a good idea.

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  A Good Work Truck - 2004 Toyota Tundra
  By tvrehas - October 28 - 2:13 am

  The truck is solidly built and takes on construction sites with ease. The interior materials are top notch and the seats are very supportive. Though compared with other trucks the rear seat is tight and space to store items is scarce. Also, expected gas mileage on the highway to be better than 18 mpg.

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  Masterful Matrix - 2003 Toyota Matrix
  By Ilove2camp - October 28 - 2:00 am

  Ive had my Matrix for almost a year. What an awesome car! Ive packed it with my family of 4, loaded the rear to the ceiling, and stuffed a luggage rack with gear and mountain bikes and then climbed the mountains around Flaming Gorge Utah. It didnt miss a beat! I love the styling. We still have people stop us to talk about the car.

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  NexGen SUV - Worth the wait - 2003 Toyota 4Runner
  By JMU - October 28 - 2:00 am

  I was about to purchase my 4Runner earlier but waited until the appearance package on the SR5 that provides color keyed fenders and siding was available. Glad I waited. Dont know why Toyota put that grey cladding on in the first place. Major improvement in almost every way from the earlier 4Runner. I was almost going to get a Highlander but when I test drove the 4Runner I was sold. I thought it even had a better ride than the Highlander. If youre thinking about an SUV drive this one. It has the others in its class beat hands down.

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  Peppy, noisy, thirstly beast... - 2010 Toyota RAV4
  By Alex Povolotski - October 27 - 8:46 pm

  Very practical car, quite spacious inside, though you cannot tell from the outside. Nice styling, large buttons inside, lots of cargo room here and there, especially with second row folded. On the downside, the interior is very simplistic, the steering wheel is too small to my taste but on the lighter side of steering, which I kinda like. The brakes are marshmellowy. The 4 cyl engine is peppy and is surprizingly agile in all conditions, feels more like V6, actually. Too noisy though, engine noise is very intrusive, not like in Camry (though same engine). Mileage was disappointing -- 12.5L/100km.

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  Solid Commuter - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By Aunit - October 27 - 4:23 am

  The Yaris is all about cheap, reliable transportation and on that it delivers. I have seen well over 45mpg in mostly highway driving. I have had no reliability issues, all components work as advertised. The only issue I have had was that I was reversed into in a parking lot and the bumper cover cracked which may have been avoided but Toyota did not fit USDM cars with foam bumper absorbers (the parts under the cover, its essentially hollow under there). Canadian and Japanese cars have them.

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  Its as advertised - 2007 Toyota Sienna
  By dano257 - October 25 - 10:23 pm

  Only had it a few days but it is a nice van. I had a Ford Freestar Limited with all the bells and whistles that were available. It was all the bells and whistles that would break or cause me a problem. The LE with pkg #3 is everything I need, but nothing extra that could break or give me a headache. The Toyota just "feels" like a quality vehicle.

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  It will get you to where you need to go but not much else - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By cato1998 - October 25 - 2:42 pm

  Ive owned my RAV 4 for 5 years now and its the 3rd Toyota Ive owned (91 celica and 00 celica being the others). All my toyotas have been really great on quality. I bought this RAV 4 because of it being more practical than my 2000 toyota celica I traded it in for. The RAV 4 can get me through the midwestern snow storms without much problems (big problem with my celica). It gets great gas milage for a SUV but the RAV 4 is pretty vanilla. Not really exciting to drive. It will get me to where I need to go but thats about it.

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  cute, fun car - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By alexp - October 23 - 10:00 am

  Nice car. What I would expect from a car for $15K. Sports package (name only), not really sporty except for looks. Engine options and handing options would be nice for this S package. Fun to drive. Engine even has a little kick to it.