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 all around car, but not for touring! - 2013 Toyota Highlander
  By Michael McRae - August 27 - 12:57 am

  I actually love my 2013 Toyota Highlander Limited, but I wish it had more comfortable and adaptable front seats. We have put just under 40K miles on ours and just recently took the first extended trip in it. Both my wife and I couldnt stand to stay in the seats for more than a couple hours. They literally were a pain in the ....

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  Sail Away - 1994 Toyota Camry
  By GM Scheibl - August 26 - 3:16 am

  This was a very dependable vehicle for my use around the city and for shopping.

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  Not as good-fun as my 2008 4Runner - 2012 Toyota 4Runner
  By magluk - August 25 - 2:50 am

  Like all new cars its nice but not as good as my 2008 SE model. This SUV is way over priced and under equipped (no mud flaps, running boars, gate assist) poor plastic and cloth inside. It seems under powered and under developed. If its your first Toyota you will be happy for a year or so but like me this is my third Toyota. The quality has gone down hill and price has gone uphill. I wanted to buy a 2012-2013 4Runner for my wife but its not family friendly SUV. The jeeps looks nice and so does Honda Pilot. It will be a hard and tough choice but its wont be Toyota this time around.

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  2011 Sienna Disappointment - 2011 Toyota Sienna
  By rxgirl1210 - August 23 - 3:52 am

  I recently bought a 2011 Sienna. My 2nd Sienna (previous 2001) that I traded in for new one. What an all around disappointment. It screams CHEAP, CHEAP, CHEAP!!! Toyota should be ashamed of themselves for what they did to this vehicle. The interior is especially lousy! Hard, cheap plastic everything! Id give anything to have my beautiful, old one back. There are so many flaws and disappointments in this van, I wish I could bring it back to the dealer. The 2011 will NEVER go the distance like previous generations.

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  I must have got the lemon - 1999 Toyota Corolla
  By Jason - August 18 - 10:06 pm

  I bought this car because of its reputation with reliability and good fuel economy. I put aside my thirst for a sporty car and decided this car would be more practical. However, this car has had the craziest electrical problems. With only 80,000 miles on the car, while driving on the highway, the speedometer dies and the transmission will not shift out of first gear. It only happens in the summer if it has been sitting in the sun, or if I am driving on the highway in the winter with the heater on, so heat is obviously a factor. No mechanic has been able to fix it and I have spent around 1,000 dollars trying to get this problem fixed.

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  Sunroof Problems - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By marsimms - August 17 - 10:00 am

  We just purchased this vehicle less than a month ago and have had to make several trips to the dealership with it. Our most distressful problem is the poor interior build quality and a sunroof that squeaks over bumpy roads to the point of distraction. As I type this review, the roof still squeaks and no one at my dealership seems to know what or why it is doing this. The slogan should read, "interior by mattel". Also, the rear audio plate looks like its falling off even after THAT was replaced. After spending 50+ thousand on this truck I want to kick myself. There are better values out there.

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  Good car, not great quality. - 1996 Toyota Camry
  By spring1991 - August 13 - 11:18 am

  Bought at 120,000 for $2500. Car was in good shape but after a year and 11,000 more miles, Ive poured about $5,000 worth of repairs into it. There was an overheating problem, needed a new catalytic converter, engine seals, etc. The power windows & locks stopped working at 125,000. I did all routine maintenance to it, and I know the first owner took very, very good care of it. Despite these repairs the car is still pretty reliable and does its job. Dont be so sure that the car will run forever though. Im thinking of getting rid of it already.

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  too many gimicks, and no way to turn em off - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By James r - August 12 - 2:43 pm

  An accident that totaled my 2004 Tacoma extra-cab prerunner, caused me to need another vehicle. I liked my 04 Tacoma so much, I decided to replace it with the newest version of the same thing... a 2016 Tacoma trd sport access cab. The 2016 Tacoma sure is pretty, and it is a Toyota, I will give it that much. Like the history of the automotive industry in general, there comes a point where, (how do I say this?), advancements achieve a point of critical mass, and what are intended as advancements are actually something more like a de-evolution where the latest greatest may mark change, but not necessarily change for the better. Where there used to be a simple radio in my 04, the 2016 has a thing called a "head" which to me is little more than a glorified TV screen in the dash. The head is basically a touch screen operated onboard computer, with all kinds of the latest techno junk: Satelite, navigation, audio, weather, apps, and on and on and on. All I wanted was a reliable truck, not a computer, not a social networking tool, (and, oh joy) stock market info and a portal to buying movie tickets. Welcome to the future. No thanks. Maybe its "just me", for expecting a better version of what I had in the 04, because what I ended up with "in my opinion" is a truck loaded with the latest... unnecessary, annoyingly distractive, sound and light polluting... technology. Where to start with how this truck just isnt working for me, (and it seems more like Im working for it). Advanced blinding light features- I back out of my garage when its dark out, the head screen lights up the interior of the truck so much, it makes it really hard to see anything outside of the truck. I know what your thinking: just turn the screen off... right? Did that, it requires interaction on the touch screen... by the way, not one move, but a few, to make it go black. And yeah, I adjusted the back up screen to its lowest brightness, still too much light in the interior to see outside. Putting it in reverse automatically engages the back up camera, which automatically lights up the head screen. Turning off the head screen off under general settings does not keep the back up screen from coming on automatically when put in R. Turning off the back up camera requires an independent and separate set of moves. I just want to put it in reverse and be able to see outside of my vehicle in the dark conditions, not devote time to having to a bunch of fidgeting with all this electronic button pushing junk, just to kill this TV screen thing from blaring light that is making next to impossible to see beyond the interior of the cab. Annoying! In daylight conditions, the screen light does not present this issue. I like the back up cam, its really handy. But guess what? If moves were made to turn it off, moves are required for turning everything back on again. So again, rather than just putting it in gear, gotta play with the damn technology again. This is what I mean as the difference between the truck working for me, and me working for the truck... too much technology interaction by the driver required. Anybody reading this whos a hunter can relate to how the following features are less than desirable: Annoying sounds that come standard, and no shut off controls, on my brand new 2016 Tacoma- Mine is the push button, keyless ignition, version. If youre really into annoying sounds, I highly recommend you go for this version! Oh yeah, its cool to be able to grab the handle and it automatically unlocks... and to simply touch the handle and it locks... that part is awesome! Heres the catch though, an audible "beeping" and running lights flashing happens every time, no option to off those ... wa wa wa, not cool. Lights and sounds, a great feature intended to impress innocent bystanders how cool you are to be keyless? FYI- the lock mechanism functioning all by itself is audible enough, and you can feel the mechanism move too. So why the added beeping and the lights flashing?... and why no way to turn off the lights and sounds? Okay, maybe thats not entirely fair. There is a little sliver of a key in the electronic fob that can be used to open the door with no sound and lights involved. I wonder if the silence with the key has anything to do with not needing to advertise an old technology? the key is so miniscule, it like a high tech toothpick. The keys primary function is as a back up if the keyless technology fails, you can still get inside the truck. But if you have to use the key, good luck with the push button start. Can o worms! Door ajar is another annoying beeping sound effect. Yeah, I want my door open, okay? Theres nothing wrong with that. The beeping though... there is something wrong with that... its annoying! Seat belt not fastened sound effects- my dog sitting on the passenger seat triggered this one. Yeah, I know, the dog is not wearing a seat belt... slow beeps evolving into rapid beeps.

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  Had high hopes but disappointed in the Venza. - 2015 Toyota Venza
  By Dan - August 11 - 7:35 am

  We test drove a 2013 Venza Limited AWD. 24k miles. The LED daytime running lights looked great as did the hid headlights. Old style tail lights not so much. The seats were wide but lacked support. I could not get comfortable in them. The 3.5L had plenty of power, was relatively quiet but there was pronounced wind noise from the puny teardrop shaped mirrors. Very little tire noise despite being 20" Goodyear RSAs with 24,000 miles. Ride was not overly harsh as some reviews have stated. A big disappoint was the artificially weighted power steering. It felt dull and heavy. The interior was a mixed bag. The 2 best features were the panoramic sunroof and the JBL sound system. The dash looked really low rent with varying textures made of hard plastic. The fake wood could not have looked any chintzier. We intended to trade our 2014 Honda Accord Hybrid Touring on this car due to the need of an AWD vehicle since I sold my Toyota Tundra 4WD. Its hard to believe the Venza was a $43k car when new. We drove a new $43k Toyota Highlander Limited and the difference is night and day. I can see why Toyota discontinued production. The Venza seemed to be an overpriced afterthought. Although better looking than a Honda Crosstour it does not stack up well as far as quality of materials and driving dynamics and getting back in our Accord Hybrid Touring removed any doubts that we made the right decision in not trading for the Venza. On the other hand, we were so impressed with the 2014 and newer Highlanders that we are currently looking for a pre owned Certified XLE or Limited. 1/14/16 Update: We found the perfect car for our needs. We purchased a Certified 2014 Lexus GS 350 F Sport AWD with 19k miles. Absolutely awesome vehicle! Its sporty, powerful, gets 29mpg on the hwy. and is a beast in the snow. It was a $60,000 car when new and we bought it for $39,300...... $4,000 less than the MSRP of a new Venza AWD Limited.......and there is no comparison between the 2. It is the highest quality car we have ever owned. And we have owned a previous Lexus, several Acuras and an Infiniti, along with many Toyotas and Hondas since the 1980s. Nothing we have owned compares to this great car.

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  unreliable - 2001 Toyota Camry Solara
  By upset - August 8 - 2:00 am

  Since owning my 99 Solara I have had numerous mechanical problems. I had to replace the engine in October 01and starter motor in March 02. This car sure hasnt met my expectations of Toyota quality.