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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  Disappointed with a reliable name! - 1997 Toyota Avalon
  By Robert M. - October 15 - 10:00 am

  Got this car about two years ago and have had a lot problems! great performance and comfort. very expensive to maintain. problems from first day of purchase! first year went through 5 break jobs! terrible front- end design. problems with front shocks and alignment, eventhough the vehicle has never been in an accident! very expensive to maintain! would never buy another one!

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  2000 Avalon Rattles - 2000 Toyota Avalon
  By brownstone - October 15 - 10:00 am

  My 2000 avalon is an american car,Toyota is no longer japanese.The performance of this car above average.It has good power and acceleration.It is very comfortable and spacious.I havent had the car very long.This car could really use some interior inhancements.Riding on textured roads the inside rattles so bad you can not take peacful ride with the stereo off.The rattles are terrible.I have it at the dealership twice,they cant seem to quite the rattles.The car handles well,quite at highway speeds.Had to get the rotors turned.The car has only 38000 mi.The car accelerates abrutly out of turns.

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  Tundra Rides Poorly - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By Farley - October 15 - 4:26 am

  I have about 800 miles on my truck and its ride is awful. It literally bounces down the road. Although it has 4WD and an 8 foot bed, it was delivered with passenger tires! I have replaced them with 10 ply Goodyear tires but the ride is still bouncy due to 2 ply side walls. I plan to replace them again with BF Goodrich A/T tires which have 3 ply sidewalls. Hopefully this will cure the problem. The truck is beautiful but is a monster to drive. Visibility is awful and its dangerous to back up. Towing mirrors have two side mirrors on each side which makes it confusing to check vehicles coming up on you. Toyota did not do their homework on this one and I would return it to the dealer if I could.

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  1998 4x4 Tacoma - 1998 Toyota Tacoma
  By steve - October 15 - 12:26 am

  I bought this truck new in 98 and have never had any problems. Only expenses have been reg maint and gas. In the snow this veh is unstoppable. Best truck I have ever owned. The 2.7 4 cyl is a little low on power, but has never really been a problem. I always average about 20 mpg. After 155,000 trouble free miles I would only replace it with another identical Tacoma.

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  Buy it. - 2001 Toyota Corolla
  By Michael Templeton - October 13 - 8:13 pm

  Its really a great car. Almost every review is a big success. I have immensely enjoyed my yota. It had 67,000 mi. when I purchased it. I road- tripped out to Oregon from Michigan in April 2006 (6,200 mi. round trip) and it was a dream. Nothing went wrong with the car, we had only to change the oil once, and thats it. It never overheated, and it took on the Rockies with valiant spirit. One thing that DID go wrong though, as strange as it may sound, was that the cd player and volume knob broke. But we discovered later that SOMEHOW the volume was now fully controllable through the dashlight knob, and the headlight stick would turn the sound off and on...?? Weird. My experience earns a big nod!

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  Flint mica rav 4 - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By John - October 12 - 5:50 pm

  I have a 2007 v6 auto Rav 4. Color is Flint Mica. Great style great color. I have had it for 4 months and 5600 miles. Great SUV to drive. Transmission is not as smooth as my Titan. Seats could be a little more comfortable. The only thing that bothers me is the mysterious humming sound it makes. Its not the fan kicking on. The dealership could not duplicate.

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  Good car - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By w0by - October 12 - 9:53 am

  I bought my Corolla back in October. Ive had 30+ mpg since I bought it, which makes me really happy. Now that its been warming up Ive been getting an average of 32.8mpg. Im happy with that. I actually test drove quite a few cars, and kinda was always telling myself my next car would be a Hyundai Elantra. I actually really liked the feel of this car when I drove it, so I bought this car. I was reading the consumer reviews of the new 2012 Elantra and real life mpg isnt any better than my car.

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  100K and still going. - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By Tim Kloth - October 12 - 6:36 am

  We bought this car because of its reliability reputation. We bought it new. We just turned 100K miles and have had no major problems. New battery at 3 yrs. New brakes and tires at about 86K miles. Thats it. We still get just over 30 mpg on the highway with one passenger, full trunk and A/C on. The front seats could be more comfortable and we really dont like the throttle-by-wire system. The excessive lag can be dangerous if you are not planning for it. Also, the five speed trans sometimes hunts between 1-2-3 resulting in a sudden downshift with a clunk or an up shift and surge. The readouts for the radio and temp controls are hard to read in sunlight.

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  Not your [soccer] mothers SUV - 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Beeker - October 11 - 2:56 pm

  If you want comforts (e.g. leather, carpet, DVD), the FJ is not for you. Great recreational vehicle for camping, able to load up quite a bit of equipment with the seats folded down Note: one aspect I dont like is when folded down, the rear seats remain higher than the rear cargo area. That is, they are not flush. This makes it awkward to load/pack/carry some items. Fuel consumption roughly 17-18 for highway driving. Not as bad as Id expected. The FJ sits high on the road, making it great for the rare occasions you may need to go through water or snow. Biggest complaint, despite the great exterior design, the windshield is nearly vertical. I had numerous ding from stones, etc

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  OK car, but good value - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By TommyG - October 11 - 12:30 pm

  This car is priced reasonably, so you cant put too high of expectations on it. Its engine power is adequate, though not impressive. Road noise is quite high. So is the engine noise. It seems to be well-built, though we had a plastic engine compartment cover fall off of the bottom of the vehicle a few months after we got it. The snow level was fairly high, and since the car sits low, the snow probably pulled it off. Id consider it a design flaw. The Toyota technician said it was a common problem, but refused to replace it under warranty. The MPG isnt what it was originally rated. We have managed to get 40 mpg, but usually get about 30 (some highway, some city)