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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  Comfort, Value, Quality - 2001 Toyota Avalon
  By Panther Mike - February 23 - 2:00 am

  No problems with car at all. JBL stereo kicks butt. Smooth ride with plenty of power. Easily fit three adults (or car seats) in the back. Just a joy to own and drive.

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  Awesome - 2003 Toyota Tundra
  By Robertt - February 23 - 2:00 am

  Not only is this a great, no super truck the dealership made the buying experience a pleasure. I have had Chevys in the past and this is a much tighter, more solidly built vehicle.

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  Getting Dated - 2004 Toyota Tundra
  By Sarge Calden - February 23 - 2:00 am

  The Toyota Tundra is an extremely reliable truck. My truck endures urban stop and go, and if traffic opens up, Im gone. The 4.7 is flawless. 245 hp is good for nearly all pickup owners as is the 7,000 lb towing. I own 3 trailers and it pulls. Dont get the 3.4 if your towing, although it is bulletproof. Car-like ride is nice. Do proper maintenance and it will n

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  What a welcomed change - 2004 Toyota 4Runner
  By New-in-VA - February 23 - 2:00 am

  After driving a 1998 Dodge Ram 1500, the Toyota 4 Runner puts Dodge to shame. The comfort and convienence of a SUV is incredible. The warrnaties make it appealing for years to come. I love my new 4 Runner, take one for a test drive and youll be sold.

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  More Like a Lexus . . . - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By Natasha Darlink - February 23 - 2:00 am

  It came down to the Mazda 3, Honda Civic, and Toyota Corolla. My wife liked the styling of each, but she was not too keen on the Mazdas build origin. The Honda gave a taut, sporty ride (like her previous 2000 Mercury Cougar), but she ended up chosing the Corolla because of its "increased sophistication" over the Civic.

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  Best Van ever had - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By wills - February 23 - 2:00 am

  I had my van for 6 weeks now and it is the best minivan i have been in, I live in Michigan the big 3 country and the big 3 does not even come close to matching this van in quality, Reliability, design. I have many friends and family members working for the big 3 and drove all of there vans toyota makes the best van and cars out there , even my family member who works for Ford drives two toyota and will not buy a ford product again. For my money its toyota for me

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  Camry SE - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By kcole - February 23 - 2:00 am

  Going from a Chevy Tahoe to my new camry has been a pleasure! I thought I would miss the size of the Tahoe, but the roomy interior of the Camry is great! I just laugh and laugh when I pass the gas pumps now!

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  I liked this truck - 2006 Toyota Tundra
  By Rob - February 22 - 3:10 pm

  I purchased this Toyota with about 44,000 miles on it and owned it for about a year. I did about 12,000 miles in it and never encountered any reliability issues. It was fairly powerful and quite fun to drive; it felt lighter and the handling felt more responsive than my fathers F-150 but I found it harder to park. I eventually got in the habit of parking it in reverse which was much easier than parking forward. I am a careful driver and can usually get better than estimated MPG but I found that I was unable to improve this trucks MPG much with careful driving. The car felt well built and the interior was solid, although I did have some problems with paint peeling from the front bumper.

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  Hated to part with our 2010 4 cylinder Venza - 2010 Toyota Venza
  By borjborj - February 21 - 11:44 pm

  We had the car for 4 years and 1 month over 89,000 miles. We averaged 22K miles per year, never had any issues at all, only replaced tires and battery. We got combined 25.6 mpg on the original Bridgestones, harder riding tires. Replaced with Dunlop tires, then dropped to a combined 24.7 mpg, but it was a much better and smoother riding tires, worth losing 1 mpg. The car was always a pleasure to get on the road and travel and vacation in.

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  Best out there - 2002 Toyota Sienna
  By WOW - February 21 - 10:00 am

  I have had many vans including many American Vans This continues to be the best