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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  Stripped Pistons - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By not happy - September 26 - 4:10 am

  I have been driving my Camry for 6 years. Very few issues until i hit 90k miles. My check engine light was on due to engine issue. Dealership said no big deal EVAP system not an issue. I had the whole engine drained and cleaned. 50 miles later, BING, light on. I took it to an independent service provider and they told me something is not right. Then at 130k miles, the engine pistons shoot through the casing into the combustion chamber. That could have easily started an oil fire that would have sparked into the gas chamber. The mechanic said Toyota has a serious engine design problem. Google Toyota engine issues, it is not an isolated issue. Toyota is waiting for another blow.

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  Stay away! - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By Archie - September 23 - 3:26 pm

  If you hit 60 mph, you feel yourself close to God because you might die anytime. The car loses all its balance, steering/handling is out of control, as if there is a strong wind hitting you sideways. I called toyota, they said they are aware of the issue, but no recall yet. If several people dies, I guess then they will start dealing with the problem.

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  Piece of Junk, Insulting Manufacturer/Dealerships - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By uffdaje - September 20 - 11:05 pm

  , I completely agree. I have been taking the car back to dealership I purchased my car at as well as 3 others and no one can fix the issues. I contacted Toyota National and they told me that they will not do anything about this and that I need to continue to work with dealerships on these issues. I have to use earplugs to drive this piece of junk, the engine sounds like a race car at full speed, the ride is rough and vibrates clear up the seat to head, tires lasted only 25K miles, etc. Dealer I bought car at told me to turn up the radio, use earphone or earplugs, that Toyota reengineered the side mirrors and small window and that this is the cause of the wind vortex sound around doors, that

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  Dont BUY - 1996 Toyota Camry
  By sammy aziz - September 20 - 2:36 pm

  I got this car from my sister at 160k and it dies at 185k. Its a horrible car. I had to replace the following 1. timing belt and water pump 2. front left brake, rotor, caliper, axle 3. engine mounts (top and bottom) 4. window motor 5. door handle 6. paint job. The car had numerous more problems. My Toyota celica 1992 did better. I wish I had kept it.

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  very disappointed - 2001 Toyota Avalon
  By lumberbrok - September 20 - 10:00 am

  2 mistakes one for thinking about buying it and the 2nd for doing it. several trips back to dealership (woodgrain-brakes-rotors-dash cracking) 2 front end accidents one with a deer and one with a vehicle at 65 Mph on the interstate and both occurences the air bags have not deployed the last time 09/04/02 the seat belt didnt even lock. Body damage was very severe to the avalon. 5th toyota vehicle we have owned this one has ruint the reputation we are finished with them all together. on a another review that it received a 3 star rating on crash test so this defies my answer to what i think--by the way the ford focus rated higher!

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  Not so comfortable front seats - 2015 Toyota Sienna
  By Mohan - September 14 - 12:46 pm

  Pros 1.The handling is very nice and doesnt feel that you driving a minivan. 2.I see many users complained about cheap plastic materials, and I personally don’t see that as a big issue. I see lot of interior parts on Ebay and they are not very expensive. Cons: 1. The steering wheel center is not aligned with the center of the front driver side seat. The issue I personally see with that is ,the steering wheel center is little inwards to the seat. While driving ,I was used to holding the steering wheel with my left arm placed on the armrest. Now with this miss alignment, the hand is not conveniently reachable to place it on the armrest while holding the steering wheel. This is a big discomfort while doing the long drives. I am not sure if very tall people will have this problem, but I am 59" and I feel the problem. I am not sure if this is any way related, even the seats are too comfortable for long drives. I used to rent dodge caravan before having this van and I never felt this issue. I also rented Kia Sedona and even those seats are very comfortable. This steering and seat alignment I believe will also be for 2016 and 2017 models since Toyota did not redesign any major physical changes. 2. The Voice recognition is technically useless. My cell phone has much voice recognition system than my 35k van. 3. The USB port cant keep up with the Smartphone charging and its very slow. 4. The gas mileage is not as per the EPA numbers. On the high way I am getting around 23 and that’s 2 below the EPA 25.When checked with the dealer, he told that the mileage ratings were form EPA and they have nothing to do with it. I saw the KIA Sedons EPA ratings and they are different for each model and the highest model has the least rating. I assume it has to do with the extra equipment they added on the vehicle. If that’s the case how come all the Siennas have same EPA ratings irrespective of the sub-model. 5. Quality- My GPS broke in less than a year and its been more than 3 months and the dealer did not replace it yet. 6. The seats are not 100% leather. Only the upper surfaces are leather. I have no issue until that part. But the adjustable hand rests are not in leather and that’s one of the pieces that you would touch a lot. I have a leather wrapped steering and they missed to add this small detail on the adjustable arm rests. 7. Not a big fan for their entune app except for their low fuel prompt and suggesting the nearest gas station. Also their live traffic update system is very slow and sometime its useless. I still rely on google maps for live traffic updates. I wish Toyota has android auto and that was really cool. I used it in an rental Hyundai Sanota and I really liked it. 8. The surround system for their audio is not calibrated correctly. You feel that all the sound is coming from the front speakers. I believe they calibrated it like for a car and ignored the 3rd row seats. I had to adjust the sound more to the back speakers to have that proper surround sound effect. 9. While making the U turn, I could hear a squeaking sound coming from the rear tires. I was not only the one with that issue. My friend went for a test drive and he complained the same and he did not ended buying a sienna. He bought an 4runner instead.

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  danger k frame rustout - 1999 Toyota RAV4
  By larrr - September 5 - 1:50 am

  Danger front k-frame rust out can cause fatal accidents. Toyota and NHTSA know about this but they dont care. check before you buy check it if you own it repair about $1.5-2k more things to fix on this car 125k mi. than my old Dodge Caravan 173k mi. never trust Toyota again

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  They Crippled Entune 3.0 radio/infomation system. - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By JRH - September 4 - 7:10 pm

  They Crippled Entune 3.0 radio/infomation system in the name of safety. All 3 audio system models have been crippled in more than one way or another. Really love this car except for the entune 3.0 suite. It has been stripped of features. Will not display music grace-note album pics except in park - now feature is worthless. Toyota salesman said it was broken. Could not believe it was now blocked while moving. They specifically restricted pic from phone book except when stopped or in park. It has restricted receipts of emails and text while the car is moving. Now you must spend more time poking on the screen. If you had previous Camrys then you miss these features instantly. Bad move on Toyotas part. See lots of complaints on different boards. Have bought 12 Toyotas in the past 15 years. Now looking at Honda Accord. Toyota is trying to hide this info in its literature and responses to complaints with vague phrases like “some feature are restricted while vehicle is in motion”. The manuals is hard to read so it is hard to find where it states what will actually be “restricted.”

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  New 2006 is awful!! - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By alicat2441 - September 3 - 8:36 pm

  I previously had a 1997 Toyota Rav4 that was much superior to this piece of junk. The 2006 model is cheap and nasty. The metallic covered pieces in the interior are already scuffed and scratched and have to be touched up or repainted. The AC knob has been pushed through the console and needs to fixed. I have dogs and the inside is already showing scratch marks on the inside door panels. Never had any of these problems with the 1997 Rav4 and wish I could have my old car back. The 2006 is not made for any off roading of hauling of objects, the inside is just too delicate. Another problem is that the 4 cylinder response lags. Want to get rid of this car ASAP.

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  If it is used, it is used up. - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By john797 - August 27 - 6:04 pm

  The 2.4L Camry is a mid-sized car which feels like a mid-sized car inside, parks like a mid-size car outside, and sips gas like a compact... and drives with the slushy feel, vague steering, handling, and turning circle of a much larger car. The drivers seat is extremely uncomfortable. Some of the interior luxury features like heated seats are nice. The mpg computer over-states the gas mileage by a bit, but it still does very well for such a large car. Reliability is where it all falls down. All 2006s are out of warranty now and repairs are very expensive. If you want a used 2006 be sure to get the V-6 which reportedly doesnt have the problems the 2.4L does.