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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  CVT performance is disappointing - 2016 Toyota Corolla
  By Calvin Winnager - February 15 - 2:45 pm

  Overall, the 2016 Corolla LE is a reliable, adequately functioning car, ride is comfortable. At low to moderate acceleration, the CVT functions well. At moderate to hard accelleration, the CVT forces you to learn to accelerate from a stop. For your safety, I suggest you not attempt to merge into high speed traffic from a full stop. If you floor it, it will not shift until 5000RPM. It acts like it is hung in its current gear while accelerating slowly. What you learn to do is pre-select your level of desired acceleration, rev the engine the related RPM(2000, 3000, 4000), hold it there while the CVT goes through its shifting. However, at highway speeds (55-75mph), it performs well at maintaining its speed. I contacted the local Toyota service department and they assured me this performance by the CVT is as designed by the Toyota engineers. He said that due to tight manufacturing tolerances there should no fear of thrashing the engine up to redline if it is properly maintained. I have driven personal and rental cars and trucks with 3, 4, or 5 speed automatic transmissions for over 30 years. If you decide to buy a 2016 Toyota Corolla with CVT tranmission, you might want to test its hard acceleration from a dead stop to to see if you are satisfied with its performance.

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  Steering shaft problem - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By Rav in NC - February 5 - 4:00 am

  Beware of intermediate steering shaft problem with not only Rav4s but apparently other Toyotas as well. Do your research before buying. My rav4 is not 3 years old and mostly highway mileage but over 36k. Told by Toyota servicing dealer that the intermediate steering should be replaced at a cost of $1600. There is a tsb "Toyota service bulletin" for this problem but apparently since Im over the 36k mileage (even tho car is less than 3 years old), Im on my own. If Toyota steps up to cover this, Im a customer for life. If not, this is my last Toyota. So much for quality.

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  Toyota quality? - 2003 Toyota 4Runner
  By Dexter - February 2 - 10:00 am

  This is probably the vehicle with the widest gap between the design concept and the built quality that I ever owned. While the engineering and the design concepts are right on, the rattling and the squeaking make any trip an irritating experience. It appears that the Moon Roof is a major source of rattling.

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  Not Totally Happy - 2008 Toyota Matrix
  By Viper - January 30 - 9:10 pm

  I purchased this vehicle to replace the lemon I purchased in Feb of 2007. I was happy when I first purchased the vehicle, but then I realized that it tended to ride like I was in an old pick-up truck. It has been in the shop 3 times so far with brake issues and just seems to be getting worse. At this point I will not get another Toyota ever again because they are just not built like they were and the paint would start to fade.

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  Not happy with quality - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By soapbox17 - January 29 - 3:36 pm

  This Camry is not the Camry of the old days. The interior materials seem to be cheap. The SE vehicle suspension is horrible. You can every bump. The acceleration in the 4 cylinder veh was OK until the recall on the brake pedal. Now the acceleration is horrible!!! My vehicle is Black and the factory paint had bad places on it when we bought it and we had to have the PS door and rear bumper painted. The paint is very dull and even when clean it is not shiny even with a wax(almost like to they did not put a clear coat on it).I had a 2000 Camry for years and loved it until my daughters boyfriend totaled it. This 2009 Camry could never stand up to the quality of the older Camrys.

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  Very Let down! - 2014 Toyota RAV4
  By chrisg48 - January 25 - 5:46 pm

  We are a Toyota family having owned 6 cars and a truck but this car has really let us down. The gas milage is terrible. We average 22 and the best we have gotten is 24 on a trip to Florida. The seats are uncomfortable and the back seats have no cup holders or a power outlet. 4 adults fill this thing to the brim. There is no button inside or on the key fob to open the lift gate. It is an option that must be paid for extra. One would think this would be standard on the XLE edition. The touch screen is hard to use and the navigation will not let you make any changes unless the car is in Park. The car does ride and drive smooth but that doesnt make up for the other downfalls.

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  2006 Toyota RAV4 Limited - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By Claudette Longest - January 24 - 12:56 pm

  The noise level is really annoying to me on the interstate. I enjoy listening to the radio and just have to turn it off because of road noise. Also it rides like a truck. I expected more comfort. I guess I was spoiled by my last Camry.

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  Poor finish on bumper and mirrors - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By ray willis - January 17 - 6:43 pm

  My third Camry and by far the worst, the paint is of poor quality. I wax regularly and still get pits in paint from "bugs". Paint and clear coat are poor. Poor transmission. Tire wear is a problem. Had to replace tires at 20,000 miles. Lots of road noise. Tried 3 sets of tires. Wish I had my 2002 Camry back. The muffler sounds like a motorcycle

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  Bilking the Name Brand - 2006 Toyota Sienna
  By NJRD - January 16 - 8:26 pm

  It is bothersome to pay such a steep price for the value you get in return. The days of Toyota are numbered if it does not add value to its products as it will not be able to ride on its name for ever. The quality of interior cloth is similar to what they had put in 97 Camry CE. Shabby fixed antenna on a 28K vehicle! Turn signals are not safety friendly as they are hard to read in snow and rain. Ride is noisy to say the least and Toyota lacks dealer commitment who just want to push it as a cheap commodity

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  camery - 1992 Toyota Camry
  By lillian - January 14 - 10:00 am

  Well the steering wheel shakes when you drive it gets hot fast, the guy told us that the gasket is probly pinch and that is the reason for the over heatin