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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  Disappointing - 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  By Anna - July 20 - 5:23 am

  I was extremelly disappointed with the fuel economy. I got an average of 21 mpg - way below than expected. Granted I used the air conditioning all the time as I live in Fl but I did not push the car hard. A hybrid should have better fuel economy for its price tag.

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  My Camry Review! - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By PeterD - July 20 - 5:20 am

  My first Toyota product. I like it a lot. Great ride, engine, interior, gas mileage. Well built. The audio system is awesome, as is the Bluetooth technology.

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  Next truck will be another Tundra - 2008 Toyota Tundra
  By bassman - July 20 - 5:00 am

  Just turned 10,000 miles and I am just as pleased with this truck as the day I picked it up. Had taken it in for the gas pedal recall and also had the radio replaced. Other then that, this is the best truck Ive ever owned. After 3 Chevys and Dodge Im glad I listened to my mechanic. When he said Dodge, GM and Ford make pretty good trucks. But their not a Tundra!

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  Camry Hybrid - 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By GOALLDA - July 20 - 3:10 am

  Toyota has paid attention to comfort - Quiet ride - Surprising power for a hybrid - plenty of legroom in front and back - good sound system - Interior seems to be too "plasticy" (hows that for a word?) - I feel safe driving this car - trunk space small, but one learns to live with it - I would recommend this vehicle to anyone who wants fuel economy with comfort.

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  Cruise Control --- Warnings --- Dashboard --- etc. - 2018 Toyota Avalon
  By bhs67 - July 19 - 9:48 pm

  Toyota 2018 Avalon Limited ... 5,931 miles ... purchased four months ago, Aug 2017 -------------------------------------------------- Cruise Control 1. "Set" the cruise control to 35 mph (freeway construction zone). Accelerate (with the foot accelerator) to 70 mph after the construction zone (do not change the cruise control while accelerating). Set the cruise control. The car hits the brakes and slows to 35 mph. This could lead to multiple rear end collisions. 2. "Set" the cruise control to 55 mph. When traveling down a gradual slope ... the car brakes for a second ... then accelerates for a second ... then brakes for a second ... then accelerates for a second. The transmission shifts through three gears, up and down (per a service tech who monitored with his computer). The steepness of the slope may modify the times. It may be an engineering achievement to maintain 1 mph precision, but it kills gas mileage. 3. On a recent trip, the cruise control stopped working. There was a warning light with a message that the cruise control is "not available". The next day the cruise control started working again. 4. On the same trip, the tach jumped to 3,000 rpm at 70 mph. Canceling the cruise control, and restarting cruise control, did not make a difference. A few hours later it was back at 2,000 rpm. Also kills gas mileage. -------------------------------------------------- Warnings 5. a) The door is opened, the engine is running, there is no warning sound. b) The door is opened, then the engine is shut off, there is a warning sound. Normally a warning sound indicates something else is wrong. In this case, there is nothing wrong. -------------------------------------------------- Dashboard 6. The gas gauge light is dim. Can barely see during the day. 7. The A/C On / Off light ... Auto light ... cruise control ... etc. ... are dim. Can barely see during the day. 8. There are no knobs (only touch screen buttons) to change the heater / air conditioner. The driver must take eyes off of the road to adjust the temperature. 9. Must take off gloves to change the heater / air conditioner. -------------------------------------------------- Headlights 10. The headlights, in the auto mode, jump from high beam to low beam every few seconds ... even when it is midnight ... and there are no other cars on the road. I suspect it is the reflectors on the side of the road. -------------------------------------------------- Fog Lights 11. There are no fog lights. -------------------------------------------------- Misc 12. The passenger side rear seat door speaker has a distorted sound ... the dealer plans to replace. 13. The key fob does not always work to open the trunk. 14. Only two cup holders. 15. Too much bass on AM radio ... difficult to understand people speaking (unlike our Honda). Minimizing the bass does not help. -------------------------------------------------- -------------------------------------------------- --------------------------------------------------

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  Inconveniences - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Amy - July 19 - 6:55 pm

  This is my fourth Camry and I am not really happy with it. Toyota took out the simple convenient compartments for storage that were very helpful out of the car. Didnt even have a 1000 miles on my new car and had to replace the stereo system, works a little better but still sounds horrible. The adjustments for the radio like the bass , and treble really dont work and the volume basically has to be between 20 and 30 to hear over road noise. You go to surround sound and there still is very little difference. So, needless to say the stereo system sucks. Also, they put LED headlights on the car and cant stand them. Needed special night driving glasses made because I get migraine from the reflection off signs and vehicles. On coming traffic always thinks you have your brights on and they continuously flash there brights at you. Dont have fog lights anymore that you can turn on or off by yourself either. They stay on all the time when you are night driving. Hate that the LED lights have a horizons cut off point. Bridgestone cheap tires too. With 8000 miles on my car, I am very upset with the changes to the Camry so far.

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  Toyota - why buy anything else? - 2006 Toyota Tundra
  By Kinsey - July 19 - 4:06 pm

  We drive back and forth from city to city and this Tundra cruises like a full size sedan. You wont believe how quiet the engine is or how smooth the ride is in a double cab Tundra.

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  97 AVALON - 1997 Toyota Avalon
  By Janina Deppe - July 19 - 2:13 pm

  Other than standard maintenance we have had little or no work done on this car. A few weeks ago we had our first problem (after six and a half years of owning the car) which was a rack and pinion issue and was corrected. We chose a bench instead of a bucket seat to get more seating which was important at the time of purchase but isnt a nice feature. The tan exterior and interior leather are not very attractive. I wish we opted for the wood trim and sunroof options as well. Excellent reliable car and my six foot seven cousin sat in the back seet and said it was the first time he could do that comfortably in any car!

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  Lexus of Lighter Duty Trucks - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By White Chocolate Tacoma - July 19 - 1:55 pm

  First I would like to start out by saying thank you to Steve Gomez and the staff at Gulf Coast Toyota in Angleton, TX. I traveled almost 200 miles to purchase My 2016 TRD Sport from them because they are strait up and didnt make me pay MSRP. I visited at least 5 dealerships and test drove both access and double cab models with four cylinder and six cylinder combinations (only 4x2 models). For me, the white V6 automatic TRD Sport 4x2 with a regular bed was the winner. This made the most sense in terms of my needs and value. This truck came with the V6 engine, upgraded stereo receiver (bigger screen), traction control, tow package, alloy rims, bed liner, nitrogen in the tires, day time running LEDs, push-to-start, and tint. It did not come with blindspot indicators or the side steps, but my foot is too large for the "cute" sidesteps Toyota likes to install. I put 700 miles, highway and city, on the truck in the first week and I am very pleased. I almost didnt purchase the truck after reading reviews on some industry respected sites. Particularly, the reviews regarding the transmission "having a difficult time finding a gear at higher speeds" was a major concern for me. I have not found this to be an issue. Currently, the only time I can remotely reproduce the issue is when I am purposefully erratic with the gas pedal at high speeds. Having owned 30+ cars, including a GS Lexus, I believe a slight delay in RPM re-stabilization is normal for most cars that have more than 6 automatic transmission gears. Enjoying/maintaining excellent ride and comfort requires a responsible driver and wisdom, but I digress. I will note that the aforementioned "questionable transmission" reviews were in almost all cases regarding the 4x4 models. Also, keep in mind that the RX 350 and GS350 now come with a variation of this same exact engine. I have noticed one thing. If I park the truck, open driver door, and then turn off the engine, the truck likes to make an annoying beeping sound until I close the driver door. However, if I park the truck, turn off the engine, and then open the door there isnt an annoying beeping sound. One would hope that the a 2016 truck would be equipped with the processing power to understand "yes, the door was opened prior to engine shut off, but the engine has subsequently been shut down so stop the freaking beeping". It may have been intentionally designed this way, but I am more than willing pull out the old C++ compiler if that is acceptable :-). Overall, Toyota nailed it in 2016 with the 4x2 TRD Sport. Can it get better? Yes. Will it get better? Yes. -White Chocolate Tacoma

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  08 Yaris - everything I wanted - 2009 Toyota Yaris
  By Chris - July 19 - 12:40 pm

  I wanted a reliable, fuel efficient vehicle to get me to work, store, etc. This is it. Ive had this car 10 months, put 16K miles on it, and it hasnt given me an ounce of trouble. On an average tank of gas, combination of highway/town, I get between 39-41mpg. I run 80mph on the interstate with plenty left, handles great. The dash in the middle takes getting used to, and the corner posts are too thick, impeding vision, especially backing out of a parking place, I would like to see a tach, temp gauges. Besides that, this car is great. No regrets.