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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  Great Fun and Works for my Business - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By Weaselboy - August 22 - 3:16 am

  Bought the RAV4 as a work vehicle and it has performed outstanding. Gets the attention I like and the work done. Everyone in the office loves it. The roof rack rattles a bit and the brakes squeal sometimes when stopping ( they are not worn either). Other than that no problems and the ones listed are minor and intermittent.

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  This is a great car! - 2007 Toyota Highlander
  By jemco93 - August 21 - 10:16 pm

  Wasnt the first choice for us but we like it a lot now. I was set on getting a Rav4 and then considered the Subaru Forester but though Id stick with Toyota. Because of limited choices here, we started looking for a Rav4 with 4WD and V6 which is hard to find without being over used. We found a Lexus RX330 and thought this might be it but then later going back we found out it was sold. I had researched the inventory they with had and saw they had a highlander that met our criteria. We looked at it and test drove it and found that we really liked it. So far it been driving well and we plan on using it for 200,000 miles

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  Love my new Tacoma - 2010 Toyota Tacoma
  By NC ToyotaMan - August 21 - 6:06 pm

  This is my first pickup truck purchase in a lot of years. Ive had many SUVs. The Tacoma certainly rides like a truck. A little bouncy even on the highway. Visibility is excellent, especially with the double cab. You can turn your head and see just about a 360 view. No major blind spots. The seat is a bit short in the depth, but I think it is just the right height unlike reviews that state the seat is too low to the floor. The audio system should have more power. Not very impressive for such a nice truck. Sounds like a clock radio. First tank of gas gave 16.5 mpg. Not bad for an engine that isnt broken in yet. For a v6 mpg should be much higher though. Plenty of power. No trans hunting.

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  Hope my love affair w/Toyota continues - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By tlr - August 20 - 9:26 pm

  This is my third Toyota. I started with the ever reliable Corolla that I had for 12 years and 120,000 miles until I passed it on to my niece. Then in 2001, I was one of the first to buy the newly introduced Highlander. It was an instant love affair. Ive had it for 6.5 years and it just hit 96,000 miles. It has had very minor problems or issues. I decided to upgrade to the 2008 even though the new design hasnt grown on me as quickly. I am also finding the "electronic" steering is taking some getting used to and I can really feel the changing of gears in this vehicle much more than my old highlander. I am not totally in love with my new highlander but I am hoping its just the transition.

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  CC FJ Review - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Curry - August 20 - 10:26 am

  The FJ drives and feels very solid. The fit of doors and bonnet are tight and square. With conservative driving habits in real world driving environment it is possible to average 18.5 mpg in town and 20.2 mpg on the highway. The comfort level of this vehicle is far superior to what the F-40 was in the 70s and early 80s. The ride is much like a full size domestic SUV.

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  fuel economy is misleading - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By prius2012owner - August 20 - 10:02 am

  I was buying this model in February-March 2012, when neither diller, no Toyota website had the 2012 model description. I was told that the model is exactly as 2011. It turned out that theres single difference - parking assist was removed from 2012 model. Huge, huge disappointment! Another minus is that Toyota, looks like intentionally!, overstates fuel economy. The car does regularly show 49 to 51 overall mpg, but the number is always (I mean ALWAYS) 2-2.5 mpg higher than reality (miles driven/number of galons filled in). At 60mph the car shows speed 2mph higher than external GPSes. May be related to the previous. Tires are bad, very noisy on hwy. Hwy mpg is only about 40 at 70-75mph.

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  Great SUV - no longer perfect crossover - 2011 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  By LeoM - August 19 - 10:00 am

  On the plus side, it gets great mileage (29MPG so far), has AWD, seats 7 and tows a light trailer. For sheer utility nothing else comes close. On the negative side, the HiHy is no longer a crossover. My 2006 HiHy drove like a Camry and had seats and interior comforts like a Camry - except it towed my trailer, seated 7 and could haul a lot of stuff. The 2011 HiHy drives like a truck, has truck seats (particularly in the 2nd row), and is shockingly ugly.

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  GREAT CAR! Does what is expected - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By Nick a - August 19 - 10:00 am

  Great car , I have had this car for 2 years and bought it with 50k and it now has 71k , Not a single problem whatsoever, besides changing oil and other basic maintenance that is ALL, this car lives up to its legendary Toyota reliability

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  2006 SR5 after 3 weeks - 2006 Toyota 4Runner
  By Rob - August 19 - 9:36 am

  I like the following: V6 power & the smooth trans, moonroof, rear window goes down and the solid feel and the quality finish. The ride is smooth, esp. for a truck. The diagonal bounce of normal suvs is almost completely absent. Love the headlights and tail lights that are normally found on the highend luxury cars. Dislikes: there are some things that I totally dislike and didnt take me long to notice as follows: the placement of the window switches, power outlet and the auxillary jack are in a bad locations, the seats get hard after a short time, the base stereo is just that, 3rd row seats are tiny and lots of blind spots. finally, when exiting vehicle my pants get dirty on running boards.

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  Reliable Point a to b transportation - otherwise kinda boring - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By dreamer123890 - August 19 - 8:05 am

  Camry is a good reliable car. Driven it 41k since Aug09. Doesnt get your pulses going and begs to not go fast but its reliable, comfortable and spacious. The 4-cylinder engine is ok. Not as fuel efficient as compared to the current crop of midsize cars. I get about 26-27 mpg with mostly city driving. Highway driving gets 30 mpg. I am mostly satisfied but the interiors are cheap plastic and downmarket. HOwever seats are comfy. Suspension is soft but hits its max pretty quickly. I wouldnt buy a camry again - too ordinary and cheap looking for me. The new Accord looks amazing and has the same reliability, better fuel efficiency. I will probable consider that before i consider Camry.