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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  Dream Car - 2003 Toyota Matrix
  By The Champ - September 25 - 4:10 am

  features of suv and car - U get it all.

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  Toyota Base 10 - 2009 Toyota Highlander
  By jerry - September 25 - 12:26 am

  The newly built 4 cylinder engine is best in its class; its like having your own V6 but gas saving is excellently configured. The turns and handling behaves like a Camry and the comfort is leveled like a Lexus RX, I honestly agree, this Highlander is the best of its class.

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  Still Solid After a Decade - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By B Swan - September 24 - 6:36 pm

  I bought my 2004 Toyota Camry very slightly used - essentially new. It gave me more than ten years and more than 120,000 miles of rock solid reliable use over its lifetime. The Camry performed and handled pretty much as you would expect from a full-sized sedan of its class. It was designed as an everyday workhorse sedan with an emphasis on dependability, fuel-efficiency, and utility. It excelled at those traits and provided very satisfactory performance with the exception of the turning radius, which seemed overly wide and could be a pain in parking lot situations. I never had any real problem with acceleration when I needed it. Driving the Camry felt natural the ride was comfortable. The technology in my vehicle featured some very nice convenience features - most especially an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, auto-off headlights, and auto-locking doors. My Camry also had powered driver seat adjustment. The cars interior was roomy and comfortable. Its decor was tasteful and withstood ten-plus years of heavy use quite well. My only complaint about the interior was that the lid latch on the center console broke and repairing it was too expensive to be worth the cost. Cargo capacity in the Camry was more than satisfactory. It had a spacious trunk and the rear seats could fold down if needed. This provided as much cargo room as I could ask from a four-door sedan. The cars exterior characteristics were, on the whole, very good. It had a pleasing design and it kept its quality throughout its life. The sole outstanding negative of the 2004 Camrys body was that it had extremely low ground clearance, which could lead to scraping the bottom of the front bumper or the undercarriage in some cases. The Camrys safety seemed to be good. There was a recall on the side curtain air-bags, including my own vehicle. Other than that, I always felt that it was a safe car and in the one major collision I had with it - one which was not the fault of the car - the car was rugged enough to prevent any personal injury. Reliability is perhaps the most famous aspect of Toyotas reputation. In that regard, the 2004 Camry was absolutely incredible. Over the course of more than ten years of hard use - including a number of trips crossing multiple states - it did not suffer a single breakdown and had only one major component failure, that being a computer chip for the air conditioning system. At ten years, I would still rely on the 2004 Camry to take my from coast to coast without a second thought. And when I did replace this vehicle, I bought yet another Camry.

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  Too New to Tell - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By BooBooBear - September 24 - 2:13 pm

  Just bought it. Fun to drive. Good solid ride. Takes road bumps better than my minivan. Less than 5" of clearance so no off-roading. Im 510" and its comfortable inside. At 140 miles my mpg (it gives an mpg average read-out) is 36.9. It gives a continual mpg display. Mine shows 12- 36 mpg when starting up, but often settles in at 99.9 (the highest number displayed). Have hardly put a dent (down only one notch or less than 1/8 tank) in the 11.9 gal. tank. Can set everything on touchscreen (will take getting used to and takes eyes off the road), but many items can also be adjusted on the steering wheel. I just have to learn where they are.

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  Its a good sedan. - 2013 Toyota Camry
  By Skys Camry - September 24 - 8:43 am

  It’s a nice sedan with full options. Its fast and easy to operate dashboard infotaiment system. It has power to tow trailer and great fuel economy. Paddle shifter is great for mountain roads and freeway entries.

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  I LOVE this car! - 2006 Toyota Matrix
  By ohwise1 - September 24 - 5:33 am

  Got the stability & traction control [had to wait 3 months for car], handles like a dream. 4" of snow fell not long after picking it up, no problems on hilly back roads. Nimble & stable, seats more supportive than ones in Camry I traded in, noise no worse either. No problem merging onto highways into traffic going over 60mph. Display lights need to be set up/down for night/day but that takes about a second, no big deal. Good gas mileage, good ride, lots of space, good little car. If you know how to drive, it will get up and go when needed. I got the auto but actually like the throaty growl it makes going up through the gears.

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  You Cant Go Wrong With A Toyota! - 2002 Toyota Corolla
  By turtlelady6 - September 23 - 9:06 pm

  This is my second Toy, and Im glad I bought this one. The car before this was a Ford Aspire and I couldnt hand the dealer the keys fast enough!! The Toy is reliable, low maintenance, gets good gas mileage, and I know itll last a long time because its a Toyota. If you want a car thats not only reliable, but easy to drive, gets good gas mileage, and is cost efficient, this is your car.

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  Love my Truck - 2004 Toyota Tacoma
  By skippette - September 23 - 5:10 pm

  I love my Tacoma. I used to drive a full size Dodge Ram and wanted something smaller and something that would fit in my garage. I got the Xtra cab which is great for transporting things in bad weather if you dont have a cover over the bed. I havent had any mechanical problems with it at all. It had 1 recall which was promptly handled at the dealer. I found out by accident how to get more power out of it when merging in traffic or passing. Just turn off the overdrive and the truck rockets past traffic. Just dont forget to re-engage the overdrive once you sail past the other cars. I would definitely recommend this truck!

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  So fat i love it - 2017 Toyota Tacoma
  By kendal Duncan - September 22 - 9:20 pm

  Do your homework before you visit the sharks that will gladly charge you as much as possible. Web resources like Edmunds are a great start.

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  Perfect first car - 2001 Toyota Corolla
  By Lloyd Schwartz - September 22 - 9:19 pm

  This car has been extremely reliable.