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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  2008 Corolla S- Black - 2008 Toyota Corolla
  By silverspank - May 18 - 11:05 am

  Picked up the car from the dealership when purchased and the car was making a ear piercing noise coming from the wheels. Ended up being the brake shields rubbing the brake rotors. When the car was delivered on the transport, they strapped the chains too close to the shields bending them. The Toyota dealership took the car back and gave us a piece of crap loaner with no air or radio and was about 10 years old. My wife was very upset since we just traded in our fairly new LTZ Suburban. Once we got the car back and took it home, I checked the tire pressure since the tire sensor monitor was on. There was only 18 psi tire pressure in the tires. Of course I attribute all this to the dealer.

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  Class Action? ...Anyone? - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By booorav4 - May 18 - 7:03 am

  The engine on my 07 Rav4Sport blew up at 86k miles. I had all repairs, replacements, even oil changes performed solely at Toyota dealerships. Something shoots out from inside the engine while Im driving on the fwy one day, spews ALL of the oil out from inside, about 6-8 quarts, my rear wheels kicking that sludge back up onto that stupid rear gate with the tire on it while I desperately try to exit the fwy. I get it towed to the dealership where I had gotten an oil change 6 days prior; to find that there is a 3 sq inch hole in the bottom block and that I need a new engine. I take this up with corporate, aaand theyre nice enough to offer me $1k toward the purchase of a new lemon.

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  Better than expected - 2006 Toyota Prius
  By Larry - May 18 - 3:40 am

  This car is an engineering masterpiece. It is quiet with almost no wind noise at highway speeds. It has plenty of room. I enjoy driving it on a daily basis more than our RX330 or 740il. It is a great commuter car.

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  Love Toyota! - 2006 Toyota Highlander
  By MAS - May 17 - 10:46 pm

  I previously drove a minivan and wanted to downsize as well as switch to a SUV. After researching online and test driving for months, I finally decided on the Highlander. I love that it drives like a car, not a truck. It handles extremely well and has great pickup. Im currently getting about 20 mpg in the city which is more than what is advertised. So far, couldnt be happier with my decision. The one thing I do not like is that it does not have automatic door locks. This would be a great safety feature at very minimal (or no) cost.

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  Great car - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By sandwinder - May 17 - 7:20 pm

  I think this is a great car. I have driven several types of cars from Acura to BMW and I can say this car is great. It doesnt have the driving ability of the German cars but it is still great for the money. I did test drive the 4 cylinder and wasnt impressed at all. The 6 cylinder is great, very refined and power when you need it.

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  NAVer again! - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By DCinNC - May 17 - 4:21 pm

  I was taken in by the cars look, enjoyed the test drive and believed I paid a fair price. I never dreamed a company of Toyotas caliber would fall down flat on the technology side. The Entune 3.0 system was a major disappointment. (I should have required a phone to be setup on the system before purchasing it) I have only had the car a week and regret the purchase. This of course is an opinion; I would however suggest if the technology inside the car is important to you, have a phone paired to the car and see for yourself before you sign on the dotted line.

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  OVERATED! - 2013 Toyota Tacoma
  By soreknees - May 17 - 4:06 pm

  most uncomfortable truck ive ever owned. The drivers seat is so poorly designed I can hardly walk when I leave the truck after 30 minutes of driving. Miss my chevy silverado crew cab. The dealership was terrible, didnt even offer to demonstrate the vehicle after the purchase. Just handed me the keys and walked away. (Smithtown Toyota, NY). I had to go find the truck myself. The truck is overpriced to begin with which explains the higher resale price. After driving full sized silverados with every option available for almost the same price, I was amazed that so few comfort and convenience options are available for these trucks i.e. power leather heated seats, climate control.

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  Shame on Toyota - 2003 Toyota RAV4
  By KC Cookie - May 17 - 2:00 pm

  Our Toyota 2003 Rav4 was very nice. My husband did all the oil changes, rotating tires, brakes and any other kind of maintenance on car. It was fine until about a week ago and our transmission started acting up. We took it to a transmssion shop and they said to replace transmission at $5000. We decided to check out reviews on the internet and found out we werent the only ones with this problem. I use to trust toyota, but now I feel betrayed. They knew about it and didnt tell the consumer. Besides their Gas pedal problems now they are recalling not the RAV4s, but 2003 Sequoilas. This is for that cars transmission. Go figure ! Im going to Honda now!

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  A Step Backward From Previous Generation - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By theraven65 - May 17 - 10:10 am

  We bought this car based on Toyotas reputation for high quality/value, but were ultimately disappointed. Compared to the previous-generation (2001-06) Camry, the interior of the 2007 - while great LOOKING - is very cheap. Lots of hard, creaky plastics, thin seat material, and very cheap-feeling HVAC controls & some other switchgear. Both sun visors broke internally and would just hang down & had to be replaced (with same poor design). The struts had a reputation for failing early (ours were shot & leaking by 30K miles). Worst of all, the engine began using oil excessively by about 70K miles - which I discovered was common for this (2.4L) engine in all of the vehicles it was used.

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  Love this car! - 2011 Toyota Highlander
  By bfantastic - May 16 - 10:50 pm

  My 2006 Highlander is still going strong, without any problems. Its been a fun, reliable, and totally worthwhile ride. Were getting ready to retire a 1989 Corolla, and the plan is to get another Highlander.