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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  Really excellent ride - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By Brian Hollowell - April 24 - 2:00 am

  I love to drive my minivan, it is so comfortable that I could drive for hours without needing take a break to stretch. It handles like a Lexus and I never have complaints form passenagers.

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  Buy one! Two if you can! - 2008 Toyota Prius
  By Gregg - April 23 - 5:50 pm

  I have about 3,000 miles on my 2008 Prius (package # 6) and I cant recommend it enough. This is the best car I have ever had. Ive mastered the glide and coast and am averaging about 60 MPG on my local drives and about 53 MPG on the longer highway drives. Your mileage will vary greatly depending on what kind of driving style you have and routes you take.

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  WOW - 2001 Toyota Sequoia
  By Toyforrunr - April 23 - 8:16 am

  I own 3 4 Runners. My brother bought a Tundra and I loved it. When the sequoia came out I had to have one. We looked for a used one with no luck. So we finally bought one for X-mas. Very impressive. Comfortable and quiet ride. Went to Disney and avged 18.7MPG. Has good power and looks awsome! All factory options plus: spoiler, bug deflector, running boards, trip computer, pwr front seats, driving lights, tow pkg, keyless entry, alarm, and factory tinted windows. Silver Sky in color. Really tough SUV inside and out. I LOVE IT!!!

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  Second Toyota/More to Come - 1998 Toyota Avalon
  By patoconnor - April 22 - 9:10 pm

  Traded an 87 Toyota Cressida on the 98 Avalon. The Cressida was still an excellent car, but husband wanted front-wheel drive after we moved to Denver. The Avalon, though not as sexy as the Cressida, has been rock-solid, comfy to drive, love the extra room afforded by column-shift, great power, perfect for long drives, smooth, no maintenance issues.

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  Best in Class!! - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By thill357 - April 22 - 2:59 pm

  Best car I have ever owned! I truly LOVE this car! It look great, drives great, and is made by the best company in the world! I have the SE model w/ a sunroof, ground effects, blacked out grille, spoiler, dual chrome tipped exhaust, and fog lights with a black cloth interior. Inalways loved the Toyotas..... Just good cars overall. Owned a 97 corolla w/ 300k miles. That was truly a wonderful car!! I love this car to.... Not just an ordinary LE camry, this is a true "sports" camry and is made for taking them curves! Comfortable for all passengers and trunk is large! Truly reccomend this car over the altima, accord, or sonata. Best for it is money.... Love the new 2012 camry too... Check it out

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  Good car - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By Satisfied Customer - April 22 - 1:40 pm

  Ive been impressed so far by my FWD 2017 Highlander XLE. It is comfortable, spacious, gets reasonable gas mileage for a big car, and I love the active safety features and how well laid out the controls are. It is also very smooth and quiet on the highway and is a reasonable size for my garage and parking lots while still fitting lots of stuff. Note that I use it as a two row vehichle. The third row is really more for small kids on trips and adults at no more than short distances and when in use the cargo space goes from great to limited. I really like the blind spot monitoring. Getting about 27.5 mpg on highway and 25 overall so far. One thing Im not a fan of is the throttle response. Transmission is programmed for economy so the car feels slower than it is and you really have to hit the gas to feel the power. If you floor it youll find the car really moves quickly but otherwise it feels lethargic. Using the power setting improves this. The controls are very good on the car.

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  but one thing - 2002 Toyota Avalon
  By chasjoret - April 22 - 10:00 am

  the only thing I can say wrong is the front bucket seats dont have enought padding. On a long trip they get very unconfrontable.

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  Great car - 2002 Toyota Celica
  By silvercelica01 - April 22 - 10:00 am

  I was undecided if I wanted the GT or the GT-S. I am glad I chose the GT... however, get the 5-speed. The automatic is too slow. If you plan on putting a lot of mods on the car, then get the GT-S. But the powerband on both cars under 6500rpms is almost identical. The car looks great, and is very fun to drive. Taking corners is extremely fun.

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  Lexus Truck - 2002 Toyota Tundra
  By john melendez - April 22 - 10:00 am

  The Toyota Tundra TRD V8 access cab is by far the nicest, best performing and most comfortable pick up Ive owned. Ive owned every pick up model exept Dodge and will never own a pick up again that is not a Toyota. I think they should put leather seats in them and sell them under the Lexus name; they are that good. Only complaint is the front rotors warped after 8k miles, but that was covered under warranty. May I say again, if your buying a pick up, get a Toyota....... John Melendez, Austin, TX

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  Nice Car - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Happy Buyer - April 22 - 7:53 am

  Based largely on this forum, I bought 07 Camry three weeks ago. Leather, heated seats. Love Bluetooth - big safety factor. Great sound system/radio. Highway mileage already greater than promised. Wish for some way to dim radio cluster at night without dimming gauges - only complaint. Highly recommend car. Excellent proof of what vigorous competition can produce.