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 Buy... - 2006 Toyota Tacoma
  By mshw777 - January 27 - 1:16 am

  This is my 4th Toyota, and 2nd Toyota truck. The ride is comfortable like an F150, but with better build quality. Rides nice & high, similar to a medium to full size truck. Excellent interior design and ergo. Bold exterior looks. The auto trans searches for gears at low speeds (not too noticeable), but the gas mileage has been predictable - 20mpg combined city/hwy. Plenty of power in the 236hp V6. Lots of leg room in the front & not bad in the back. Lots of great standard features on the SR5 pckg. Overall, this truck is worth the money... and I expect the same great quality that Ive gotten in the past from my other Toyotas. Im a satisfied buyer!

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  Best SUV Ive owned - 2010 Toyota Sequoia
  By Claude - January 27 - 12:10 am

  Ive had 3 Escalades and 2 Blazers---I just took delivery of 2010 Platinum Sequoia and there isnt an American SUV nor for that matter any SUV that comes close---Ive tested Lexus 570 but for me it was too small as was Toyotas Landcruiser. This vehicle has every option one could possibly get for thousands of dollars less than any other vehicle in its class on the road today. The ride is amazing and with a 6 yr 125,000 mile warranty, need I say anymore.

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  Wanted a reliable car, got it! - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Benji P - January 26 - 10:16 pm

  After searching for a reliable sedan with an older but quality transmission, fuel economy, and reliability I decided on the 2015 Toyota Camry SE. I love the comfort, quality and feel of the sedan. I know with using an older transmission, buying this car used (47k miles), the trans will last many more miles (unlike the negativity I have read about CVTs and DCTs failures).

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  An Honest Review - 2007 Toyota Tacoma
  By Frederick - January 26 - 6:20 pm

  First, I am a truck guy, never have owned a car. I am 51 years old. My first truck was a 1951 GMC 1/2 ton. Since then I have owned Chevys, Dodges, Internationals, Jeeps and Fords. I have close to a million road miles so I know trucks. This is my first Toyota. I love this truck. I test drove all the others, and I mean all, and this truck is by far the best built, best designed, and best performing. I have 1700 miles on it and for combination driving hwy/city I am getting 24 mpg. Strict hwy driving up 6 & 7% grades from Grand Junction to Denver over the Rocky Mountains and Contenental Divide at 75 mph I got 23.5 mpg. Havent towed the 4 horse trailer yet, but am sure it will perform.

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  I love my Toyota - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Lisa Smith - January 26 - 4:45 pm

  This is a wonderful and safe family car, and great low

  maintenance vehicle.

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  One of the Last Remaining Work Trucks - 2016 Toyota Tundra
  By Adam - January 26 - 6:25 am

  When did the light-duty trucks become judged based on features and fuel economy? Is this the new way of judging work trucks? For me, a light-duty truck needs to be reliable, simple, and be able to perform duties consistent with a light-duty truck. Ford has now come out with a lighter body to compensate for its weaker turbo-charged engine. In addition, when I test drove the truck I still couldnt figure out the electronics after spending 2 hours with the system. This truck just screams low reliability, high repair bills and low resale value. The GM brands are definitely a step up from the Ford in terms of logic for electronic systems, but can you trust them with as many recalls that theyve had in the past few years? The Ram (in my opinion) is the closest in terms of what I consider to be a good work truck, but personally I dont trust their drive train (clearly they dont either as theyre reducing their warranty program). I was looking for a reliable truck thats easy to use and can get the job done, the Tundra was the only option that I was comfortable with. As a previous reviewer noted, the Tundra is tied (per Edmunds article by Carroll Lachnit) with the Ford for the "Most American" truck based on percentage of U.S. / Canadian content, so you cant use the argument to "buy American" against the Tundra. Even if its global headquarters are in Japan, its ownership (like Ford, GM, and Chrysler) is scattered throughout the world as a publicly traded company. I just hope the engineers are very careful to not "follow the Jones" to a luxury vehicle and stick with one of the last great light duty work trucks.

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  Love it! - 2008 Toyota Avalon
  By ksgirl1 - January 26 - 5:26 am

  I bought this car used in 2/11. It now has 101,000mi on it. I have it serviced at Toyota and it always checks out fine. So far I have been nothing but pleased. I have put 22,000 miles on it and have taken it on several long 2 day road trips. It is very comfortable. I have two small children and the backseat has tons of space for both of them and all of their stuff. Love the reclining back seats and built in sunshade. Trunk is huge. I have all the bells and whistles and love the navigation, built in Bluetooth etc. We just recently replaced the battery, other than that no issues. Would highly recommend.

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  This truck can easily pass the 300k miles - 1999 Toyota 4Runner
  By Sergio A - January 26 - 1:33 am

  Last 4 ever!

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  Best all purpose suv out there - 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  By joe - January 25 - 9:23 pm

  It tows, it goes fast, it is fun to drive, it is a lot more comfortable than our RAV4 on long trips. There are a lot of complaints about gas mileage, but I average 28 summer and 24 winter.

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  The Best I Ever Had - 2008 Toyota Yaris
  By Sam - January 25 - 3:00 pm

  I bought the 2008 Yaris 9-14-07 and went on vacation. 44 mpg on the interstate, 41 mpg city and interstate. 3500 miles and not one problem. Am I happy. The only thing I didnt like was when you drive on dirt roads, the rear fender wheel wells have no guards and the road noise is bad.