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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  Test drive for a long time - 2010 Toyota RAV4
  By amy - October 29 - 10:00 am

  I am 57" and have a long torso - seat is so uncomfortable I am going to physical therapy. Neck and shoulder pain while driving is horrible. Bumpy ride felt more so on newly paved roads for some reason. It feels like the wheels are not balanced or aligned properly or something. Online research regarding same showed numerous people have same problems with seat being uncomfortable and bumpy ride. Dont limit yourself to the 5 mile or so test drive that the sales rep "allows" you. I regretted buying this car after about a week. Also, stereo is bland and low end.

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  An Amazing Camry - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Crystal - October 29 - 10:00 am

  The camry is a smooth and comfortable mid size sedan. It is reasonably priced and it is very classy. The engine is great I have always and only purchased Toyotas. They run for an extremely long time and have minimal problems compared to other brands. I have purchased over 8 Toyotas in the past two years and still own all of them. You cant go wrong with the camry if you want reliable this is the perfect car.

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  Twenty Thousand Dollar Motor - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By Rebecca Davis - October 29 - 10:00 am

  This car feels unsafe over 55 MPH on the interstate. The seats are so firm on a long trip you are so uncomfortable from the seats being hard. The interior is the cheapest I have ever seen in any small car. The inside dash and door material are the cheapest plastics I have ever seen in a car. The trunk will not open with the inside release or key every time, taken it to the dealer twice still not fixed, road noise is awful. You live and learn,I will never buy a Toyota product again. I paid $20,000 dollars for a motor that uses less gas other than that the rest is one of the cheapest made small cars I have ever seen, mine is a 2010 Corolla with 10,200 miles on it.

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  By far the best vehicle Ive owned!! - 2014 Toyota Tacoma
  By Brian - October 29 - 9:40 am

  If you want a very dependable truck that will do all the things you need a mid sized truck to do dont look anywhere else. My 2014 Toyota Tacoma is solid. Ive had the truck 3 years and I have 90,000 miles on it. Not a problem with it to date. I think actually it runs and drives now like the day I picked it up off the lot in 2014. I tow a 18 foot bass boat all over the country with it and havent had an issue. Im still on the original breaks with 40% left on the pads. Toyota is all about quality and dependable product. Ill never buy anything else!!

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  Too Many Odd Problems - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By Catlin - October 29 - 6:33 am

  We bought this van when they were first released and weve had the feeling that Toyota was rushing to get them out to the dealerships. The driver side window fell off track and broke inside the door, the power door locked open and we had to cut the cable to get it closed, brakes and tires were replaced, and now the power steering needs repaired. Nothing has been covered under warranty or recall so far. We do wish we had held off and bought a Honda and may end up taking a loss and trading it in even though we had hoped to drive it for many more years.

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  Good little SUV but not great. - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Ron W. - October 29 - 6:11 am

  Pros - Looks great, handles well, great safety features and reliability. Cons - Gas mileage, around 21.5 combined (L.A.), a little noisy, front brakes (and this has never happened to me) wont last too long. I havent needed brakes since cars I owned in the late 1980s. I trade them in around 35k-50k mileage. So this is a design flaw in the Toyota ESPECIALLY because they already have to turn/smooth the front rotors and replace the pads. (Its at the dealer as I write this.) No charge, under warranty, but still, this should not of happened yet. The interior is cheap. I have SO many little scratches, marks and a big dip where my elbow rests on the smooth part where the window meets the plastic. I take really great care of my cars and have never seen so many interior marks. Im a solo driver 97% of the time so this is just weird. Acceleration is acceptable but never fun, even in sport mode. Navigation is primitive, but that is no big deal because I use my iPhone for navigation through bluetooth which works nicely.

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  Unstopable. - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Bigtarget - October 28 - 11:16 am

  Purchased the Auto trans. "C" package Canadian version (6-disc, side airbags, roof-rack, 120v outlet, dashtop gage cluster, diff lock etc) about 5 weeks ago. This vehical is a blast to drive off-road, climbs like crazy, lots of ground clearence (except for running boards) and is very roomy and confortable on long trips. The towing power is excellent. I removed the running boards last week, as they are badly bent from off-roading, if you intend on doing any off-roading get rid of these useless things and get factory or aftermarket rock-rails. Other then srcatched paint from branches this truck is SOLID! This is a to-hell-and- back SUV. The FJ is no poser, take it off-road where it belongs.

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  2010 better than expected - 2010 Toyota Prius
  By bwilson4web - October 28 - 10:03 am

  Measured MPG: 67 MPG@ 50 mph; 62 MPG@ 60 mph; 55 MPG@ 65 mph; 52 MPG@ 70 mph; 49 MPG@ 75 mph; 39 MPG@ 80 mph. Very quiet with plenty of power; huge interior space; the best car weve ever owned. Comfort, quality, and affordable, we are very happy. It replaced a 2001 Echo and shares driveway space with a 2003 Prius and 1993 Coachman RV. Unlike the Honda Insight, I dont bang my head getting in and feel like Im in a coffin. Unlike the Jetta TDI, the Prius automatic city mileage is better than 65 MPG. Try city driving in a Jetta TDI automatic if you like buying a lot of fuel.

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  Reliable but Not a Fun Car - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Steven - October 28 - 6:23 am

  Toyota Camry, is by far one of the most reliable cars, with best performance that I have ever driven. It has never let me down. Unfortunately, it is also not very fun to drive. It is relatively bulky, no fancy designs. It is basically an excellent choice for a family car for a person who does not care about the quality of FUN of driving.

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  Well keep our superior 2011 Rav4 Limited - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Tim - October 28 - 3:56 am

  Try before you buy! When we needed more cargo room to take daughter and dorm stuff back to school 100 miles away we killed 2 birds with one stone. Were considering a new Rav but a 10 minute test drive IS NOT enough so we rented a 2016 Rav4 Limited which was hard to find for rent and seemed to ride the same as a 2015 we had driven prior. The car served its purpose in 2 ways: 1: It got the job done. 2: It convinced us to keep our 2011. Why? Ok so if you drive mostly smooth highways its ok. When tooling around/commuting on anything else it rides like a brick (yes tire psi correct) You feel every imperfection on the road.The other annoyance is the 6 speed which in theory makes sense but its annoying as it constantly hunts for gears. The 15/16 just have an overall cheap feel inside and out including fake leather. Our 2011 by comparison feels solid, no gear hunting, not a squeak or rattle, nice ride and real perforated leather. We have owned many fine Toyotas including our current Rav and 2009 Camry Hybrid but I think corporate greed has caused their quality to decline in recent years including far too many recalls some of which years later STILL dont have a fix which speaks volumes right there.