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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  Glenns Toyota Sequoia - 2004 Toyota Sequoia
  By Glenn Starks - May 22 - 2:00 am

  The vehicle has excellent handling, particularly for a SUV. It comes with a list of options, such as heated seats, front and rear temperature control, a 6- disk CD changer, and even front and rear audio controls. Its the perfect vehicle for a family to its size (room for 8 passengers) but also for the single guy who wants a large vehicle with style. I am extremely happy with my purchase and I always get compliments on its style. The only negative thing about the vehicle is its gas mileage.

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  Sequoia - 2004 Toyota Sequoia
  By chelleeee - May 22 - 2:00 am

  This has been a good vechile, except there is no catch to open the gas tank if the mechanism should fail without taking off the skip plate. I hauled a travel trailer, and now need to replace the struts. I was told by the salesman when I bought this vechile that I could do this without any problems; he was wrong.

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  This car has been to hell and back! - 2005 Toyota Echo
  By Mike - May 21 - 7:26 pm

  This is the greatest car ever! My wife bought this car before we met. I have an eclipse (2000) and love sports cars and racing. This car has impressive performance (for the type of car that it is), the greatest stock stereo I have ever heard, and the strongest and most reliable motor (similar to the Hondas that have been long haulers). We have driven across country (Georgia to California)! I have added a k&n air filter, and use premium fuel, and synthetic oil change (starting at 35000 miles.) At over 73000 miles, the only problem we have had is some minor electrical recently and just did my first battery change. The best buy ever!

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  Great Car - Terrible Dealer - 2001 Toyota Camry Solara
  By Fearless Fossdick - May 21 - 10:00 am

  Car was delivered with 15" steel wheels when 16" alloy are supposed to be standard. I guess the dealer swapped them with another car. Clutch has chattered since the day I picked it up, steering pulls to the left and there is a slight gear clash when shifting into 3rd. Its been back to the dealer several times but they dont see a problem. Stay away from Mt. Kisco, NY Toyota!

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  Great Car Need Better Leg Room in Front - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By jnealy87 - May 21 - 5:31 am

  purchased this car certified used with lifetime engine warranty and everything is so far great and have only one issue and its mostly due to me being 63 and my legs are quite long and during travel 10- 20 mins ride is cool but once I try to ride for 30 to 1 hour of driving my legs starts to hurt due to no resting area for legs and hands also starts hurting due to Constance input to the steering wheel the car drifts left to right when on high ways and its tough to keep it straight and thats due to the electronic steering that Toyota now places on the camry and thats a big issue for long driving periods other that those to faults everything is great love all the features including the blind spot monitor and its work it just miss all the rear feature that the 2007-2011 had that was great rear sun shade and reclining rear seats and adjustable heat rests that was hot but now the cut it all out but its a great car I have 71,000 miles on it and have no issues with engine or transmission so everything is great

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  Fun ride - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By schecky26 - May 20 - 1:16 pm

  I love this car. I drove it for a 200 mile trip and it drove like a dream. My kids in the back feel miles away from the driver.

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  Commuters Dream Car - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By iota84jrock - May 20 - 8:13 am

  I was looking for a vehicle that was fuel efficient for the commute to work (75 miles rd trip). I put a deposit on my sedan around the beginning of August. Prior to that, I went to about 5 dealerships and could not find a sedan that had the power package. After narrowing my focus down to one dealership. I had them search for a sedan with the power package. They located one coming into the port of NY that had everything I was looking for in addition to side/curtain airbags and keyless entry. They informed me that it would take about 4 weeks to arrive. My Yaris was delivered to the dealership in about 3 weeks. After declining all the dealer-installed options, I happily took possession.

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  Good Car, Great Value - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By MD Customer - May 17 - 8:46 pm

  This is a great car. It is very reliable and has low cost maintenance. Great for a family or a single person. I purchased my car used and it was the best car purchase. I sold it at 93,000 miles but it is still a great car with a lot of life left. I also learned the resale value is great which was another bonus.

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  An amazing Hybrid sedan ... Wow Toyota! - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By bimmer18 - May 17 - 8:44 pm

  For the last 9 years Ive been driving my Sweet BMW 5 series and what a joy it was to drive on a daily basis. The power and road feel was superb but the maintenance was starting to get excessive. I have never owned a Toyota anything... The technology that is engineered in this vehicle is utterly amazing. I love the Hybrid engine and transmission, its really quite astounding. The car handles well, it has excellent low end electric torque. When driving in econ mode the entire hybrid system takes control and superbly enhances the Avalons fuel consumption. The car is quite and has good rad feel.

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  sadness - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By katie - May 14 - 7:33 pm

  I bought my 2002 Rav4 as a certified used car from a Toyota dealership 3.5 years ago. In the first few months I took it in several times for minor bits here and there, no big deal. In the last year I have had to have the window edges re-wrapped due to premature? rusting (500.00) a new speed sensor (500.00), and found out the drivers side door was missing over 10 screws and that was why the lock mechanism was able to be pulled out and back window could not be rolled down. Now I find out the transmission computer is broken, and the transmission is probably ruined to the tune of 5,000.00, which after reading reports online is very common. Really disappointed, I thought this car would last.