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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  Quality?? - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By icebox - October 12 - 2:00 am

  I purchased this toyota in hopes of having a long lasting, high quality vechile. I felt the price was high, but for the supposed benefits, I bought it anyways. Then the problems started. Whenever I turned on the defroster, this clicking noise started. After three seperate trips to the dealership, it still was not solved. The gas milage I was getting was lower than my grandfathers Lesabre, which is a much larger car/engine. Then, at 17,543 miles, the head gasket blew. Problems arose when dealing with toyota over the warrenty, and finally they fixed it after I threatened legal action. Overall this car is not reliable or dependable.

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  YUCK - 2005 Toyota Echo
  By BEWARE - September 24 - 7:43 pm

  Very uncomfortable, even for local commute. Boring, and gets uglier with each day I drive it. Would never buy a Toyota again. Fuel economy is less than my brothers Ford Focus, which costs less and is more fun to drive.

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  This car is dangerously boring - 2007 Toyota Prius
  By Petrolhead - July 18 - 11:20 am

  I bought the Pruis in 2006 for $27000. It only has a few options (Stability control, side airbags, ect.), but the dealer forces you to pay $2000-3000 over MSRP. Since I bought the car Ive had to replace the batteries twice and the interior has fallen apart worse than the 1998 Ford Escort I was replacing. Even the gas mileage hasnt been great, because the batteries dont work properly in cold weather. The worst part however is the driving experience, the Pruis has a serious shortage of power and has no steering feel. I found the brakes very weak and delivered almost no pedal feel. The seats are also very uncomfortable. I find the ride rough and the whole car shudders over all bumps.

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  Not happy - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Terry - May 21 - 12:32 am

  I bought my 2016 TRD off road about 6 months ago and it feels like the transmission shifts way to quick and it seems like the engine cuts out while the transmission is trying to figure out what gear its supposed to be in, lm not happy. The motor seems to be sluggish because of the way it shifts to soon and goes to 6th gear way to quick, so its shifting all the time, hate that, Im ready to get rid of it !!!!!

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  Good if you hate your children - 2012 Toyota Sienna
  By ThatGuy - May 14 - 12:00 pm

  I purchased this vehicle used after owning a 1995 Previa, and a 2001 Sienna, both of which i got well over 300k miles on and never had any real issues with either of them. I purchased this after owning the two other vans thinking i would get the same great usage, and bullet-proof reliability. Unfortunately there is a design flaw with the 2005-2016 Toyota Siennas where the L Bracket that holds the door to the van bends over time with usage, and causes the rear ECU to malfunction, which in turn causes the rear power sliding doors to randomly open. This fantastic feature of the new vans happens at random moments, and random speeds. I contacted Toyota, because my van was out of warranty, at 36,300 miles, "missed it by 300 miles", who continued to indicate that this was a known issue, and that they would cover half of the cost to repair the issue, and i would only have to come out of pocket 5771.00, which is the cost for half.. mind you they also indicated that this is a known issue.. Not happy with that outcome i contacted the NHTSB with the issue, and was told there have been 36K reports of the same issue occurring on Sienna Vans dating back to 2005, and that the last generation had a quiet recall, where Toyota extended the warranty on the doors, and repaired the issues free of charge, but this was never released as public knowledge.. The NHTSB indicated that they cant force a recall until someone dies.. I would suggest you avoid these vans like the plague if you love your family.. Otherwise i would hate to read about this issue in the paper because someone in your family dies..

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  Give me a some new rear brakes that work - 1999 Toyota Sienna
  By nstoirma - April 17 - 10:00 am

  My Sienna CE and have had an on going problem with the rear brake drums. The rear brakes have a thumping sound under low speed braking. There is little point to machine the rear brake drums, since this remedy does not work. Toyota has not been able to repair the rear brakes because of “hot spots or hard spots” in the drums. The turning of the drums is only a temporary solution and has the brake wear the “harden spots” become high spots that cause the thumping noise to occur.

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  161000 miles a I find I building a new fj!! - 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Jim sauerheber - March 9 - 6:01 pm

  I have a 2007 FJ and I had to replace the following torque converter, break system and rear end. I put a Lemon on the antenna!

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  Not very good - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By marklist12 - March 1 - 10:00 am

  I am very dissapointed in this vehicle. I have had it since September and it has been in for service a total of 103 days. Transmission went out on it. Front rotors were warped so bad the front end shook. Now it rattles over every bump. I cant believe anyone has given it a favorable rating. There must be a half a dozen other owners at the dealership having the same, and more, serious quality and reliability problems like myself. Ill never buy another Toyota!.

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  Glad to see it go - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By clem - February 9 - 10:46 pm

  This car was crap pulled to the right all the time felt like I had been in a boxing match every time I drove it, dealer ship said it was the road, also wore tires out like crazy, had the 4 cyl no power and a lag when you took off never knew if it wanted to go, and now the things are running away. Guess thats the road too, anyway got out of it. Bought a Kia borrego SUV road doesnt make it pull to the right goes when I push the gas and stops when I want it to good luck Toyota

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  Dont buy One - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By G.J. - February 1 - 4:10 am

  This vehicle has the worst ride ever. It constantly vibrates and the dealer will only tell you that this is the way it is supposed to ride. I got taken and you better drive it on the highway before you decide to but it. The ride and comfort is horrible. I will never buy another Toyota.