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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  Overall best truck Ive had!!!!! - 2002 Toyota Tacoma
  By Eddy - June 11 - 10:00 am

  The 2.7 Liter could use some more power but the TRD supercharger, it feels like an 8 cyl. I also have a V-6 crew cab which it is really strong, powerful, and fast. Hoping to supercharge it soon!!!!!!

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  So Proud I Picked The Real Winner - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By NationwideDriver - June 11 - 10:00 am

  Im recently retired at a fairly young age with a goal of trying to see most all areas of our wonderful country. I had the luxury of evaluating and personally test driving 27 vehicles I felt had potential to be the best. The Highlander was chosen. Son of a gun, turns out I made a perfect choice! Shes wonderful! Shes spectacularly satisfying. A quality and truly reliable trooper, as well proven after many miles of often very challenging driving conditions.

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  This IS the one! - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By CeeLee - June 11 - 10:00 am

  We Test drove all the Mid-Size SUVs and drove the Highlander last because the Toyota dealer never had any in stock. As soon as I closed the door for the test drive, I knew this was the one. This car/suv is so well built! 4- cylinder is enough if you dont tow.

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  2018 4Runner Still Great After All These Years - 2018 Toyota 4Runner
  By Mark Brundage - June 11 - 6:30 am

  I recently went SUV shopping for my wife and I, and she really surprised me. I had done some pre=shopping on my own as her work schedule isnt really car shopping friendly and had previewed many of the new crop of crossover cute utes (CRV, Rava4, Mazda CX-5) thinking that was what shes like. Car like handling, AWD and good gas mileage. Whats not to like, so after we look at and test drive the above we are at the Toyota dealer and shes just not feeling any of the vehicles weve driven and says to the salesman and I , "I want something more substantial, tougher" and points to a 4Runner. So we take it for a ride and she loves it. Well, I guess after almost 32 years of marriage she can still surprise me occasionally. So we make a deal, and the dealer doesnt have one on the lot with the equipment we want (TRD Off Roar Premium) and they make a trade and get one from another dealer that is in transit from the port in NYC and have it shipped to them. Weve had the truck for about three weeks now and have about 2000 mixed miles on it. The truck rides great on bumps, tracks and handles well even in a torrential downpour on the highway, has great visibility day or night. With the TRD Off Road options including terrain assist and electronic locking rear differential I know is going to make it awesome in the snow this winter, but I will provide an update to this review once Ive substantiated that assumption. Now there are a few cons, it catches the wind a little bit going down the highway, and the fuel economy would be better with a 6 or 8 speed transmission, but overall Toyota has done an amazing job of tuning a body on frame SUV to ride and handle far better than it really should, have added a bunch of nice near luxury features such as Bluetooth phone integration, airbags galore, crawl control (look it up, its pretty cool), computer controlled integration of the stability control, ABS and traction control systems to provide ridiculously strong off road capabilities, LED taillights and projector beam headlights that work really well without diluting all the things that made the 4Runner a super reliable, rugged go almost anywhere truck. If you live in NYC (I grew up there) is the 4Runner the best choice for you, well maybe not the TRD Off Road or PRO versions, but if you live in rural Maine (which I do now) and need to get through Maine winters or want to go camping, or hiking or boating where others cant, then it gives up little while offering a lot. Check it out.

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  Get the v6 - 2006 Toyota Tacoma
  By john - June 11 - 3:40 am

  Great truck in every aspect except I purchased the 4 cyl. It is my only regret. It took some getting used to, since I traded in a loaded 4x4 tahoe for this truck, but now I like it a lot. I highly recommend this vehicle. Make sure you get the v6 if you tow anything.

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  RAV4 Fan - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By ToyotaNewbie - June 11 - 1:26 am

  Just got it 2 weeks ago. Very, very happy with it. With the V6, its very fast. Getting 24 mpg in the city, havent calculated highway yet. This vehicle is a happy medium of sportiness and practicality. Cupholders in front are kinda awkward.

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  61.1 MPG - 2013 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By ssood - June 10 - 11:54 pm

  I commute 40 miles a day. Traded in my 2010 Camry SE I4. for a mid-size hybrid under 25k. Test drove Optima hybrid, Sonata hybrid and the beautiful Fusion, sadly they couldnt keep up to their EPA estimates. Bought a Camry hybrid LE. 185 miles on the ODO and I am currently averaging 55-61 mpg. 67% city/33% hwy. I dont care about the looks but some rattles are unbearable. The sound quality is good. Seats dont support well but hey, I dont get to work tired..

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  I have never driven a Camry I liked - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By kittycats - June 10 - 2:45 pm

  We have owned 4 Camrys that my husband keeps bringing home because they are cheap. Well duh, they are cheap because they are CHEAP. Everyone of them lost their engine around 150,000 despite the fact that we do everything the manual says to do (I have a beautiful oil slick in my garage too). The ride is awful, pickup worse and not all the great on gas. This last one was in an accident and gratefully no injuries, but was totaled (I thanked God for that one too). After my experience with this model, I honestly do miss my AMC hornet, at least it was peppier, fun to drive and did not blow up on me. I do not recommend.

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  NO GOOD BUILD QUALITY - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By DSANCHEZ - June 10 - 3:40 am

  My first SUV, good fuel economy, good comfort & easy to drive. But in my opinion no good build quality, the brakes have been replaced twice, the first time was in Dec. 2007. The dampers has been replaced once. Noise in the back started six months ago, finally the last month Toyota Shop found the cause of the noise: one large screw of the left damper support is damaged!!!

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  Now this is a Toyota - 2000 Toyota Corolla
  By jjimbo - June 9 - 4:24 pm

  I got this car used from my cousin. It had been in two different accidents and was still going strong. This model of Toyota could not be killed. Everything worked, motor sang like a sewing machine and looked very neat and clean. The only thing I didnt like was the size of the inside.