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:

• 

  Poor Transmission - 2007 Toyota Highlander
  By Chuck - April 26 - 11:20 am

  Have had rough downshift from day one. Took the car to local Colorado springs dealer and they say within specs, cant do anything. On slight uphill and SLOW advance of throttle the transmission (20-30% of time) SLAMS into a lower gear. Sometimes feels like it drops two gears. Just bought new Infinity and the shifting in all directions is silky smooth. Cant imagine buying another Toyota. Rest of the car is OK, not great but OK. Clumsy third rear seat.

• 

  Wonderful Car - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By Diane - April 26 - 10:36 am

  Believe it or not, traded a Prius for the Avalon due to long drives and increased comfort. It drives like a dream compared to the Prius. Also had a G35, and like this one much better. Think the interior could be quieter, but havent found a car yet that was as quiet as I thought it should be. Compared to every other car in the price range and several more expensive and this is the only one that had all the features that I was seeking. Also got the Special Edition Package and looks much more sporty.

• 

  08 Yaris - 2008 Toyota Yaris
  By Alan Buttler - April 26 - 6:00 am

  Excellent fuel economy. Have done as well as 42 MPG with 4 adult passengers and a trunk full of luggage. Nice handling. Mostly good visibility.

• 

  Great car, terrible navigation system - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By micdon - April 26 - 6:00 am

  Have had no problems with vehicle maintenance, the reliability has been very good. Average fuel mileage (regular gas) 27 mpg, the ride is comfortable with in-seat heat/cooling. Overall the vehicle has been great. The navigation system is a loser, very difficult to program and gives erroneous directions in congested areas. Save the $1900 and purchase a reliable portable GPS at a fraction of the price.

• 

  Super loaded Venza 6cyl AWD is awesome, but the AC sucks - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By skyke101 - April 26 - 5:29 am

  I love the way it looks, inside and out. I love the functionality of it. I REALLY love the power of the V6 with AWD, lots of get up and go!! The JBL Synthesis Stereo System is awesome! Gas mileage is pretty good, I probably average about 22, mostly city driving. The one issue I have with the Venza is the AC. It is almost as if they forgot to include a "high" option for the speed of the AC fan. It gets cold, but does not blow very good at all. I checked 5 other Venzas at the dealership, all models are exactly the same, WEAK AC! Even the new 2012 models. The salesman said that it was geared to older consumers that do not like AC blowing in their face. WHAT? $38000 for a weak AC?

• 

  Great car....for a smaller guy - 2016 Toyota Prius
  By Kyle Hunt - April 25 - 7:52 pm

  I absolutely love my Prius....words I thought Id never say! I got a new job a little further away from home so I thought I should buy something a little more economical. The Prius fit the bill and I bought it a few days before I started. I bought the basic model, nothing fancy...and I love it. I wish it had auto lights and power seats, but I get along just fine w/out em. What is starting to bother me a little is the comfort in the front seat. For quick trips its not bad, but when Im sitting in traffic for an hour or more my back starts to hurt. Granted my back hurts most of the time anyway, but not as much when Im in my other cars. Overall I still love the car. Getting 58 mpg currently and love that! Filling up last time cost me <$18...oh wait, thats the 1 and only time Ive filled up in a month! Hard to complain about that! If youre in the market for a Prius, just get it.

• 

  05 Taco PreRunner Double Cab - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By mrfoxy56 - April 25 - 5:40 pm

  Just bought this truck with TRD Off Road pkg. So far no problems. Im 56 yo and I love it...and so do the kids. Got bed extender with clear mask and tint all around. This truck is awesome and built to last. Toyota really did its homework on the redesign.

• 

  Great little car - 2001 Toyota Echo
  By LARRY COLLIE - April 25 - 11:26 am

  Its been a pleasure to drive it. ItÂ’s my wifeÂ’s car and she loves it. It may not be top of the line but we have had zero problems with it. It just keeps on going with great gas mileage. She averages about 38 in town 45-50 highway - got as high as 55 mpg on one trip.

• 

  Nice but has faults - 2012 Toyota Tundra
  By mrvenison - April 25 - 9:00 am

  Overall I have a nice truck and the 4.6 L engine performs quite well. It is a little more thirsty than expected. Mixed suburban and country driving fall a little less than 14 mpg with no off road. Thats short of the 14 city rated. The factory bed liner has large openings around the tie downs for lots of material to fall through to the bed. Also the Bluetooth was a real pain to load the phone book in the truck. It doesnt access the phone book in the phone.

• 

  I tried to like it, but at the end trade it in for Mazda CX-9 Grand Touring only after 1 year. - 2011 Toyota Highlander
  By convert777 - April 25 - 8:59 am

  Positive: Suppose to have stellar reliability and has a good resale, quick, relatively roomy and comfortable if you are not a driver. Negatives: Most surfaces and materials dont belong in $40,000 car (ok with me) , drives like minivan/truck crossover with very light and not communicative steering (does not drives, but floats), 3 rd row not usable - not just because of size/just plywood covered in cheap vinyl, no blind spot monitoring ( a must because of size, blind spots), no adaptive xenon headlights, average MPG for it size ( computer always overstate by 1 MPG). Toyota keeps being arrogant and substantially raised prices for 2012 without any improvements, that worked in my favor. My last 5 cars were Toyotas. After buying my first Mazda and then a Subaru I discovered that they are build as good or better than Toyota and pleasure to drive. Checked with Consumer reports and others and discovered that it is not only my opinion: Subaru and Mazda are higher rated that Toyota. Replaced 2011 Highlander Limited with 2012 CX-9 GT for only $2000 extra (no financing): pleasure to drive and handing like compact CUV/sedan (yet substantially bigger than Highlander), very usable 3rd row, near luxury interior/exterior, all the extras and safety futures not even available in Highlander, reliability should be terrific also - six year of the model and built in Japan.