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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  Disappointed by Repairs - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By myravsucks - May 23 - 5:44 am

  Bad camshaft had to be replaced at 90k miles. Vibrations and noise from manual transmission at 80k miles -dealer could not find anything wrong. Started slipping out of 5th gear at 100k miles requiring new transmission. This car has been babied and driven gently by one owner. All preventative maintenance performed regularly.

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  Regrets - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By Lonestar - May 16 - 7:26 pm

  I bought this truck with reservations because it was made in my home state. Give me back my Ford F-150 with 245,000 miles on it! This truck has been nothing but dissapointing. The seats are hard and uncomfortable, the dash looks like it was pieced together by a dozen differnt designers, and guages are obstructed by the steering wheel. With a load, this truck struggles. Interior and exterior Trim pieces are loose- nothing major and I fixed them myself- but not what I expected from a $30,000+ vehichle. Truck looks aggresive and heavy, and it handles as such. The truck seems to struggle around the corners and rides rough. Nothing what I expected with Toyotas so-called "quality"

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  Glorified Tin Can - 2007 Toyota Prius
  By 49er fan - May 9 - 8:13 pm

  I bought this car as a third vehichle for myself- basically to run back and forth to work in and for errands. I certainly did not buy it for its looks going in, but for fuel economy. This car did not deliver as advertised. I am averaging about 35 MPG highway/city driving- not the 50 MPG+ as advertised. I feel sorry for those who have this car as a primary vehichle- it is very uncomfortable after 1/2 hour- seats are hard and headroom is poor. The car is very slow merging on the freeway and keeping up with traffic. Very noisy at speeds of 60 MPH plus The "check engine" light came on, but dealer could not find anything wrong. This is a good car for a teenager or for short trips only.

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  Looks and runs great but its a rust time bomb! - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By Ben - April 30 - 6:48 am

  I purchased this older vehicle to replace my money pit 96 Suburban and considered getting rid of my car as well. While replacing the exhaust I found that the frame was rotted out in the back behind where the tail pipe muffler was located. This discouraged me greatly as I had heard these vehicles had this issue - but mostly the tundras were affected from what Ive read even though its the same frame. On the outside you would never know and even looking underneath you wouldnt see it because the exhaust system is hiding it from plain view. I contacted Toyota and they opened a case only to tell me that this vehicle was already serviced for this reason in February 2013 for the frame issue where they removed surface rust and treated it. It appears that the frame is rusting from the inside I think that they didnt treat the passenger rear corner because of the exhaust would be in the way. I thought I had purchased a dependable vehicle only to find out that its a pile of scrap now. It still drives great but I purchased it to tow which I will not do now - I hope to get rid of it before this rust time bomb explodes.

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  Worst quality & service experience for RAV4 - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Aj - April 29 - 2:13 pm

  Just 3 months old with 3000 miles. Already repaired twice, once for rubbery brakes and for tailgate being jammed. Worst service experience in Avenel, NJ. Highly disappointed with Toyota quality and experience about which I had heard a lot. Even with 90% highway driving, giving only 23

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  I want my 97 Taco back! - 2007 Toyota Tacoma
  By mph66 - April 28 - 3:54 pm

  I *hate* this truck. My 97 Taco got better mileage. I have an up/down hilly commute of 7 1/2 miles per day, each way. I hypermile by coasting down hills, and still, the best I can eke out is 24 mpg. They took the same spec. 4 cyl. engine from the 97 Taco and put it into the huge, bulky body of the 2007 access cab. This thing labors up the slightest of inclines. I dont need a "full size pickup" to compensate for something else. The smaller truck was fine for going to Home Depot or the transfer station. My manhood was not threatened, yet for some reason, it seems that Toyotas masculinity was somehow called into question. I want my old truck back!

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  REPENTING - 2004 Toyota RAV4
  By shrink - April 3 - 2:00 am

  Within 400 miles developed a rattle in the car, took it to the dealer. They changed the HEATSHIELD, again another rattle the next day, they repaired it. Now a rattle from the AC ducts in the dash board. Disgusting. I am a busy man ,dont have the time to spend in Service centers. Bought a brand new car for enjoyment. It has become a major source of DISGUST.

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  We got a lemon - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By kfran - April 2 - 10:53 am

  Well its bound to happen that when a company makes thousands of a product, there will be a bad egg in there somewhere. Unfortunately, we bought the bad egg. Camry was purchased brand new and at 24,000 miles we started having problems with the car nearly quiting on us as we were driving it. Engine light came on & weve had it at a local Toyota dealership if not every week but every few months since (we now have over 60,000 miles). The car has had the computer reset, a coil replaced, last Friday April 29, a spark plug was replaced after the Toyota engineers reviewed the codes because the mechanics couldnt figure it out. Well, sorry to say, the car is back in the shop today-still not fixed!

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  Buyers Remorse - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By CarNut4UinTx - March 27 - 9:03 am

  Having tested the Imapala, the Accord, the Charger and then the Camry, we opted for the latter. Sadly, we are overcome with SERIOUS buyers remorse. MPG is not better than 24mpg w/the 4CYL, the transmission slips, the throttle by wire has been non- responsive on several occasions, the ergonomics are "off", and the dealership is very proud of their product, too proud. Ohhhh Toyota, what happened? We bought the car for the reliabilty, but the car has been in the shop six times now, in 8 weeks!

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  Buyer this is NOT your fathers Toyota - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By Tim - March 24 - 9:10 am

  This truck may prove that Toyotas reputation for dependability is a thing of the past. On my 3rd day of ownership I stopped at the spray wash and watched in horror as the pressure wash sprayed the paint off the hood. This was the first of many, many problems: stability control failed, my 9 year old pulled the door closed and broke it, tailgate jammed shut, windshield wiper broke, tire pressure sensor failed...all this in only 6 weeks of ownership. Im in the process now of claiming it under the lemon laws.