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:

• 

  satisfied - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By samlm - October 6 - 10:00 am

  I made the right choice, this van is the greatest

• 

  Thank god its gone! - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By electricwitch - October 5 - 10:43 pm

  Just traded my 2009 corolla S in today for a Honda CR-V. The corolla had a clutch issue. Constantly stalling in traffic. I mentioned it to the dealer, they just insinuated that I needed more "practice with clutch". Well, 35 years is a lot. My other car has a clutch, no problem there and anyone who drove this corolla had issues also. Paid 19k. It was only worth 9k a little over a year later. Cramped, zero headroom, cheap paint job, plastic parts that snap in the cold. It did have good gas mileage tho, and I could have dealt with all of the cosmetic stuff, but the stalling out in traffic thing is just plain dangerous. Didnt want to wait for a recall and maybe become a statistic. Shame on you Toyota!

• 

  Crossing The Country - 2004 Toyota 4Runner
  By Ralph - October 5 - 9:36 pm

  I have driven from New York to California during the summer of 2003, New York to Utah the summer of 2004 and New York to Arizona with a detour to Texas during the summer of 2005. The three trips were approximately 23,000 miles. The 4 Runner met every challenge through snow in the Rockies and 100 degree heat in Texas with power and class. The V8 had no peers! A beautiful truck inside and out!

• 

  Toyota Rav4 - 2005 Toyota RAV4
  By Her Toy - October 5 - 9:20 pm

  Terrific gas milege - very sporty, yet smooth comfortable ride. A coworker, who was my passenger asked if the Rav4 was a V-6 because of the exceptional pick up. Far better visibility than Honda CRV - vertually no blind spots. Lots of toys - stereo/CD player controls also located on steering wheel for ease in changing from one to the other. Excellent sound too. Lots of room - rear seats fold up and out - many compartments for storage 4 wheel drive hugs the road and its an SUV thats very easy to get in and out of. These vehicles run for years too.

• 

  No Regrets - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Bob R - October 5 - 6:16 pm

  After 64K miles, and despite a rear- wheel bearing that went out at 37K miles ($450), I can say with confidence Id buy this car again. Its extremely comfortable, gets great gas mileage, has plenty of power (V6) and most importantly, its extremely reliable. Im not crazy about the cloth door armrests, but the interior has held up extremely well and still looks new. Best of all, if I get stopped for speeding, I can always claim it was a stuck accelerator!

• 

  "Old Faithful" 285,000 miles & counting - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By omercy - October 5 - 6:03 pm

  Reliable, safe, no problems, handled amazing in a near head on, love love love!

• 

  NOT WORTH THE MONEY - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Dave Lazeroff - October 5 - 1:18 pm

  I leased a 2016 Highlander XLE awd with a sticker price of nearly $40k. My wife has bugged me for years for a Highlander so i finally broke down. The vehicle is okay at best. The road noise is unbearable between the wind noise from the windows completely closed to the road noise from under the car-probably due to lack of sufficient insulation. My 2015 GMC Sierra is a million times quieter on the freeway than the Toyota. The gas mileage is sub par at best. My full size 6000 pound 4 x 4 truck does as well on the freeway with respect to the mpg. It does handle decent. Feels solid. And, of course, it will be reliable-its a Toyota. The voice command works very well. It understands me and my trucks voice command never does. I cannot see how a $40k sticker vehicle cannot have remote start. I would have had to upgrade to a platinum limited to get cooled seats and remote start. For another $100.00 a month on the payment. I leased this one. $3k down and $350 a month is not bad considering if i would have bought it the payment would be double. I am glad i did not buy it because i will not be keeping it once the lease is up. I should have bought a Grand Cherokee but it does not have a third row like the Highlander which is what sold me. The front seats are very hard and uncomfortable especially on a four hour drive. I had to get out every hour or so and stretch my legs and walk around. Have not had a chance to check out the awd yet, i will do that this winter in the snow. Oh, and the ac is awesome. I live in Las Vegas and it gets to 115 here and the ac works great, extremely cold. I am just under six feet and weigh 230 pounds muscular and have no trouble fitting in the drivers seat.

• 

  I love my Matrix - 2005 Toyota Matrix
  By Brad - October 5 - 11:53 am

  I traded my IS300 Lexus for the Matrix XR. The car is great! It has virtually all the options as the Lexus, save a few. It handles well, and for my purposes has excellent excelleration. You will love the cargo space..it is the most versatile car I have owned. Quality-wise it is on a par with past Lexus and Mercedes I have owned. Bravo! You will not be disappointed and the gas mileage is very good. I get 26++.

• 

  Best convertible under 35K - 2006 Toyota Camry Solara
  By louella - October 5 - 11:50 am

  I love it!! The only thing I dont like is removing the top cover and where to store it. Putting it back on is a pain! But its still worth it!

• 

  Disappointed with Quality - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Aaron - October 5 - 4:03 am

  Have owned my Camry for just over 2 years now. Very disappointed in the quality. I always feel like my car is out of alignment/balance and the steering wheel shakes like crazy. Ive had it checked multiple times and they dealer says "theres nothing wrong." The seats are very uncomfortable and not good for long drives. I hear sounds coming from the dash that arent causing issues, but seem out of the ordinary. Had to have tires replaced at 20k, which I thought was ridiculous. Also had to have the brakes replaced at 30k, which seemed too soon as well. The only positive things I have to say about this car are that the new design is great and dont hear road noise. Glad I leased!