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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  Automatic Transmission Problems - 2009 Toyota Tacoma
  By ben - February 25 - 10:33 pm

  09 SR5 4x4 CC. The 09 with automatic transmission has design flaws which cause the vehicle to drop into low gear and race the engine. Not only dangerous, but maddening.

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  Dont Waste Your Time or Money! - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By cdh0730 - February 20 - 1:26 am

  I have a 2010 Corolla LE. The entire dash, the doors and the back rattle BADLY. If I go over a bump in the road, it sounds like the car is literally going to fall apart. We have had to have the rotors replaced or turned about six times now. This car barely has 60k miles on it! I have a 2001 Ford (with 160k miles) and I have replaced the rotors ONCE. We are also about to put on the third set of tires. Each time I go to the dealership, there is yet another recall. The interior design on this car is horrible, and dont even get me started on the seat fabric! There is four year old lint on my seats that I have given up on. Save yourself the hassle, and dont buy this piece of junk!

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  toyota was better - 2002 Toyota Sequoia
  By toyota went down - February 17 - 10:00 am

  all of the other toyota cars had as much hp as its other rivals like the yukon please im thinking of returning mine and buying a new one in about three years untill it gets more horse power at least 320hp because the nizzan pathfinder has just as much and its a v6 i am very disipointed with toyota towing 6,500 is a very little amount for a v8

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  Review from Long-term Toyota owner: 2014 Sienna utterly disappoints - 2014 Toyota Sienna
  By frrrroom_dz - February 6 - 4:41 am

  Perhaps the worst Toyota among 7 that I owned in the past 14 years. Had a pleasure to own two 4Runners, 2 GX470 and 1 GX460, 1 Highlander. This Sienna is wrong in almost every department but biggest is by far rattle and squeaks from cheapest plastic panels that 2014 Sienna has. Impossible to to mitigate those issues. 3rd row seats rattle loudly even after anti-rattle kit was installed. Inside the van it is obnoxiously loud, all road noise comes in at highway speeds that you need to crank radio just to hear it. Certainly, not good for long trips, we bought it to take on the cross-country trips but what a mistake it was.

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  Not all I expected - Gone - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Dennis - January 31 - 7:40 am

  This is my first Taco. I had fairly high expectations given what I had read. I tested both the four and six engines, decided on the six because 1 mpg was worth it to get power. After having owned it for six months (4,500 miles) I would probably not buy it again. The first issue was a rattle in the door. Five trips to the dealer eventually fixed it (along with replacing a door panel and some additional foam going in the A pillar). A couple of more rattles have made themselves known, but not yet annoying, or I am just dreading the trips to fix them, not sure. The second issue is the engine/transmission. I have three issues. 1. the MPG is OK in the city and lousy on the freeway. My most recent trip was about 800 miles, pulled 22 mpg. Not loaded or towing and stayed pretty much within speed limits and I have a tonneau cover on the bed. This brings me to problem 2., the transmission. I have had the TSB performed to deal with hesitation between park and drive (works), the transmission was also down about 20 ounces of fluid. The transmission still downshifts very poorly, with a very untotyota like "clunk" when coming to stop and going from third to second or second to first. The transmission can best be described as nervous and unsettled as it hunts to find gears going up and down small grades, hills, etc. In the previously mentioned trip, it was continually downshifting one to two gears going up hills and grades, with the tach going from just under two thousand rpm to over 3,000. This brings me to 3., the engine. It is very smooth, but mileage is just awful. The engine feels very under powered going up hills and grades unless it drops all the way down to third or fourth gear. Some one likened it to shifting up in an manual gear too soon, it "lugs" and that is a great way to describe it. Even on a flat road, you are going to have to mash it to keep with traffic. I am going to take it back to the dealer regarding the poor mpg, maybe a different one, and see if they can correct it. But again, would probably not but it again, and would certainly not recommend to anyone. What a complete disappointment. I traded the Tacoma in. The unhappy power train was just too much in a daily driver. It was very useful, and I miss that every day, but that old saying about never buying a vehicle in its first year (and 2016 was the first year for the V 6 power train in the Taco), stay away from it. When Toyota works the bugs out, I will look at it again, if I can afford it.

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  2004 Totyota Camry Beware - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By Dan - January 27 - 8:00 am

  I started experiencing shifting problems, but the dealer couldnt fix it. While turning on a busy 4 lane highway, the transmission went out. I do not abuse this car (I am too old to beat any car up). Now I have a $4000 bill for a new transmission. I have found out that this has been a problem for other owners but Toyota will not acknowledge or take car of their problems. Other than that the motor ran well and I got good mileage, but I would never buy another one.

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  Wish Id never bought a Solara - 2006 Toyota Camry Solara
  By D Beck - January 23 - 8:03 pm

  The five speed automatic tranmission doesnt shift properly when speeding up after slowing down or coming out of a turn. Dealership tells me its operating as designed. Will never get another Toyota.

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  Change is not better!!! - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By minnics1 - January 14 - 2:00 am

  I have been extremely unhappy with the quality of this vehicle and the service of the dealer (New Holland Toyota, PA). I have had it back repeately for stupid little things that they just dont seem to be able to fix. It even had a rear wheel bearing go a week after I got it. I guess thats what happens when you build a foreign car in Kentucky, USA. Worse than the quality is the ruined handling of this vehicle. They have made it higher and it now has serious body roll, it doesnt corner well at all. There is no power to this vehicle, especially if you put 4 people in it. If I could take it back I would!!!

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  Can you really see safely - 2010 Toyota Prius
  By Alice - January 13 - 11:50 pm

  Dont be talked into any Series under a IV. You need the back up mirror since its impossible to see what is behind you especially if its low. This car has dangerous blind spots in the rear and the front. TEST TEST TEST. Yes, the fuel economy is great, but its not worth the injuring myself much worse someone else. The seat adjustments are stiff. Impossible to do from the inside. If you are 52" or under definitely dont buy this car. You cant see out the front either. The interior design is very confusing. Ive yet to find the trip odometer. Maybe it doesnt exist. Many rattles too. Im trading as soon as I can make time.

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  Loved the car at first, but beware! - 2007 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By grako - January 13 - 2:50 pm

  I have 6000 miles on the car, which has developed many rattles and annoying clicks. I have been back to the dealer three times, and if one click or rattle is fixed, others appear. Very disappointing for Toyota. I have owned Toyotas my last six cars and was excited by the hybrid. The engine is smooth, but the car is a crate as far as body construction. Nearly everyone has a rattle in the console, the drink holder make noise if you have a drink in it. The big problem is everything is plastic and all connected by clips that dont really hold things in place. With no cloth or barriers to all the plastic on plastic, these annoying sounds appear everywhere. Wait for the next model