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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  Not the Toyota I thought it would be - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By Mike D - September 4 - 4:29 am

  Having owned a few Camrys (97, 03) and Avalons (05, 08) over the years, my expectation was one of Toyota quality, however I am disappointed. Overall the SUV has two really good highlights. The first is plenty of power...plenty. This thing gets up and goes (as long as you manually take it out of "economy mode" default which causes it to run like a 4 cyl). Second is fuel economy (auto start and stop feature is annoying but all cars have it now). I travel about 30,000 miles a year and am averaging about 23 mpg. vs. 19 mpg in past Enclave (15) and 18 mpg in Explorers (12,14) I have owned. Overall fit and finish is good as with most Toyotas but here are the really frustrating things, in no particular order: 1. Whistling wind noise driving at highway speeds from passenger side window/mirror. 2. Front USB chargers are very poorly placed tucked way under the gimmicky "shelf" on dash which is not as cool as you think it would be. 3. The touch screen is too far to reach from driving position. Have to lean forward each time to make changes to audio etc. 4. Blue tooth voice command feature is very clunky, not intuitive and odd in comparison to Enclave and Explorer or any newer cars. You have to speak way too loud and give way too many commands just to make a phone call only to have them all reconfirmed in detail before dialing. 5. Sound system quality is mediocre in comparison to the Bose in Enclave mid priced model and base model system in Explorers. Volume always seems too low. 6. Tailgate is a joke. It beeps like 5 times and then begins the 5 minute opening journey. Closing is same. 5 beeps warning everyone around you your tailgate is going to close and then it takes 5 minutes to close. They seem to have countered it with the ability to open the back window as on older SUVs, but I would rather the tailgate to open and close faster. I am not just being picky, I am comparing it to a bunch of other vehicles including my sister in laws Escalade, friends X5, neighbors Q7 etc. All fast open and close. 6. Drivers seat will not go low enough for a over 6 tall driver. Thus, if you sit in normal driving position you tend to look out of the top third of the windshield. To counter, you need to lean seat back making it even more difficult to stretch to reach dash controls/touch screen. 7. "Safety sense" features are also very gimmicky. They do work, however I find myself overwhelmed by all the beeps, lights and warnings. They could get away with the side sensor lane changing lights in mirrors and the rear end collision avoidance and it would be fine. Biggest problem: when it snows, the front radar sensor and camera in grill become covered with snow, the entire dash lights up like a Christmas tree and continues to flash with warnings all over the place to make sure you pull over to clean grille and front of car clearing off safety sensors. Warning lights can not be overridden or turned off until the sensors are cleaned off. I would think it would be far more dangerous to pull over on the side of the highway in a snow storm to clean the sensors to enable the safety features on the car than it would be to drive without them. I have driven this car on two trips in the snow and both times it happened. POOR design. 8. When stopping at school or soccer practice to wait for my daughter, most recent cars I have had allow you to turn the car off and continue bluetooth phone call/listen to radio/roll down window etc until you open the door. This car cuts you off as soon as you shut it off. Very annoying. I hope this gives you some insight. Had I known about these items, I probably would have gone in a different direction. Seems Toyota has lost its edge.

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  Great Truck - 2008 Toyota Tundra
  By Marlin - September 4 - 2:50 am

  Great truck! The other makers do not compare. If youre looking for great gas mileage this is not your truck. If youre looking for reliability, resale value, power and looks this is your truck. With only 1000 miles im getting 15 mpg hwy and city.

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  This is NOT a sporty car - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By Filo Snard - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Handling is woefully inadequate and ride quality is far less than I had expected from a Camry. I can feel every bump, divot and imperfection in the road. Replacing all four struts didnt help the problem. After owning this car less than 3 years, I am already planning its replacement, even though when I bought it I had planned to drive it for at least 6-10 years. On the positive side, it is very roomy and has a very comfortable interior design. Controls are thoughtfully layed out and cabin noise is very well controlled.

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  Terrific car for 10K - 2001 Toyota Corolla
  By FryBoyJIB - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Bought this as my first car in January. It does a great job of getting me to an from work six days a week. I love the build quality and interior fit and finish. The engine is very rev happy and the three speed auto does just fine. Interior room is just fine for two average adults with the back seat used for storage. I dont mind the so-called "plain vanilla" of the 2001 Corolla, for the simple reason that cars with "personality" (i/e the 2001 Celica) are "very ugly" and "overpriced". The dealer (Toyota of Killeen) took forever and a day (Two months) to get me a new registartion sticker for this car, but that is not Toyotas fault.

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  2004 Sienna - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By Jamie from Tampa - September 4 - 2:00 am

  We just took delivery of our Sienna this week. I am very impressed with the initial quality of the vehicle. Our first tank of gas netted us a 22 mpg with almost all of that around town. We are having fun with all of the "toys" included with the xle package. We leased it and found it to be a bargain vs. the competition. They are in fairly short supply right now in the Tampa area.

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  Solid Minivan - 2006 Toyota Sienna
  By Erynex - September 3 - 6:40 pm

  Gets good mileage and has a very smooth and quiet ride. We were able to purchase a 100,000k mile Toyota extended warranty online for a very reasonable price. The dealership has been very helpful, even after the sale. We ordered it with many extras and were able to negotiate a good price. This is my second Toyota and probably not my last.

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  Great car - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By bahram - September 3 - 12:03 pm

  I have bought this car more than a year ago. It feels so alive and sporty. Fuel Economy is great. If you drive on highway It will make 29 mpg and it looks great. Every one loves it. If you go faster than 80 mph, you will hear the wind noise but over all I love it. It handels like a dream. It does not feel like a suv. just test drive it.

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  Excellent small family hauler - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By Chowdy - September 3 - 11:00 am

  Car totally met my expectation in all but one regard: Gas Mileage. Whatever formula being used now is wrong by a consistent 10% across three different vehicles Ive purchased in the last three years. Otherwise the v6 version of this baby thrills! Handles well, and accelerates like a scalded dog when you need it.

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  So far, so GREAT - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By Flash - September 3 - 10:36 am

  Bought this as the wifes new vehicle. It replaced her 00 Impala. What an upgrade!!! It is comfortable, quiet, and for a vehicle of its considerable size and power, gets really good fuel mileage. We got every option except for the nav, and the rear seat DVD. We have portables of both, and didnt see the need to spend an extra $4k on just those 2 options. Excellent up front storage capability with a glove box almost big enough to fit a desktop computer. Comfortable, versatile, and economical, everything we wanted, combined with Toyotas bulletproof reliability reputation. Our first Toyota, and were hooked.

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  Poor interior, poor comfort - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By solace - September 3 - 8:53 am

  Made the mistake of not driving it any distance. Very uncomfortable. Seats headrests seem to push your head forward, and keep your neck at a bad angle. Arm rests not in correct location. Silly little plastic foot holder for left foot to rest on, reminds me of a kayak. May be reliable, but surely not any joy to drive. Cup holders do not accept regular size household coffee cup.