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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  A Womans Opinion - 2007 Toyota Tacoma
  By LtH - April 19 - 5:43 pm

  Im very satisfied with the Taco, lives up to the reviews, and would buy it all over again. The visibility is great, and 5 adults fit comfortably. It feels solid, and handles well both on streets & freeways. My goals were to get a vehicle with better than average reliability that rode a little higher off the ground and the Taco fit the bill as a great investment. Im a happy first time Toyota owner & first time truck owner.

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  Practical but boring - 2007 Toyota Corolla
  By brian - April 19 - 5:23 pm

  Considering that Im in my car all day, I must say that the Corolla is a very practical everyday car but boring nonetheless. I dont really get excited when Im in it and I dont look at it beautifully like I did my previous car. Maybe its because I upgraded from a 1996 Civic, but this Corolla had so much potential to be a fun everyday vehicle. Hopefully the next generation will be better.

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  What Is Up? - 2008 Toyota Avalon
  By JD - April 19 - 1:56 pm

  I have had this car for 15 months. It is my first and last Toyota. I have been driving a Cadillac for a few years and tried something different. It is different allright but not good. In snow and ice this thing is dangerous. My FWD Caddy with traction and stabilitrack was great. This Toyota is a white knuckler,it must not snow in Japan! The seats in this car are a joke! I cannot get comfortable no matter how I adjust- I think they are too short. The GPS is so hard to use that I dont try anymore. I had it in my old car it was EZ. I like to take care of my cars and the paint on this car is junk. You cannot get a blk. car to shine? The dash rattles, my sunroof rattles and it drives me crazy.

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  Great except for the plastic - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Lore77a - April 19 - 11:33 am

  I love my stripped down 4wd fj cruiser it is awesome offroad and on. The only extras are air conditioning, convienience pkg, differential lock and roof rack. It looks cool with the black steel wheels and it holds lots of gear inside and on the the roof. The plastic interior parts are my only complaint.. they scratch much too easily.

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  The best midsize sedan for the $$$ - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By TerryS - April 18 - 9:20 pm

  I purchased an 05 Camry for my daughter in July of 05 and my wife liked it so much we just traded in our 04 Honda Pilot for another one! This is by far the best mid-sized sedan for the money (under $16,500) for the LE version with automatic!

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  Disappointed - 2009 Toyota Matrix
  By matrixok - April 18 - 5:16 pm

  Paint chips all over. Will have to have it repainted. Blind spot in the back. Gas mileage is good. Had tire blow out and had to replace 2 tires and rims. This was due to something the dealer did but as another review said the dealers do not own up to anything. On 3rd radio. Transmission seems to be slipping. Interior is hard to keep clean

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  Spring Break trip to Colorado from North Texas - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By George Roark - April 18 - 7:02 am

  Let me get my complaint out of the way first. When driving on snow and ice, you come to a stop at intersection. Then you press the gas pedal to go-and nothing happens! The car will not respond to the driver, it will only move forward at a speed where the tires do not spin. Meanwhile the car behind us starts to honk, etc. This happened to me numerous times in the mountain town we visited. Once the car responded, it was great. The gas mileage was OK, about 24 mpg running 75 mph. We put 2220 miles on the car in the week that we were out. Holding that speed on I-25 between Raton, NM and Denver, the transmission gets a little "shifty" on the uphill slopes, but you get used to it. - I was very impressed at how quiet the cabin remained at high speeds. The car was easy to drive even in the crosswinds. We made use of the manual shift option on the mountain roads. It worked effectively. The car has a smooth ride. The interior is roomy and comfortable. The telescopic adjustment steering was nice. The dashboard controls were good, but I did miss not having a compass. Maybe there is one, but we never found it. And the maps feature must not have been working, but it did display. With all the other technology on the car, it should tell you your altitude, direction of travel, current location, weather conditions, amount of moisture on the pavement, eg. Ice, snow, rain, etc. You need this information driving in the mountains at nighttime. You dont know your location, and cannot be sure of conditions as you change altitude, etc. - The spare tire was full size and easy to access. Five adults fit comfortably in the car. Acceleration was good on dry pavement, not so good on the snow. Getting in and out is good. The car sits high enough as not to stress these "old bones". - I give the car a solid B+

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  Silky Smooth - 2008 Toyota Sequoia
  By hisenberg - April 18 - 5:46 am

  We drove our new Sequoia to Sequoia National Park for our first outing with the new vehicle. During this drive, we experienced driving in city, open freeway, mountain roads and icy roads. The entire drive was very smooth. The 6-speed automatic engine was far better than our previous 4-speed domestic luxury SUV. It handled very well in all conditions. The interior of the car has more "plastic" than I normally like. Needs a little more wood trim and some plastic mouldings are loose. Navigation system was excellent. The ride with the air suspension was very comfortable and the steering wheel was steady over all the bumps.

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  Worth the Money, buy one you wont regre - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By Phoenian - April 17 - 10:06 pm

  Super truck on all levels. Design, fit, finish and materials are at luxury car levels. Researched all compareable trucks in detail and the Tacoma excells in every catagory. I dont have many miles on it yet, but the comfort factor along with the driving enjoyment justify the purchase. I love it and it appears that most other motorist do as well.

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  Joes FJ Ride - 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Joes Ride - April 17 - 4:53 pm

  This is a fun to drive, off road 4X4. Built like a tank however, the ride is good. 20 MPG in city driving, not bad! Have the TRD exhaust and not sure it does anything for the performance? But it sound good! Have been using regular gas and only notice a slight loss of power. Engine on a synthetic diet now that I have 9000 miles on it.