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:

• 

  GREAT CAR - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By Kathryn Brown - June 9 - 8:33 am

  This car is amazing and I will never not own another hybrid again! I am thrilled with the gas mileage, which has been 51-52 mpg average. I couldnt be happier.

• 

  One hell-of-an off roader - 2001 Toyota Tacoma
  By TejasYOTA - June 8 - 1:06 pm

  In stock form this truck is very offroad capable. Good balance and grip and plenty of power. Only main gripe is the lack of a 5 speed when it was introduced and the damn placement of the digital clock. The electronic rear diff lock works great too. I only wish they offered a front locker too and offer the driver side grab handle on the a-pillar. It was deleted from the LIMITED versions. What marketing bozo thought of that?!

• 

  The Best - 2008 Toyota Sienna
  By Mona - June 8 - 11:46 am

  We took a look at 3 minivans, the Chrysler Town & Country Touring, Honda Odyssey EX-L RES, and Toyota Sienna XLE with extra value package 4. The Sienna has the best ride of all three and handles well. The engine just blows the others away. I wasnt looking for power to win stoplight races but I got it, but I wanted the power for passing or emergency maneuvers requiring power. The quality of the Toyota was the best. I average 21.3 mpg in my Sienna. Toyota Sienna is the best van on the market.

• 

  poor back up camera - 2011 Toyota Avalon
  By keneg1 - June 8 - 8:49 am

  I purchased my 2011 with 32,000+ miles. the backup camera doesnt show evenly on the navigation screen. It isnt centered on the screen. The dealer told me after I drove it off the lot that all 2011s have this. "It is on all the 2011s". Ive asked the dealer 5 weeks ago to drive another 2011 to see if that car has the same problem. So far, he said he hasnt had one to test. If anyone has this problem, please coment. Thank you.

• 

  Peppy little car - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By RD - June 8 - 7:30 am

  I finally got the car with additional antilock brakes and curtain side air bag for added safety. Got 17 inch after market rims with wider tires for additional traction and stability. It looks great and is really fun to drive and very fuel efficient. Toyotas reliability has a proven tract. I currently own a Sequoia, a Camry, and an 07 LS 460. Im 6 ft 1 and I use this for my daily commute for obvoius practical reasons. I had my fair share of luxury European cars (I wont mention out of ethics) and my ownership experience were not good.

• 

  Improved in ways that matter; worse in others - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Scott - June 8 - 5:52 am

  Interior quietness, handling and braking on this car are fantastic! These attributes are substantially improved over previous editions of the Camry. They did their homework improving several minor areas such as: the side mirror shape and size improves visibility (and they fold back, too); the center console storage, while smaller, is designed smartly so an envelope-length item can fit in, the USB and cigarette lighter port are more conveniently placed; the sunglasses holder now actually fits a large pair of sunglasses; the door panel storage bins are designed to allow more flexible storage of round items like bottles and cups. But other areas worsened. The standard seat material is rougher, the cushion is harder and there is less of it. A pillow is needed for long drives. For me, the seat begins to pinch the legs at about 2 hours. Its noticeable, and this was not the case with my previous 2011 Camry. Also, the sidewall of the console is concrete hard and ones knees tend to bang into it due to the more compact size of the steering wheel well on the drivers size. The dashboard gauges are too complicated and not laid out to scale. Some are useless and distract while driving. E.g. the mpg gauge is so large it crowds out the fuel gauge, which is too small. The mph gauge spreads from 0 to 60, but mostly tickles between 26.5 and 29- the rest of the dial is big wasted space. And, you can punch a knob and get the mpg, so it is redundant. The "eco" light is a distraction while driving. Thankfully it can be turned off. It discharges with no apparent rhyme or reason. The speed limit dial is huge- from 0 to 140mph with "top dead center" at 70mph, as fast as you go most places. The other half of the dial is big, wasted space. Entune takes four button pushes to do something that ought take one step. Every time you start the engine, it beeps and flashes a long, tedious written message that tells you basically not read this message or operate Entune while you are driving. The most useful item on the dash, the clock, is eliminated and is now a complicated and distracting practice to get to in Entune. HVAC is well-distributed in the car, as is the sound from the six speakers. The interior quality is nice and upgraded from previous Toyota editions. Plus, there are ten(!) airbags for safety. With reasonably comfortable seats like the previous 2007-2011 edition, this would be 4.5 stars rounds to 5 stars. But with the seats and dashboard dials retrogressing, and a user-unfriendly and distracting Entune, the car is 4 stars. Its amazing, but I can remember back to the 1987 Toyota Camry LE- it had better seats and dashboard gauges than the 2015. Still a very good car, overall, though.

• 

  Improved in ways that matter; worse in others - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Scott - June 8 - 5:52 am

  Interior quietness, handling and braking on this car are fantastic! These attributes are substantially improved over previous editions of the Camry. They did their homework improving several minor areas such as: the side mirror shape and size improves visibility (and they fold back, too); the center console storage, while smaller, is designed smartly so an envelope-length item can fit in, the USB and cigarette lighter port are more conveniently placed; the sunglasses holder now actually fits a large pair of sunglasses; the door panel storage bins are designed to allow more flexible storage of round items like bottles and cups. But other areas worsened. The standard seat material is rougher, the cushion is harder and there is less of it. A pillow is needed for long drives. For me, the seat begins to pinch the legs at about 2 hours. Its noticeable, and this was not the case with my previous 2011 Camry. Also, the sidewall of the console is concrete hard and ones knees tend to bang into it due to the more compact size of the steering wheel well on the drivers size. The dashboard gauges are too complicated and not laid out to scale. Some are useless and distract while driving. E.g. the mpg gauge is so large it crowds out the fuel gauge, which is too small. The mph gauge spreads from 0 to 60, but mostly tickles between 26.5 and 29- the rest of the dial is big wasted space. And, you can punch a knob and get the mpg, so it is redundant. The "eco" light is a distraction while driving. Thankfully it can be turned off. It discharges with no apparent rhyme or reason. The speed limit dial is huge- from 0 to 140mph with "top dead center" at 70mph, as fast as you go most places. The other half of the dial is big, wasted space. Entune takes four button pushes to do something that ought take one step. Every time you start the engine, it beeps and flashes a long, tedious written message that tells you basically not read this message or operate Entune while you are driving. The most useful item on the dash, the clock, is eliminated and is now a complicated and distracting practice to get to in Entune. HVAC is well-distributed in the car, as is the sound from the six speakers. The interior quality is nice and upgraded from previous Toyota editions. Plus, there are ten(!) airbags for safety. With reasonably comfortable seats like the previous 2007-2011 edition, this would be 4.5 stars rounds to 5 stars. But with the seats and dashboard dials retrogressing, and a user-unfriendly and distracting Entune, the car is 4 stars. Its amazing, but I can remember back to the 1987 Toyota Camry LE- it had better seats and dashboard gauges than the 2015. Still a very good car, overall, though.

• 

  Improved in ways that matter; worse in others - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Scott - June 8 - 5:52 am

  Interior quietness, handling and braking on this car are fantastic! These attributes are substantially improved over previous editions of the Camry. They did their homework improving several minor areas such as: the side mirror shape and size improves visibility (and they fold back, too); the center console storage, while smaller, is designed smartly so an envelope-length item can fit in, the USB and cigarette lighter port are more conveniently placed; the sunglasses holder now actually fits a large pair of sunglasses; the door panel storage bins are designed to allow more flexible storage of round items like bottles and cups. But other areas worsened. The standard seat material is rougher, the cushion is harder and there is less of it. A pillow is needed for long drives. For me, the seat begins to pinch the legs at about 2 hours. Its noticeable, and this was not the case with my previous 2011 Camry. Also, the sidewall of the console is concrete hard and ones knees tend to bang into it due to the more compact size of the steering wheel well on the drivers size. The dashboard gauges are too complicated and not laid out to scale. Some are useless and distract while driving. E.g. the mpg gauge is so large it crowds out the fuel gauge, which is too small. The mph gauge spreads from 0 to 60, but mostly tickles between 26.5 and 29- the rest of the dial is big wasted space. And, you can punch a knob and get the mpg, so it is redundant. The "eco" light is a distraction while driving. Thankfully it can be turned off. It discharges with no apparent rhyme or reason. The speed limit dial is huge- from 0 to 140mph with "top dead center" at 70mph, as fast as you go most places. The other half of the dial is big, wasted space. Entune takes four button pushes to do something that ought take one step. Every time you start the engine, it beeps and flashes a long, tedious written message that tells you basically not read this message or operate Entune while you are driving. The most useful item on the dash, the clock, is eliminated and is now a complicated and distracting practice to get to in Entune. HVAC is well-distributed in the car, as is the sound from the six speakers. The interior quality is nice and upgraded from previous Toyota editions. Plus, there are ten(!) airbags for safety. With reasonably comfortable seats like the previous 2007-2011 edition, this would be 4.5 stars rounds to 5 stars. But with the seats and dashboard dials retrogressing, and a user-unfriendly and distracting Entune, the car is 4 stars. Its amazing, but I can remember back to the 1987 Toyota Camry LE- it had better seats and dashboard gauges than the 2015. Still a very good car, overall, though.

• 

  Toyota Reliability? - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Micah - June 8 - 4:10 am

  We bought our SE because we thought it would look cool in black with the sport body kit, but there are so many Camrys, theyre everywhere. They always looked bad exterior wise, but I thought the reliability was worth it. After 7 months, I ran out the warranty (I drive a lot for work) and the car had electronic problems from the first week. The interior has been falling apart from day one when the door panel came off. I have to go to the shop once every two months because the engine makes odd noises. The interior is, unimaginative to say the least, it truly is an appliance vehicle, no style.

• 

  Reliable SUV - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By Emile Mailloux - June 8 - 3:53 am

  Bought a highlander for safety features and AWD to drive with the grandkids. Met all expectations and more. In over 3 years had no problems.