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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  Tacoma Rules - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By MoonBuggy - March 2 - 2:16 pm

  I have driven and owned several trucks. The Tacoma is the best so far. Solid, reliable and sporty looking too !

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  FJ is the best dollar value available! - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By MelloFJYellow - March 2 - 10:40 am

  This is by far the best value vehicle on the market today! It is so fun to drive, extremely rugged, very well-built, and has looks without comparison! There is no other vehicle on the market today that has more going for it, especially at such a low price! Please, just do yourself a favor - no matter what other vehicle you are interested in, give the FJ a try with a test drive and you will wonder why you ever even considered any other vehicle! It truly is that good!

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  Love that Prius! - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By knittingnute - March 2 - 7:23 am

  We have driven this car on Interstates in Florida and it is an amazing vehicle - fun to drive, head-turning, roomy on inside, seats higher than previous model. We sold a full-size Bronco to get this car and have not missed the Bronco at all. The split back seat makes it easy to carry large items. The car is a dream. Thanks TOYOTA!

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  Excellent - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By number55 - March 2 - 2:06 am

  I am 16 years old and this is possibly the best car I could have gotten. Its reliable and high mpg. I know itll last me until Im 30. It has excellent handling and all the perks with the power package make it luxurious.

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  My First Import - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By mangumad - March 1 - 5:36 pm

  Always a believer in supporting the domestics, Dodge and GMC; however their transmissions came up short. Just rebuilt the GMC with 32000 and decided on a switch. Impressed with the 5 speed transmission (sweet shift) and the quality, fit and finish are good. Six cylinder is good on gas, 17 city 21 highway.

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  Very good economy car - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By Frank - March 1 - 4:40 pm

  The Corolla features a timing chain rather than the usual belt, and has variable valve timing on both camshafts. The mileage is acceptable, although the speedometer reads about 2 mph fast at 35 mph. The fuel flow indicator shows 35.4 mpg after 1800 total miles, but the actual fuel consumption is 33.1 mpg. Adjusted for the previously mentioned speedometer error, thats about an actual 31 mpg. It has much more power than expected, and the full-time electric power steering is O.K. when I became accustomed to it. Id buy it again, and the price is right compared with the available competition.

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  Great Vehicle SR5 V6 Atmtc 4WD - 2000 Toyota 4Runner
  By Greg - March 1 - 6:43 am

  Bought new, now have 95k, still runs and looks great. Just had timing belt and 90k service done. Service Forerunners and they may go forever. I gave this one to my college bound daughter but want it back when she returns. I want to see if it will go 1,000,000 miles. I was so happy with this one I bought a 2005 but the new ones dont look as good.

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  Shame on You, Toyota! - 2007 Toyota Prius
  By D. Cummings - March 1 - 6:16 am

  Please let me begin by saying that it saddens me to have to write this negative review of a company I once thought of as the benchmark in automotive quality, value and to some extent, design. Like many(maybe most?) of you, I thought our 2007 Prius was the greatest car ever invented when we purchased it new 48,500 miles ago. The list of design flaws, there are too many to list here, is long, but the worst and most dangerous of these being the extremely poor quality OE tires, traction control on wet surfaces, poorly lit dash, sloppy handling and difficult dash controls. Ralph Nader might call the Prius the new Corvair. Due to 7 safety recalls, Toyotas resale values have plummeted! Sad.

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  Great vehicle - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Devon Harris - March 1 - 5:40 am

  I bought my Highlander a month ago from Toyota of Wilmington and it was a great experience and vehicles. I love the performance, features, and style of the highlander.

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  my wife loves it!! - 2006 Toyota Matrix
  By terry jenkins - February 28 - 7:46 pm

  well with about 1k miles on it now and 6 weeks of ownership, we are real happy with our choice! the matrix handle well, gets excellent gas mileage and seems to be a well engineered vehicle! in fact i found out that toyota uses the same oil filter on the 1.8 lt that they used on tha 2.2 lt in our camry we owned for 12 years and 200k.