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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  Cheap ! - 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By FJ Crusier - February 27 - 10:00 am

  The paint on the outside of the FJ scratches way to easily. The plastic interior scratches even easier. For an off road vehicle, in which mine is not, just cheap and poorly designed. The premium gas @2.98 a gal. What ! 15 miles in the city and 20 on hwy. Rides nice and has good pick-up when you need it, just shouldnt have to run premium gas and give a second thought to the paint! Now the windshield, cracks WAY too easily. Bad up-right design as the hummer, rocks dont skip off, again an off road vehicle . What ! Had 5, count em, 5 small dings (dime size cracks/spots) fixed b4 the last one gave way to a 16" crack! Shop around, maybe buy American, I know. I know., but its true

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  Will not buy about another Toyota - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By J shafer - February 27 - 10:00 am

  First off, Ive had three yodas: 89 corolla 214,000 mi, 95 Camry 250,000 mi and this rav4. The rav just feels cheaper: the paint has way to many chips, the transmission is horrible, rough ride in the city, the stereo sucks, interior is loud, not enough room in the driver (Im 62" 200 lbs) and passenger seat, we are expecting our third child and have to buy three new car seats because the second row is so narrow and it just doesnt feel like it is going to hold up. Now the good: zero problems in the first three years (of course its just past the three year mark), awesome second row leg room and cargo, great in the snow, gas mileage is decent, and the wife loves the second glove box.

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  Really great SUV - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By mac12618 - February 27 - 10:00 am

  This is my first Rav4 and i love the way this suv drives and handles. A very nice quiet comfortable ride and great handling. The V6 engine in this vehicle is silky smooth and is very powerful and refined. Love that V6 ! owned a 2007 CR-V but Toyota has a much better SUV. My rav4 has 140,000 km (90 000 mi) and still looks and drives like new !

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  Camry - Expect Less and Be Happy - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By red8xle - February 27 - 10:00 am

  Mine is fully factory loaded XLE V6 with even a manual rear shade. I own three Germans (E320, Audi A4, BMW X3), and I expected Camry to be equal or better quality. The rattles inside the dash are too much even at slow speeds along with dealer runaround. The smart key isnt always as smart as its supposed to be. And, the GPS - save your money, buy a Nuvi, Magellan or even a cheap one at the Shack. The GPS directions cannot be modified unless you come to a complete stop, not even by the passenger. Thats one $1200 annoyance. Overall interior finish appears and feels cheap. Passenger power seat stays too low and short persons dont like riding in it. A good road car, not for city driving.

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  Edmunds Wrong - 2011 Toyota Avalon
  By Lucas Boxley - February 27 - 10:00 am

  I love Edmunds but, how can you give the hard riding noisy Honda Accord 7.8 and give Avalon 7.3 the Honda cannot come close. I traded es350 a great car which was my fourth Lexus and I cannot be more pleased. This is the smoothest and quiet car on road yes there is body lean at times, but to those of us know and are not caught up in cornering and skid-pat testing who love real world driving this is a great car

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  Great so far. - 2011 Toyota Sienna
  By Signal30 - February 27 - 10:00 am

  This is our first mini van that we have purchased, however I have driven a Chevy Astro and the GMC version at work for years. The first thing I noticed was the amazing field of view I get while driving our van. A large front windshield and big side windows allows you to see everything. The V-6 has good pick up from a stop and decent gas mileage. The plastic dash and other parts of the interior are no worse than any other vehicle that is being made. I will say that the controls on the center dash look like of thrown together and its takes a bit to get used to where everything is.

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  sweet! - 2011 Toyota Sienna
  By james jet - February 27 - 10:00 am

  This the best mini-van out there period. This thing gets a lot of looks, it drives and handles like a car. It blows all others away! Just drive on you will see. Make sure you drive an se model.

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  Amazing - 2010 Toyota Prius
  By Trekker - February 27 - 10:00 am

  I bought the 2010 Prius on 09/2009 and it has over 20,000 miles on it. This car not only gets great gas mileage, but has plenty of power on the highway. Our highways have a 75 MPH speed limit and Im always doing the speed limit. We have a variety of elevations and can drop or climb 3000 feet within 100 miles. The Prius handles these conditions with a whimper and never wavers from the speed set on the cruise control. Ride is smooth quiet and comfortable. One problem Ive noticed is the Prius is not great in snow or mud, we dont get to much of either, but it was a problem. Get some good quality mud and snows. Another problem is that it is very low, so dirt roads would be a problem.

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  Im pleased with my purchase! - 2005 Toyota Corolla
  By new beginnings - February 27 - 2:10 am

  I bought the car because of the Toyota name and its reputation. I have been pleased with my cars overall performance and comfort. In the past Ive had a couple of Cadillacs but decided to really get my moneys worth out of my car this time.

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  Comfy Car - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By P. Payton - February 27 - 12:43 am

  Bought the Venza new 6 mos ago, I enjoy using the car, avg 24-26 mpg. My Venza options are Security Package, Leather Package & JPL surround sound. Carmax in Laurel, MD has this car and we drove 10 hrs round trip to get it for 27,100 + 99 process fee. Back up camera is useful, passenger power seat is great (for lower issues), JPL sound is much better than the standard. 4 cyl. does has more engine sound but we want better mpg. Its still worth it. We dont need AWD because we dont want to drive in the snow. The higher seats works great for lower back issues. Ladies, your pants wont get dirty from getting out of the Venza. We keep our cars for 7-10 yrs, the Venza fits the bill.