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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  2003 COROLLA LE - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By tato368 - October 5 - 10:00 am

  this car is very nice car......just that the LE should come standard wit sunroof and leather and navi system

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  021932240 - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By liem nguyen - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I have a lot of problems with this vehicle, but the problem is still in the processing. the problem has been going on for the two months. The processing to fix is too slow. I need to provided to you this information because we will be service better in the furture. anyway I am still not hapy about my car. Thank you, costumer Liem Nguyen

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  What about hidden maintenance costs? - 2009 Toyota Prius
  By Ken C - October 5 - 7:33 am

  Ive driven my Prius for 36k miles. My love is simply summarized – 48 MPG! But will fuel savings be lost to unexpected maintenance costs? My car isn’t old enough to have real maintenance issues yet, but I’m wary. The engineers were great at building a complex car with great gas mileage, but lousy at creating a car that can be easily maintained. Theres no room under the hood, so theres no way to do a simple DIY like replacing a headlight without extensive work. I tried DIY, but gave up. In the end, the dealer replaced it (in about two hours of labor) for $200+ (for a $10 bulb?!). That’s crazy talk man! People need to know up front that there could be high unforeseen maintenance costs.

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  Great improvements in the LC - 2009 Toyota Land Cruiser
  By 3rd landcruiser - October 5 - 4:33 am

  This is my third Land Cruiser and replaces a 2005. It is an excellent upgrade from the previous version. New powertrain and updated features are excellent, yet it remains quiet and smooth - in its own class among large SUVs. I hesitated some because I liked my 2005 so much, but with about 1000 miles - no regrets in making the switch.

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  In the end we bought something else - 2016 Toyota Prius c
  By Mid-Mo Car Shopper - October 5 - 2:27 am

  My husband and I are both 70. We are conservative, very conservative, and the idea of buying a high-mpg car usually drives our car searching. We were pretty sure we were going to go with a Prius and we narrowed it down to a Prius C Four or a Prius Three Touring. We wanted the amenities of leather seats and a navigation system. We were tired of allowing time to get lost every time we were going to a new location. We drove a Prius C Four first - it was bright yellow, which was probably not age-appropriate, but we liked it, except for one thing . . . the way the engine groaned when you needed it to climb a hill. We loved the car more than we had expected. Then we drove the Prius Three Touring and there wasnt anything about it we didnt like. The price difference between the two cars was about $4000. We were trying to drag out the shopping timeframe to guard against an impulse buying. Our sales person told us about his Prius Four Touring that he had just traded in the day before. It wasnt ready to test drive, but we looked at it and noticed it had the blind spot detectors. It was 3 months old and had less than 4000 miles on it. So the idea of that car was just hanging out on the "back burner" for a week or so. Another dealer let us take either of the cars we were interested in over the weekend. So we took a Prius C Three (they didnt have a four at that dealership) for the weekend. So on Saturday, we took the borrowed Prius C on an outting that took us to the dealership with the Yellow C Four and the Used Prius Four Touring. We drove that yellow car again, and still liked it. Then asked to drive the used Prius Four Touring. Our original salesman was off that day, and they were busy, so they let us drive the Four Touring without a salesperson in the car. We hardly drove off the lot before we looked at each other with eyes of super approval. When we got back to the dealership, the substitute salesperson was nowhere to be found. We waited about 20 minutes and then just left and took the borrowed Prius C back to the other dealership. I emailed the original salesperson and told him we wanted his Four Touring. And two days later we took it home. It still growls a little going up hills from a cold start, but not as much as the C did. In the end, it was the extra safety features that sold us on the car, . . . afterall, were not as mentally sharp as we once were. :-(

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  Ours is a 2009 - 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By pleroma02 - October 4 - 12:30 am

  Weve loved this vehicle until today when the engine light came on and we discovered that the hybridizing engine battery replacement is almost $5,000. Also, the electrically run wheels will drive your tires off at half life. If you are buying a Toyota Camry Hybrid to save money, rethink that. The dollars you save on fuel economy is way offset by the cost of tires and that trunk battery.

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  Got one of the first ones - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By buckyfastdraw - October 3 - 9:30 pm

  I was leery about buying a first year production truck because usually all of the design bugs arent worked out yet. I have had this unit for more than 2 months now and I have not found a single thing lacking. What a truck! Okay, I havent put it to enough driving to get my final opinion, but I would stack this truck up with anything else in its class.

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  sweet - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By Bonnie - October 3 - 3:20 pm

  This is a sweet driving little car. I love the way it handles and the way it sips gas. Its a winner for everyone!

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  Toyota Rava4 - 2016 Toyota Corolla
  By Chi Nguyen - October 3 - 11:09 am

  I got good deal on my toyota rave4 I bought for my daughter, thanks Edmunds

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  Love this Truck!! - 2017 Toyota Tacoma
  By Dainon - October 3 - 10:52 am

  Ivetaken it offroad,not only for woodcutting and work, but on some pretty gnarly 4wd trails. Its bone stock and unstoppable. You he only down side is now I spend most of my time looking at all the cool stuff I can buy for it!