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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  I luv my FJ - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By mom04084 - September 21 - 8:50 pm

  I luv my FJ! I traded a fully loaded 03 yukon for this vehicle and cannot say I have any regrets so far. I love that this truck really can do all it advertises and still get me to work. I get looks for all around. I am hoping to get this paid off and rack up 300,000 miles!!

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  The VW that VW couldnt build - 2003 Toyota Echo
  By al taloma - September 21 - 3:50 pm

  The misunderstood Echo. If one compares the Echo with, say, a 69 VW Bug, its reason for being becomes obvious. Its an old bug, with twice the horsepower, much quieter, easier to drive, air conditioning, twice the fuel economy, but with almost all the features we grew to love in the Bug. Toyota saw the market, and went for it. Funny looking, yes, even cute, cept its a mouse, not a bug. Goes like stink, fun to drive. Mileage around 40+, 43-47 if you featherfoot. Comfortable. Lots of cubbys. A joy to commute in. Does everything the bugs did, and more. No wonder most who own them love them. And yes, many people give them names. Mines "Dinky". Shes a joy.

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  Phenomenal Gas Mileage - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By M. Evans - September 21 - 8:13 am

  Gas mileage is not nearly what is displayed on the sticker... BUT 48 mpg in the city is not bad. Car is fun to drive and everyone asks about the vehicle and performance.

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  Decent car for the money - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By homerjs - September 21 - 1:36 am

  I bought this car for the expected reliability and comfort for the long commute to work. Surprisingly, this car is not as comfy as a 95 Camry my sister-in-law has. Perhaps its the 17 inch tires and the firmer seats than expected. Road noise is well subdued and the power is good, but any faster than 100, and its floats and bobs more than the Civic and Accord I used to have. The worse thing about the car is the navi which is hard to use with the button. Trying to navigate the keyboard with it and you end up "entering" half of the time. The touch screen in my wifes TL is so much more user friendly. Otherwise it is a great deal.

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  94 V6 LE - 1994 Toyota Camry
  By scott - September 20 - 2:56 pm

  I bought this car in November of 2004 with 122,000 miles on the odometer. I paid more than book because one-owner Camrys with all the background are hard to find. Ive put 54,000 miles on it and have replaced the timing belt, windshield, brakes, front struts and 2 O2 sensors. It is always reliable and gets between 24 and 27 mpg. I love this car and plan on keeping it until something expensive breaks. It does not use a drop of oil between changes.

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  great little car - 2001 Toyota MR2 Spyder
  By arr1 - September 20 - 10:53 am

  Like the Beach Boys said - FUN, FUN, FUN. Get up and go, its got, lot of cargo space - not. Great second car for the work commute or the weekend crusing. A looker too, turns heads wherever you go. Must ride with top down, no wind with windows up so its pleasant. 30 mpg so you can fight off the high fuel prices. Top is very easy to put up and down.

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  Corolla Reliability and Toyota Cust Svc - 2006 Toyota Corolla
  By Kan88 - September 20 - 6:33 am

  I bought the toyota corolla in June 2006 and have 21 K miles on this car. The Car suddenly stopped in the middle of the road trip and had to have the car towed to the nearest toyota leadership as it was under warranty. The ECU (computer) broke and the car would not start and there was a backlog delay of several weeks to get the car repaired. I have contacted Toyota Customer Service for assistance and they covered for cost for towing the car to my home city toyota dealer and co-ordinated with the dealership to have my car fixed.

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  Decent, but its not perfect - 2005 Toyota 4Runner
  By clifford - September 20 - 4:33 am

  The good: easy to drive around town, not bad on the road up to 300 miles or so, very sensitive to tire rotation as it is 4wd, decent rock crawling/off road capability, decent tow vehicle. The bad: windows rattle like an old Camaro when partially down, vibration at 1800 rpm, engine idles too high when cold, expensive maintenance in the future if you keep it 90-100K miles, timing belt and valve adjustment. Is this the very last vehicle to require a valve adjustment?? Window noise.

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  2016 Highlander is too high - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By Don - September 19 - 6:51 pm

  Sitting in the car is like sitting on a high chair. The front view above car hood is fine, but the side view is poor. It is very difficult to see the road before the hood since the car is too tall. You cant see if there is a dog or a two years old toddler in front of your car like a Camry. The back camera is great help and it should have a front camera. Parallel parking is be difficult as I had experienced in DC. Braking seems slow to react. Gas consumption is 20 mpg, kind of high. No compass on the car like my Camry, so I cant tell direction easily.

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  my toyota rav 4 sport 4x2 . - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By john_ufo - September 19 - 3:16 pm

  i bought the car april 16 and its 3 and half months later. i waited to gather more info for my review. the car overall is good. it runs smooth on normall roads . but in pot holes and going over train tracks jesus christ i thought my teeth fillings were going to come out . the car is kinda slow even for a 4 cyclnder. they conned me into buying the rav 4 with no money down and my finance rate at 6.00 so they got my payments as high as $ 355.83 a month for 75 months. but i got smarter in my old age and refinanced the rav at 2.00 percent with a bank in new york. so now my payments are $ 305.25 a month .