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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  GREAT Car! - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By gordon - September 26 - 7:50 am

  We bought this car new and have put 73K miles on it in 3 years. Only 2 negatives: weve gone through 2 sets of tires, and the A/C has started not working lately. It is roomy and has great acceleration for a 4 cyl. I accidently drove this car over a median once in a blizzard and it kept on truckin with no damage. Later, the road became undrivable and we had to sleep in the car! It still fired up the next morning. In the end, this is the car we pick when we have to drive cross country because we know it will not leave us stranded on the open road.

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  Sorry I Bought a Camry - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Unhappy One - September 25 - 11:36 pm

  After doing much research on "the best selling car" I bought the Camry V6 XLE, loaded. Im sorry to say that Ive had nothing but break problems. Im on my 3rd set of rotors Toyota keeps telling me its MY DRIVING and that no one else has these reoccurring problems. But, after reading some of these reviews its obvious Toyota has lots of disappointed customers. They put cheap tires Toyota put on their $30 car. Im ready to trade this car in for the Nissan Altima - the reviews for that car are wonderful. And the Altima has much better styling. If you want a car youll feel safe in (besides all the air bags) I would NOT recommend this car.

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  Initial 05 Avalon impressions - 2005 Toyota Avalon
  By Buffddriver - September 25 - 6:36 pm

  My Avalon has just a few hundred miles on it so this may be considered a first impression review. The car is a large, very roomy, sleek sedan. The engine is silky smooth and very powerful. It drives like a dream with great visibility forward and a little less visibility than I like to the rear. The interior is beautiful and functional but the side mirror control is located behind the steering wheel and hard to see easily. I also like the large screen in the center dash that clearly shows stereo/am/fm controls, air conditioning temp controls (different for each seatin front)and gas milege, and distance to tank empty. The compass in the rear view mirror is neat also. Very nice ride.

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  2014 4 Runner - 2014 Toyota 4Runner
  By scotta72 - September 25 - 5:26 pm

  This 4 Runner is fun to drive. With all the options and what I got for the money was a better deal in my mind than I could have gotten for other SUVs on the market. I looked at purchasing an older model with similar options, but found that the value of the used ones were very close to the price I paid for a brand new one, that I like better anyhow. The instrument cluster looks much better than the older ones and is lit with blue LEDs. The seats are not quite as comfortable as other SUVs I tried, but they do the job. The offroad and snow performance even with highway style tires is where this vehicle shines. This is a nice SUV, I am happy with my purchase.

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  Camre LE 4cyl Automatic 6 Speed - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Gail - September 25 - 8:10 am

  I just purchased a 2010 Toyota Camry LE 4cyl vehicle. I am extremely disappointed in the transmission when traveling on secondary roads. The transmission is constantly shifting up and down making the ride feel very erratic and jerky when traveling between 25 MPH and 35 MPH. The transmission begins to settle down at speeds over 40MPH; but most secondary road driving is between 25 & 35MPH. I feel very uncomfortable driving this car. I took it back to the dealership within 1 week of purchasing it and they told me that it is the computer in car causing this behavior, and it should calm down when the computer becomes accustomed to my driving habits. I wish I bought a different car!

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  Dream Car - 2003 Toyota Matrix
  By The Champ - September 25 - 4:10 am

  features of suv and car - U get it all.

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  Toyota Base 10 - 2009 Toyota Highlander
  By jerry - September 25 - 12:26 am

  The newly built 4 cylinder engine is best in its class; its like having your own V6 but gas saving is excellently configured. The turns and handling behaves like a Camry and the comfort is leveled like a Lexus RX, I honestly agree, this Highlander is the best of its class.

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  The last Toyota Ill own - 2010 Toyota Tundra
  By mylast1 - September 24 - 11:43 pm

  It looks good on the outside, drives great, and is fast but this is last Toyota Ill buy. Not because of all the recalls. Its the way Toyota skimps on features. Even the top end packages will give you the comfort features that other makers have. Here are just a few: no 1-touch window down/up for driver (and pass.), no windows down/up using remote, and not all interior controls light-up at night. The $500 enhanced radio provides poor sounds. And beware of the display panel switch: Only the limited models get the advertised Blue/White displays. All others get the Halloween orange lights display panel.

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  YUCK - 2005 Toyota Echo
  By BEWARE - September 24 - 7:43 pm

  Very uncomfortable, even for local commute. Boring, and gets uglier with each day I drive it. Would never buy a Toyota again. Fuel economy is less than my brothers Ford Focus, which costs less and is more fun to drive.

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  Better than the 2014 Civic - 2014 Toyota Corolla
  By golden33 - September 24 - 6:50 pm

  Bought both the 2014 Civic and the 2014 Corolla about the same time. The Corolla interior was re-designed and that was the main reason I chose it. Inside it feels much more solid than the Civic, both have the same Eco and leather trim with power seats. Mileage is at least 3 more mpg than the Civic, at highway it gets an easy 40 mpg with the A/C on. Toyota has a two year free service included which Honda lacks, big plus. Also its free traffic information screen is better than the Civic, including traffic accidents on the traveled road along with the weather. Around town it gets 34mpg with no problem, the Civic 31.