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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  Wonderful van - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By L. Johns - June 13 - 2:56 pm

  Now have 83,000 miles on my Sienna. It Has the best turning radius, comfort, handling and quiet cabin of any car Ive owned. My friends all love it for its comfort, even in the back seat and its ride over curvy roads. It has enormous capacity. In 83,000 miles Ive paid for one AC relay and normal maintainance and upkeep. Im on the original set of brakes and they still have half their life. I feel very safe in this car.

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  2008 Camry Hybrid - 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Big Bill - June 13 - 11:03 am

  Overall, the 2008 Camry hybrid is a good car. Good performance. Smooth and quite, even at 80 MPH. Accelerates quickly when needed. Mine has enough gadgets to keep me occupied for years. It would be hard to go back to a regular car. Mileage is about as advertised - 33.1 thus far, with 40 MPG common when crusising at about 50 MPH. The hard sell by the dealer to buy the extended warranty because of potentially expensive repairs down the road made me a bit nervous. I didnt buy it, so I hope Toyotas reputation for quality meets my expectations.

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  Nothing ever goes wrong with this car. - 1998 Toyota Corolla
  By Jazz - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Seriously, I bought it new 12 years ago, it has about 90,000 miles on it, its gotten all its regular maintenance, and nothing serious has ever gone wrong with it. The only thing that doesnt work is that the 2nd radio button sticks. The engines a bit underpowered, but you will not find a more reliable car. Also, the Toyota vehicles that had issues with accelerators were all 1990 or later, so 1980 is a good year for used models. Its comfy. I have a bad lower back, and the lumbar support is fantastic! It actually makes my back feel better, which is great for long drives. Unbelievably good gas mileage. I am very happy with this car and would recommend it to anyone.

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  Toyota Quality? - 2010 Toyota RAV4
  By Xlr8 - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Ive had the Rav4 for about 4 months now. Overall Im very pleased with it. However some of the small details really show a drop off in Toyota quality. I really like the V-6 engine in this light SUV. It has great get up and go. The ride on the Sport model is a little stiff but it feels very solid. The space is a nice improvement over our previous Corolla. But this is where one of my greatest disappointments comes in. The interior quality of my 99 Corolla is far better than the new RAV4. Inside the Corolla there are a lot of soft touch surfaces and the plastics are of a superior quality. The cost cutting measures really show through when it comes to the interior materials.

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  Upsetting Mediocrity - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By James - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Bought the car used in December 08 for my daughters birthday. I heard they were reliable and held their value well. My daughter had no complaints for the first few months. Then, the infamous pedal sticking problem occurred. Thankfully, my daughter was not in an accident. After this happened, I let Toyota know about it and they finally came up with a new pedal system that was absolutely terrible, way too jittery and makes you either accelerate too fast and slip A LOT or go extremely slow and watch everyone pass you. The interior is austere, exterior is alright, fuel economy is not that impressive for a Camry. It is not all that comfortable inside. Overall, the car is average or even below.

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  97 Toyota Avalon - 1997 Toyota Avalon
  By Eugene - June 12 - 1:40 pm

  I have been extremely pleased with this vehicle which has required only a minimum of maintenance. Oil and filter changed promptly at each 3,000 miles.

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  Transmission Problems - 2006 Toyota Tacoma
  By Gino64 - June 12 - 7:03 am

  Fell in love with the tacoma design and had to buy one. I give it low marks on performance because Im having problems with the automatic transmission. The truck vibrates at low speeds and cant seem to find the low gears. Took it to the dealer and was told that it was normal. The problem still persists and I will contact the dealer and Toyota.

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  Problems with VSC warnings - 2011 Toyota Venza
  By recat - June 11 - 9:54 am

  I have a 2009 Venza. Love the car however now having constant issues with VSC lights coming on. Many other people experiencing same thing. Dealers dont have a fix but they wont tell you that because they want to make some money. This is an issue with Toyota, they know this. I suggest you all do what I did, go to Toyotas website and post your concern, demand a recall. This issue seems to be escalating from the warning lights being on to car jumping into gear on its own. We should not have to pay for constant repairs for something that only Toyota can fix.

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  tires and oil line - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By gbrown1067 - June 9 - 6:53 pm

  the tires on the sport model are horrible. Look at tire rack review. The are a accident waiting to happen. Why put out a awd with poor tires. Only two mfg makes them. There is a oil line to the valve train area that is accident waiting to happen after 45K miles.Look up toyota oil leaks. Blue tooth operation is horrible. You must program phone #s into the car system

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  07 Crewmax 5.7 6A - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By Ken Taco - June 9 - 9:03 am

  I traded in my 06 Tacoma Double Cab Prerunner longbed w/TRD Sport Pkg. I chose the Crewmax w/5.7 6AT SR5 because I liked how smooth it drove, and I wanted the interior space to accomodate my family on road trips from Vegas to Southern Cal. I love the seating position in the Crewmax. In the Tacoma, the seating was comfortable, but you had to sit low like in a sports car. There were also no option for any kind of seat height adjustments. I also like the power on tap when I need it, and the braking power. Turning radius is pretty tight for a truck this size. Its too soon to see MPG, but I hope to get 16 city.