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 like my little corolla - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By flashyashley - June 18 - 10:00 am

  Ive had my Corolla for about a month now, and so far I really like it. It gets me where I need to go and its a nice little car for me.

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  Gas Mileage for my 2009 Prius Touring - 2009 Toyota Prius
  By LeeAnn - June 18 - 5:40 am

  I just got my 2009 Toyota Prius Touring package 6 on Monday 19th. Im currently a little disappointed with the gas mileage, Ive only put 102 miles on the car at this point, & the cars screen indicates Im averaging 32.1 MPG. Hopefully this improves after Ive broken it in a little,

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  Great preactical design - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Pablo - June 18 - 2:23 am

  Toyota have done a superb job on this vehicle - good performance, reasonable economy, comfortable, fun to drive, not too big for around town, but roomy enough for long trips.

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  Nice truck, but some standard equipment is missing - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Bill H - June 18 - 12:08 am

  Just purchased my 2016 Tacoma SR. Overall, I like the truck, but Toyotas SR is lacking some standard accessories that virtually every other car comes with. The most important is keyless entry. Yes, thats right, no key fob you need to manually unlock the door. This is absolutely crazy, the dealership even told me its not an option yet for the 2016 Tacoma SRs. They hinted keyless should be available for it in a few months for an extra $400. Also there is no homelink, so be prepared to find your garage door opener that you havent needed since the 90s. Also, there are no automatic head lights, must turn them on/off. Overall, I do like the truck, I am just still floored about the lack of keyless entry.

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  Awesome Roadster - 2002 Toyota MR2 Spyder
  By Pat - June 17 - 7:33 pm

  I have had my 2002 MR2 for five months. I bought it used with 7500 miles. It is like brand new. Enough of my bragging. The car is wonderful and fun. It has extraordinary handling. It is plenty fast to get in and out of trouble. I have had zero problems with the car. If you want a fun convertible.... buy an MR2. Be ready for lots of compliments and queries as to what it is.

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  2003 Tundra Limited V8 4WD ext cab - 2003 Toyota Tundra
  By c. lusby - June 17 - 7:23 pm

  The only big draw back with the Tundra 4 door for 2003, was the way the back doors open. You have to open the front door first, and the front and back doors open in opposite directions. It is very difficult, in a tight parking spot to open the front and back doors at the same time to put something in the back seat. This was corrected in 2004 by redesign and allowing the back door to be opened without opening the front door. There is no heated seat feature, and no time-out option on the head lights (only on the camper light over the truck bed) Other than the above, it is a fantastic truck, with plenty of power for towing, and I highly reccommend it to prospective buyers.

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  Took a chance - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By John - June 17 - 4:16 pm

  Took advantage of the 0% 36 month lease and am very pleased after the first 60 days. I compared other cars, but kept going back to the Camry. This is the first year for the larger I-4, 6 speed trans. and I find it exceptionally strong. I chose leather, sport wheels and the sound package. Its large, very quiet, seamless shifting. Im picky and Im pleased beyond my expectations. I love the thunk of the door, and the level of driving control. So far, other than a wheel balance problem, I can only say "wow". The new motor is wonderful. Getting about 20 MPG in town and 30 plus on the road. Ill submit another review later on. Have not had an acceleration problem thus far.

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  Why so different? - 2010 Toyota Tacoma
  By sweetjustice57 - June 16 - 6:23 pm

  I have 2 2010 Tacoma 4x4s one is a 4 door sr5 and the other is an access cab with the trd package. The 4 door is very quiet and is a great truck, My truck with the trd package has so much road noise that I cant use a blue tooth devise. We bought the 4 door first brand new and we bought the trd used with 8,000 miles on it, I cant believe the difference in these to trucks for basically being the same vehicle, I am not happy with the trd truck although it runs good and no issues mechanically, just way to much road noise.

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  Great on gas, cramped on space. - 2008 Toyota Yaris
  By Pati - June 16 - 5:06 pm

  We bought the car for gas mileage and thats the best feature about this car. Im a long time Toyota owner and wouldnt own anything else. However Id buy a little larger car next time, since its kind of cramped in the Yaris, but if you are small, like me and not tall, then this is the car for you!!

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  BEST CAR "EVER"!!! - 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By dwlund - June 16 - 4:34 pm

  I have always been a Toyota fan. Have had 2 Avalons, a Lexus, Highlander - and we presently have a Prius. For some unknown reason, I recently purchased a 2013 Nissan Altima with all the "bells and whistles"- a real mistake (see review under Nissan Altima)! To make a long story short, after 6000 miles I traded it in for a 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid. I am blown away by this car. It is, by far, the BEST car I have ever owned. Beautiful, inside and out, a head-turner, GREAT gas mileage, OUTSTANDING quality, EXTREMELY quiet - I could go on and on! Toyota took a huge leap with this car - and, as all the reviewers say, they have themselves a winner!!!