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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  Buy Cheap, Buy Often - 2009 Toyota RAV4
  By JHol - March 6 - 1:00 pm

  The old saying goes, "Buy cheap, buy often." I purchased this car less than a month ago with Toyota in mind of having a reputation for reliability that is second to none in the industry. That was the main reason for looking at Toyota, even with the whole recall mess. I verified my model 2009 with vin starting with "J" was not part of the recent recall. We took the car on a road trip and got amazing gas mileage. I have the 4-cyl model and it was perfect. Plenty of room and even more incredible is the seats in back are adjustable and will slide back to maximize leg room. Great idea Toyota! Love the car!

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  A Real TRUCK - 2015 Toyota Tundra
  By Keith - March 6 - 9:35 am

  This Tundra does everything you could ask of it. Not bad at all on gas 18 around where I live, about 19 on the highway. It is a joy to drive and the seats do everything you could ask of them. This is my first Toyota and I am a very happy customer. Aside from one shady dealer in Daytona my dealer experience has been great. Cant say how it works in the snow as I never drove it in the snow. I would buy one of these again. However I would buy a short bed as this truck with an 8 foot bed is L O N G ! I am a happy Toyota owner.

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  Highly recommend the Toyota Highlander! - 2016 Toyota Highlander
  By kstanley - March 6 - 9:14 am

  Weve had our 2016 Highlander for just under a year now, and we love it. We traded in our 2013 Corolla when we had our first child and we needed something with much more space for all the new things we had to tote around for baby. We researched 4 different brands of cars; Chevrolet, Jeep, Toyota and Ford. The Chevy and Jeep had poor reviews ranging from the Chevy Traverse catching on fire 2 days after having it and the Jeep Grand Cherokee having issues with also catching on fire and having an issue with its parking brake not holding and rolling away. It came down to the Ford Explorer and Toyota Highlander or 4-Runner. The Ford was slightly less money but after I read the reviews on the Toyota (and being a previous Toyota owner and loved my old car) my husband and I agreed upon one of the Toyotas. There was even a review from a mom who said that she was t-boned by a drunk driver in her Highlander and the vehicle rolled, she and her two children survived and the drunk driver did not. Sealed my thoughts on what I wanted, but we test drove each one anyway. The 4-Runner drove nicely and was spacious, but it felt extremely bulky and top heavy to me. Probably more well suited for someone who wanted to take it off-roading or out in the mountains rather than drive their kids to school and do family things. Next we drove the Highlander and my husband told me that he was very impressed with how sleek it actually looked in person. He said he was expecting something more of a soccer mom van/wagon style and this didnt strike him that way at all. We had our 10 month old son in the car and he instantly fell asleep on the drive in the highlander. The drive was smooth, the interior wasnt as roomy as the 4-Runner but it had a third row seat which we wanted, back up camera, and touch screen audio and blue tooth controls on the wheel. We took this car to San Diego to stay with my inlaws for a few days and my nephew, husband, son, mother in law, father in law and myself all fit in the car comfortably. When we go out of town to San Diego or somewhere around that distance, we only fuel up once for the trip (assuming its a few days and not a week or so). I drive this car to work every day, and around town, to the neighboring towns about once a week, and I only have to fuel up every other week or so. And now with baby #2 on the way, I have no doubts that this car will be able to continue safely holding all of my precious cargo without making us cramped for space.

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  Ok truck but noisy - 2013 Toyota Tacoma
  By Anthony - March 6 - 4:19 am

  I owned a Nissan Frontier and the tires were bigger and the seats were better and you did not hear a lot of noise from the engine and like the Tacoma the engine has some power on the v-6 model but the Frontier v-6 is more powerful can handle bad weather better but the Tacoma has a better blind spot area than the Frontier both trucks are way over priced the Tacoma is mostly hype from its rich past the truck is made to fast and is poorly engineered Toyota is becoming like GM to big and it hurts when you fall from the top what can make the truck better is bigger tires and correct the engine noise problem and a better braking system this may be my last Tacoma

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  Outstanding car - 2014 Toyota Camry
  By fbbill - March 5 - 11:23 pm

  Traded 2006 Camry XLE V6 and this 4 cylinder LE blows it away. Great ride, very quiet cabin, beautiful inside and out. Feels like you are in a Lexus. At age 79 I have owned a lot of cars but never one as nice as this. Everything you see or touch oozes quality, very reasonably priced also. No need to waste money on a V6 ... 4 cylinder does a great job. Drove Malibu, Altima, no comparison. Buy the Camry, you wont regret it.

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  great little car - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By yaya - March 5 - 7:40 am

  Moved up from 92 4 cyl Camry so felt like home. Got 4 cyl and it is fine here in Atlanta merging on the expressway etc. 16,000 miles now have one year & average 25 mpg - approx 38 miles round trip to work mostly expressway but lots of errands in stop/go traffic. Will keep forever!

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  Great Midsized Pickup - 2017 Toyota Tacoma
  By Mark - March 5 - 5:57 am

  I purchased my Tacoma Off Road one month ago. 22" of snow over the weekend - 100 yd very steep uphill driveway - unplowed - truck never noticed it. No problem in 4WD high. Its a beast in the snow. Cool factor - my high school kids and thier friends love the vehicle.

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  Best Redesign Toyota could have done! - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By l in nj - March 5 - 2:16 am

  Love my 06 Rav4 LTD. Made a 10 time Camry buyer never want to drive a car again. Comfortable, smooth, roomy, great in snow and 4wd cant be beat. Quiet and reliable as all Toyotas are. Room for storage is great. Will never switch to anything but a Toyota SUV. Thought Camry was the greatest car in the world but the RAV4 put its baby sister to shame. Only complaint I have. Buy one an see for yourself.

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  Not the happiest - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By filbert - March 5 - 2:00 am

  I find it ok to drive and as far as the performance its ok. But for as much as it costs it defenetly needs improvements to the interior design.

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  Better than Advertised - 2003 Toyota Prius
  By prius driver - March 5 - 2:00 am

  The Prius is dead-on reliable. It has been my every day driver for two full years now and it has averaged about 51 miles per gallon. It does inspire me to try to squeeze every extra mile I can out of each tank of gas, but when I need to be in a hurry it rises to the occation for that, too, while still getting excellent economy.