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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  Dependable - 2004 Toyota RAV4
  By C G - May 21 - 3:27 pm

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  From V6 to I4, no regret yet - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By lanpingd - May 21 - 2:27 pm

  I "downgraded" myself from a V6 2006 Escape to this I4 2012 RAV4 and so far so good. I am living in NC bay area but purchased my RAV4 from a dealer near LA downtown during my July 4th trip (a totally unplanned purchase but David in Buena Park Toyota gave me a great price plus reasonable trade-in, highly recommended). Two weeks with two tanks of gas, hwy/local 50/50, the avg mileage is ~24, which is way better than the previous Escapes (17-18). The Escape is really a reliable small SUV which gave me zero problem, but with the increasing live expense in bay area, some trade-off has to be made.

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  Stealth Lexus with Toyota badge - 2008 Toyota Avalon
  By Al in Central Fla. - May 21 - 12:46 pm

  We are a a family of 5 & needed more room. Traded a 2006 Honda Accord Hybrid in for our loaded Avalon after 2 years of trouble-free Honda ownership. The Avalon isnt nearly as fun to drive, and youre not quite as "connected" to the driving experience, but its the clear winner for our family. Lots of room to stretch out, excellent stereo, great mileage, huge trunk, tons of value for the price and legendary Toyota quality. I often wonder why anyone would pay the extra money to buy a Lexus GS 350 when this car really seems to have everything you could possibly want in a sedan. I shopped both before making the decision to buy the Avalon. I do prefer the rear styling of the Lexus over this car.

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  In Canada - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By Serge Bergeron - May 21 - 12:20 pm

  No problem starting in -30 degree celsius weather. Very good fuel, receive 55 mpg so far after 5,000 miles. Some glare on windshield from dashboard high beam blue light indicator and flasher lights at night when very dark outside. Very comfortable seats. Sound system very ordinary. Very happy so far. Garage not too much experience - with hybrid. Have difficulty programming locking system. would have liked a third key but was too expensive at $400 Can.

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  Good amigo car - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By gpjr - May 21 - 9:03 am

  Ive put 217k on my car, I commute to my job I do the maintenance on this vehicle myself, iridium plugs, serpentine belt, oil changes ac relay at 153k $90 at the dealers. I was a mechanic in the service, so not a problem, tires at 50k intervals, I put aftermarket rims on it after I lost a few hubcaps on the road, this vehicle has been a great investment and good amigo.

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  jasons hybrid - 2006 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  By Jason - May 21 - 4:53 am

  It is strange driving such a quite car. also no shifting is amazing. this car is qick of the line. when driving in slow traffic it only uses the batter power. great for traffic jams.

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  Avalon - A luxury but affordable full size sedan - 2013 Toyota Avalon
  By francisr12 - May 21 - 2:24 am

  Before anything else, let me say this "this is the third Toyota I owned and drove more than 160,000 on my previous two without any breakdown or problem even a minor one. I looked for a comfortable full size sedan for my family with two kids instead of a minivan or SUV due to MPG issue. I decided to purchase an Avalon XLE after test drive of Ford Taurus, Nissan Maxima & Infinity G37..So far I confidently say I made a right choice. The car handling may not be as sporty as the Infinity, inside its cabin we can really enjoy the quality of the Bluetooth audio system because it is so quite thanks to the use of noise reduction glass & its air drag coefficient of 0.28.

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  My Lucky Little Car - 2004 Toyota Matrix
  By Silverchild - May 21 - 1:23 am

  I had absolutely no interest in this car when I went car shopping. Now that I have it I could not be happier! The car is both fun to drive and reliable. I purchased it with 30,000 miles and have had no problems whatsoever despite the high mileage. The seats are comfortable and thats saying something with my awful back problems! The dash is beautiful and easy to read, the gear shift is set in a position that is both natural and comfortable, visibility is supreme with few blind spots and cargo room is fantastic. The back and passenger seats have hard plastic back covers for protection when toting large items, the passenger seat folds down as a table top and the car has 3 power plugs!!

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  Not happy - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Terry - May 21 - 12:32 am

  I bought my 2016 TRD off road about 6 months ago and it feels like the transmission shifts way to quick and it seems like the engine cuts out while the transmission is trying to figure out what gear its supposed to be in, lm not happy. The motor seems to be sluggish because of the way it shifts to soon and goes to 6th gear way to quick, so its shifting all the time, hate that, Im ready to get rid of it !!!!!

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  TASHAS RAV4 - 2004 Toyota RAV4
  By cameron - May 20 - 4:30 pm

  So far put 8600 miles no problems to report to date, Awesome fuel economy for the type of vehicle avg 26mpg. Typical Toyota fit and finish and quality. Previous Toyota had 180000 miles without breakdowns and parts from the factory are very reasonable certainly cheaper than our Honda, also lot easier to maintain, dont have to take half the dashboard apart to change the a/c filter like our previous CR-V.