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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  Peaceful and Content - 2009 Toyota Prius
  By Phillip - January 6 - 5:19 pm

  First owned new vehicle ever. Absolutely flawless vehicle never had any trouble the only thing that needed to be replaced was the belt and the oil and the air filters. I departed my vehicle at 177,000 miles only because I had to upgrade to a larger car. Very sad day.

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  My Beautifully Defective 2008 Highlander - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By AT - January 6 - 11:36 am

  I was anticipating to write a rave review on my 3 month old car. Unfortunately, it did not live up to the high expectations. My gas mileage has been well below the posted 17/22. It has been 11/18 (18 after the car was repaired). Last month, the car would not start. It took five tries and pushing the gas to finally get it started. There was smoke and a burnt smell coming out my engine area. It took the dealership almost three day to figure out the problem, that being a faulty injector. Very frustrating process, poor service from both the selling dealership and Toyotas 800 customer satisfaction line. I find it ironic that our Chevy Silverado, now 6 years old has never needed a repair.

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  2012 Camry XLE at 50k miles - 2012 Toyota Camry
  By Gerry B. - January 6 - 9:04 am

  We bought this car as an early lease turn in with 22k miles. This is our third Camry & it was in excellent condition at the time of purchase. The car has a nice ride with comfortable seating. Leg & headroom in front & back is ample for 6+ foot occupants. The MPG is excellent if you drive moderately. Low MPG is 30 in stop & go traffic. The high MPG is 35+ at 75 MPH. The transmission shifts smoothly & the RPM is typically 2,000 at all set speeds. The speed shifter is handy & smooth allowing early downshifting on steep hills. The engine has reasonable acceleration for a 4 cylinder & is easy to work-on. Most of the negatives are interior related. The center console is an oversized box which is easily solved with a $12 tray purchased online. The entertainment controls are marginal. The band & station selector is sized positioned well on the steering wheel, but changing bands causes the station to revert back to the first preset rather than retaining the ones selected. The AM to FM volume disparity is high requiring that AM stations be boosted by 10. Toyota could not solve either of the previous problems. The rocker type air selector is difficult to use because you must look at the display as you cycle through the selections; a single button for each air selection is safer as they minimize your eye-time off the road. The backup visibility is poor as the trunk is high. Although, a highly rated backup camera can be purchased for $100 & installed by DIYers in a few hours. The windshield has a lot of dashboard glare possibly due to its angle or paint gloss of the dashboard. The visors require updating as the extenders are narrow & do little to block the sun with the visor on the side. Why doesnt Toyota use sliding visors like GM? They have been around for many years & work well. The most serious issue, in this car, is coasting speed. It is a safety issue as the transmission does not slow the car when your foot is lifted from the gas pedal. Maintaining control down big hills requires downshifting & heavy braking. Toyota claims it is done purposely to improve MPG. While this problem may just be with our car but I have not read other reviews with a similar complaint & Toyota could not fix the problem. Only one repair, besides 2 small recalls, was required in our 2.5 years of ownership. A single element, in the rear window defogger, was open which caused radio static with the defogger on. Turns out that the antenna is located in the rear window & was near the open element. The defogger problem was finally diagnosed & it was replaced after multiple complaints. Overall, this year & model Camry has exceptional reliability & is enjoyable to drive. Hopefully, the few problems have been fixed in more recent years.

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  So far good except - 2013 Toyota Avalon
  By bigpaulie - January 5 - 11:53 pm

  So I have 42k on the car. It has been reliable and low maintenance. The backs of both seats have fallen off. I went to Toyota and they said it is a common defect but since I drive a lot they want $800 to fix. It is clearly a poor design but Toyota doesnt respond. I bought the 120k bumper to bumper but was told after it isnt bumper to bumper and that they "have good sales people". My car is embarrassing to sit in.

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  Disappointed in Toyota - 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By ceodale - January 5 - 6:15 pm

  I have purchased nothing but New vehicles since 1969 - this Toyota is the worst. I actually had the Service Dept admit that Toyota knew of a manufacturers defect in the Headliner but fails to disclose it. 4 months after buying it the headliner around the sun roof came loose. Toyota first wanted to tear apart the car, keep it for a week and install a new one. Then they concocted a fix with a magnet that lasted 4 more months. After waiting 12 days for the parts to arrive from 3M Toyota decides not to honor it and to insist on taking out the seats, disconnecting all the electical and such and installing a new headliner. Whats next? Never again a Toyota. They need to buy the car back. 2017 Update: When the car was new, a feature was a hands free charger for my cell phone.....never worked. Had a Android, they said it needed a special adapter which of course they do not sell.....then, in 2017 I inquired why the e-mail function stopped worked. They blamed it on Apple since I have a iPhone...great....now I have to buy a phone to fit the car or vise-versa! Told me it wont work. I have the latest technology in a phone but the e-mail wont work and the dialing function has changed and become very cumbersome. Counting the days til I trade this vehicle and get something else. I will say on a positive note, the fuel efficiency is Great! Car is comfortable but not what it was cracked up to be.. UPDATE 10/2017 - Okay Ive had the vehicle three years. Its been okay, service department is friendly and good but still a bad taste in my mouth relative to some misrepresentations made at time of purchase......the iPhone thing is really a disappointment .

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  Solid and durable... - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By Scottywsly - January 5 - 6:13 pm

  This is a pleasing to drive near luxury car based SUV. Has been 100% reliable. My only wish is that gas mileage was greater, and styling is a bit more sporty.

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  Love it - 2001 Toyota Camry
  By Arthur Spooner - January 5 - 1:10 pm

  I purchased this vehicle new in 2001. I get 27 city and 33-35 hwy. The seats arent as comfortable as Id like. But that is not a big issue. Ive not had any problem with it whatsoever.

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  Camry lives up to reputation - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By joe - January 5 - 9:13 am

  This car runs better now than when it had 20,000 miles. It held its value and I am always being asked if I want to sell it and I cant let it go yet anyway. Great bang for the buck especially in this economy. Buy one youll love it; this 4 cylinder blows away many American 4 and 6 cyl of the same year. You wont regret it.

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  Toyota missed the mark on this one - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By NMR - January 5 - 7:53 am

  The check engine light has been (and still is) on since I think day 2 of ownership. Took it to Toyota several times, the last one they stated the code is generic and represents over 500 possible problems it could be. It took 3 months just to get it to pass PA inspection, brakes/rotors replaced too many times within 70k miles of driving, the stainless steel tube at the power steering resevoir blew out, the seats are the most uncomfortable I have ever sat in, the interior is chincy looking for $26k, the engine is sluggish and noisy, weird wind noise w/ 4 windows down. This is the 2nd and probably last Toyota for us.

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  After 7 years, still strong! - 2003 Toyota 4Runner
  By Jason H - January 4 - 9:40 pm

  Just drove 2300 miles from California to Atlanta without a hiccup! No worries on long road trip when you have a reliable Toyota with you. Oh, and this is with 97K total miles.