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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  Looking to trade in - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By pa driver - February 22 - 12:50 am

  Toyo tires are horrible! stopping in snow/ice is nearly impossible. the steering is a little hard to get use to while trying to stay straight on highway. it has plenty of power and smooth shifting. too many rattles in the dashboard that is driving me crazy, gets worse in the winter

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  Ride on the Edge of America - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By bill geery - February 21 - 3:28 am

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  Solid buy for new or used - 2015 Toyota Corolla
  By Landon - February 20 - 10:56 pm

  I purchased a new 2015 Toyota Corolla in June 2015. I have been driving it for about 6 weeks. It is a pleasure to drive. I am 62" and I fit fine. The CVT takes some time to get accustomed to. I have had a Celica and two Tacomas. I had a Honda Prelude also. I considered Civic and test drove a similarly equipped one. I didnt like the Honda as much and the Corolla was $2000 or more less expensive. I recommend the 2015 Toyota Corolla. Its not a race car and its not pretending to be one. Its fun to just take a drive or commute in. The one thing for taller drivers is the center armrest and left armrest are so low taller drivers like me have trouble getting the seat low enough to comfortably rest our arms. Yes, the seat moves up and down....about 2 or 3 inches. All said if the Honda had been cheaper I "might" have thought longer but probably would have made the same decision going with the Corolla. My last Toyota lasted 14 years and there was still nothing wrong with it. I expect this car will last me or future owners 15-25 years if maintained.

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  I am the original owner - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Rob Aeron - February 20 - 4:19 am

  I bought my 1999 Camry V6 manual transmission brand new and enjoyed very much the car. Good performance, reliability, and gas miles. Last year, I changed the clutch. With 102K original miles, I am doing minor body work, new alloy rims, replacing wood trim in dashboard and installing a trunk spoiler. I am planning to keep my car unless someone gives me an offer that I cant refuse.

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  Matrix AWD - 2006 Toyota Matrix
  By Steve - February 19 - 10:50 am

  This is my wifes car and she loves it. It is great around town, nimble, solid. She picked it mainly because of the hatchback and fold flat rear seats which are very nice. Great for golf clubs. Now has 25K miles and we did have a check engine light that required replacement of an oxygen sensor under warranty. One thing that I consider a defect was the factory tires. The front left tire wore on one side enough to require replacement after only 15K miles!!! Of course they wouldnt honor anything since they were not rotated every 5K miles. Replaced all 4 tires and had the front end aligned and it was very close to in specs so dont know what caused the tire wear.

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  Great hockey family car! - 2008 Toyota Sequoia
  By Zany - February 18 - 1:16 pm

  Worth every penny for its 9 years and 234,000 miles to date!

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  My 2 cents - 2003 Toyota Tacoma
  By 4x4 - February 18 - 9:26 am

  Just trying to help all that are looking into purchasing a Tacoma. This truck is good over all, yes it does have its minor flaws in the design and seems to have common problems with all us owners. It works good for me since I am single and do quite a bit of hauling and driving. The gas mileage is good on highways but poor in town, the rattles that everyone is having, I too have up around the dash. The outside noise comes from the way the wind wraps around the side of the cab and not the rear wall. I still love this truck because it is reliable and is worth almost what I paid for it. One thing I hate is when I am braking and hit a bump, the anti-lock kicks in and causes me to slide a bit.

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  Just what I wanted - 2016 Toyota Corolla
  By Judy livny - February 16 - 3:22 pm

  The car is omfortable, reliable, gets good safety reviews and if you shop around a little, you can get a very good price

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  No fog lights on any Corolla!!!!!!!!! - 2017 Toyota Corolla
  By Steveg - February 15 - 8:17 pm

  After doing my research on the 2017 Corolla I bought the XSE with Nav. So far I like the car for what it is drives nice ok power fairly comfortable. So after a week of ownership I needed foglights being told by sale staff that the did have them guess what it dose not. So long story short im stuck Toyota needs to pull there heads out and equip these cars correctly no fog lights how much could they cost really.Other than that im pretty happy with the car.But I wont but abother Toyota product bad customer service both corp and dealers.

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  Most reliable car ever owned - 1995 Toyota Corolla
  By jshepherd9417 - February 14 - 5:52 pm

  This car is very reliable. bought the car in 04 with 80k miles on it from an older woman who kept great care of it. Now in 2012, it has 175k miles and the only thing replaced on it was a starter and a clutch. Got the car when i was 16 and is a great starter car for a teen because it is great on gas and will last for a really long time. The only thing bad about it is the rear leg room is awful. Not the best car on space, but would definitely recommend a corolla to anyone interested. Really nice car!