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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  Unacceptable - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By Farrell - June 22 - 4:26 am

  I was so excited to buy this beautiful car. Great features and nice look. However, the cars defining characteristic is its potentially life-threatening steering problem. The car feels like its in a high wind at 60 mph, and driving at 75 mph is downright harrowing. Repeatedly veered near other high-speed traffic on I5. At one point I found myself about 3 feet into the HOV lane before I could correct it. Requires constant vigilance to stay in my own lane, and after 160 miles my hands and arms ached. Very, very scary. Visibility for reversing and checking driver-side traffic is bad. The most important thing I can say here is test drive this car on the highway at 70 mph or dont buy it at all.

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  Good car, But... - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By jw - June 16 - 11:26 pm

  The engine is sluggish on take off and the transmission (5 sp auto) seems to slip when it shifts the engine whines on take off, the dealer says this is normal. Some times shifting takes up to 3 sec. to finish the shift. Get the rear air vents it gets a little warm in the summertime. Not as quiet as I thought it should be. The door panels has cloth on them, if you use the window for an arm rest it does get dirty very quickly.

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  SLOW RESPONSE-HORRIBLE BRAKINGS - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By Joe - June 16 - 3:45 pm

  I have the new 2018 Camry LE, 1200 miles in and the throttle response is horrible. You have to really press down on it to even get it going. The shifts are horrible and jerks a lot. Cruise control at 80mph and will jerk like crazy after 10 minutes, the 8 speed transmission might be to blame. The entertainment system is trash, Bluetooth will disconnect every 10 seconds, I was told this is due to Toyota pushing out the new 2018 too fast and not updating the intune system. The brake dust is crazy on this thing, 1 day of simple driving will create a huge brake dust mess. Brakes are ehhh ok but nothing like my 2017 Corolla. Wish I woul have waited for the 2019 Camry. Now I am stuck with this POS.

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  Dissapointment in entire toyota nation - 2008 Toyota Highlander
  By AKsecurity7035 - June 12 - 9:23 pm

  I was very confident in Toyota Vehicles, starting from my 98 Camry all the way to my 05 Highlander and Toyota managed to completely destroy my confidence and dedication with my current 08 Highlander Sport. The car has a lot of defects; I don’t even know where to begin! Engine’s horse power doesn’t fit car’s handling and suspension, brakes are so soft that you have to power press brake pedal, dash board constantly makes cracking noises that can’t be fixed, JBL audio system has a lack of engineering all of speakers have been blown a couple of times without any explanation, Dealer is not able to find the problem. Wheel size of sport model only fits Toyo tires

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  Factory Defects! - 2015 Toyota RAV4
  By Josie - June 10 - 6:18 pm

  I bought a new 2015 RAV4 in February. Have had issues from the start. Door locks worked intermittently, often I couldnt get back into my car - big safety issue! Took it into the service dept FOUR TIMES before they finally figured out the problem. This after my complaints being met with either disbelief or being told that I "must be pressing the wrong button." (Huh??) One of the times, they simply let it sit in the service bay for an hour and a half, then told me they had checked it out and everything was now working fine. (yeah, right.) Turned out it was the actuator in the front drivers door that was defective. (Had no idea what an actuator even was until then.) Since then, Ive had 2 other "factory defects" - so far! It looks great, drives great, rides comfortably, but... I will never buy another Toyota!!!!

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  What Toyata Quality - 2004 Toyota Matrix
  By Sad - June 10 - 2:00 am

  I dont recomend the Matrix. Its expensive for a car that is put together so cheaply. Push on the front fender panels and watch them wabble back an fourth. The console under the shifter will not stay shut if you put anything in it. The car is really underpowered.

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  Decent Rental But Wont Buy One - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Villa - June 9 - 6:17 am

  Rented a Rav4 that had only 4k miles and drove it 700 miles roundtrip. Decent cargo and visibility. Couldnt figure out entertainment interface to control by steering wheel, so had to overreach to search and/or change radio and satellite stations. Also, couldnt figure out how to dial using display like my 2013 Kia Rio EX, so had to use my phone, even though the phone was paired to the Rav4. Aside from those small annoyances, the biggest drawback for me was the uncomfortable drivers seat. Another problem I experienced is the super responsive handling is a major flaw on uneven and unpaved highway. I had to fight to control the FWD while going 65-70mph over an unexpected long stretch of unpaved and uneven highway (thanks, CalTrans, for the warning - not!)

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  Good ECONOMIC car - 2012 Toyota Yaris
  By thatdude2 - June 5 - 1:22 am

  Good car economical. It could use a middle consold but overall exellent reliable keeping the Toyota high standarts.

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  Bumpy Ride - Sports Model - 2010 Toyota RAV4
  By Kumar - June 4 - 11:56 am

  Hi, I am very disappointed with the bumpy ride for my sports model with the flat- free tires. I am not sure if it is the tires or the suspension. Very annoying! Very annoying! Feels like I am sitting on some vibrator when going over normal road bumps. It needs a perfectly smooth road to provide a smooth experience - Just not possible.

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  2004 LE 8 Door Sienna - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By r123456 - June 4 - 10:00 am

  The Driver side mirror vibrates while driving at highway speeds and when on rough roads. Tried getting the problem fixed but the dealership cannot fix it. Actually, all models have a virbration, the intensity varies. Only XLE limited with special option mirrors do not have the problem.May have to go to arbritration to get it fixed! Poor customer servive...what do you expect?..They got your money.....