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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  Very over rated!!!! - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Poncho - November 15 - 9:40 pm

  The 07 Camry is over rated! Its automatic transmission is jerky and sometimes hesitant about changing gears. Engine is pretty quiet overall but doesnt feel any faster than older models. Trunk space is mediocre with intrusive hinges and reliabilty has fallen off from past versions. The front end styling needs improvement. The interior is fairly pleasant but suffers from too much hard plastic and some poor fits!

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  Entune Almost a deal breaker! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By David - November 15 - 5:44 am

  I bought the 2016 Tacoma and Im satisfied with the truck but not very happy with it. All things consider, the truck is probably still the best midsize truck, simply because the reliability, handling and "truck feeling" outperforms the rest. However the two weakest points of the truck are the under performance in fuel Economy and the terrible, unfriendly and BAD entune system. If you are the type of guy who is into technology and want his phone to work well and integrate Ina modern way, you will HATE THIS SYSTEM. I cannot understand how Toyota decided to not use Apple CarPlay and android in-car system. Instead they use this in-house version of a system that looks and feels like it belongs with the 2010 model. Some times I wish I should trade in for another brand just because of the frustration it causes. s

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  Quality Problem with Vehicle - 2011 Toyota 4Runner
  By poorrunner - November 13 - 7:39 pm

  Vehicle shudders when driving. Most posts of forum sites indicate there is s systemic problem with the Transmission and Toyota is investigating. You will want to review this before you purchase: http://www.toyota-4runner.org/5th-gen-t4rs/89301-has-anyone-noticed-5.html Those that have purchased and have this problem can only pray Toyota supports their customers on this. The Service Departments say there currently is not a fix and we have to live with it for now.

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  Camry Bye, Bye - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By MANDK - November 10 - 11:51 am

  We purchased our 2007 Camry LE new. We were so excited to purchase a "Toyota." Right from the start, we have had nothing but trouble, recalls, unsupported recalls (engine oil burning), and cruddy dealer care. Our car currently sits with the wonderful melting Toyota dashboard; weve been waiting for 8 months for the dealer to replace it (another recall). We think weve had 9-10 recalls. What a joke! Sinc e 75,000, the engine has been burning oil. At about 105,000, it started slurping 3 qts, every 5,000, and this continues to date. Toyota was ridiculous about the piston ring recall that was supposed to address the oil slurping. They put us and others through a bunch of junk and then deny the repair. That and the melting dashboard were the last straws for us. We take meticulous care of our vehicles and drive them very judiciously. In 45 years of car ownership, we have never owned a car with this much trouble and this level of lousy customer care. No more Toyota for us. We definitely got bamboozled on the Cam-Ray! In our estimation, it is a highly over-rated car. We cannot wait to get rid of it. We will hope for the best with another brand.

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  2nd Highlander, very disappointing - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By John C. - November 6 - 9:35 am

  Leased 2nd in May 2017, I wish I could keep 2014 XLE which was much better car with very minor issues. New 8 speed transmission is very slow, jerky and non responsive, GDI engine doesn’t help to get better mileage than the old one. The start- stop feature does effect nothing about efficiency, probably will create a mechanical issues. There is no improvement in driving experience; it is still comfortable but steering doesn’t give any feedback, suspension makes much more noise than previous one. There is no update on the Entune system, it looks and works like designed by amateur software team. Also material quality is far behind the new generation SUVs. There are still some good things about the car; good size, roomy interior, good snow traction, exterior design is better than other Toyotas, standard safety features works fine. Competition is getting hard in this segment, Toyota needs better chassis, transmission, electronics and material quality in and out. I had 4 Toyotas, this would be the last, the new Camry doesn’t give any hope for the new Highlander that always shares the same platform.

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  A Disappointing First Toyota - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Dennis B - November 3 - 2:41 pm

  We had driven Subaru Legacies for a few years and after test driving several small SUVs we bought a 2016 Toyota RAV4 LE AWD in March 2016. However after a year of driving it we have noticed the following shortcomings: • Gas mileage is not that good-sticker says 22/29 and we have never come close. We are lucky to get 25 mpg on a highway trip. • The hood is so rounded that you cannot see the front of the car and thus never know if you are far enough into a parking space and it is difficult to keep centered in your lane. • The roof is so rounded that snow falls on the seat every time you open the door. • The back window is tiny and so rounded in every direction that you cannot clean it with a squeegee. • The gas gauge is highly inaccurate-says empty when you have more than a quarter of a tank. (Both analog and digital readout) • The huge emergency brake takes up so much of the center console which is probably the reason there are so few inside storage compartments • The radio fades in and out (toyota keeps saying they can fix it, but never do) • Lots of road noise It does handle as well as the Subaru in the snow but the bottom line is that we will probably go back to Subaru very soon.

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  Truck that keeps needing service - 1997 Toyota Tacoma
  By escargot - October 25 - 10:00 am

  This truck has been in the dealership once every 6/7 months. Its either a check engin light, overheating, cat. converted or rough iding. This is one of the worst truck I purchased for seeing the dealer on everything. I dont drive the truck hard and most of the time its highway miles.

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  Boring Toyota - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By john - October 4 - 5:36 am

  Not as economical or clean as Toyota claim, poor performance and slow when you want to feed in to a freeway or start off in heavy traffic, takes too long for petrol motor to start when you need the power, expensive servicing and not as reliable as people think a Toyota should be.

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  Dont recommend the Toyota Sienna! - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By AJKAMM - September 24 - 10:36 am

  I have only owned toyotas in my entire life and bought the Sienna because of my past experiences of Toyotas reliability. This vehicle has been anything but reliable. Within first year broke down because radiator blew, two times power steering gave out, doors wont open, multiple recalls and in short, a nightmare! With three small children reliability and safety are of most importance and this car has not provided that. I am extremely disappointed with the overall performance of this vehicle!

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  New 4runners, NOT as good as the last, v6 weak.. - 2010 Toyota 4Runner
  By scratchgolfer2 - September 20 - 11:52 pm

  I have had the last few 4runners now, the Limited 1997, then the amazing 2007 V8 Limited. I love the cars, performance and Toyota quality. I really didnt want to trade in my 2007 but I hit 100K so figured I would check them out, not too crazy about the new style but it is okay and thought the new higher HP V6 might be okay at 270HP, however it is NOT, it is WAY underpowered for this size vehicle. It also doesnt have the same solid feel that my previous 4runners always had that others never had. Makes me wonder if they really changed some things here....engine just doesnt feel right.....way to slow, with the Tundra 5.7 v8 as an option this might be a great truck