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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  Still like my tahoe - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By KIFER - November 26 - 3:20 am

  My wife and i just had our first child, I had recently owned a 99 tahoe with about 100,000 miles on it... time for a trade in. The toyotas mpg is a joke I am no hot rod and I am getting barely over 10mpg. I assumed buying a foreign car the fuel econony would be much better than that of a domestic. The comfort and handling of the sequoia is great. The interior dash and controls remind me of the 80s.

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  Sensible and Awesome - 2010 Toyota Yaris
  By Jon - November 26 - 2:33 am

  I love my Yaris. For such a small, zippy car, there is a lot of room! I can fit my bike with the seats down (with the front wheel off) but it still fits! It gets great mileage, 36 mpg normally, with 38-40 mpg if I drive it nicely around the countryside. In carmine red, the yaris is very handsome looking and gets lots of questions and compliments. The seats are firm but comfortable. The climate controls, simple and straight forward, are very easy to fool with while driving and are very smartly laid out. The doors feel very sturdy and not cheap at all. My friends corolla feels cheaper. The center dash doesnt bother me at all. To sum it up- zippy car, great on gas, & comfortable. Check it out!

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  Toyota for Life - 2001 Toyota Tacoma
  By Jason Wheat - November 26 - 1:36 am

  This is the third toyota truck I have owned. Had my needs for room and transmission types not have changed I would still have the first one. I have been extremely pleased with every one. Not once have I had to put it in the shop. Tacomas have excellent street reputations among sensible drivers looking for quality trucks.

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  Fun to Drive - 2005 Toyota RAV4
  By Theresa Dahlstrom - November 25 - 10:13 pm

  Id never heard of a RAV4 until my son showed me a photo the night before we went car shopping. It was love at first sight! We drove several small SUVs, but the RAV4 was by far the most fun to drive. It is zippy and handles great. Ive enjoyed 65000 trouble-free miles. The ride is quite firm, but makes the driver feel like one with the road.

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  The Little Red hybrid that could - 2006 Toyota Prius
  By CE - November 25 - 9:43 pm

  Quite responsive. Enjoyed the smooth take off with the absence of shifting quite noticable. Plenty of snap for passing, especially considering only a 1.5 liter. Breaking and cornering very nice... smooth. At first thought the small steering wheel felt strange but now enjoy the extra room it facilitates along with ease of control.

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  Great Truck - 1999 Toyota 4Runner
  By msi - November 25 - 9:23 pm

  I have driven this truck on and off road and have never had a problem. I love the body design and the fact that it is truly made to be on and off road unlike most other SUVs that are built only for road use. I couldnt be happier with this vehicle and plan on keeping it a very long time which says all there is to say about its reliability.

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  Nice SUV - 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser
  By Mark Slepicka - November 25 - 6:06 pm

  Stable on road and off with plenty of power and braking. Would like to see front console cup holder lighting for night time driving and overhead spotlight buttons lit also. I am getting 17.2 mpg city/hwy combined using premium. exterior sheet metal seems to be a little thin. I started to notice a clunk from the rear when starting from a dead stop and also when coming to a stop. I went to my Toyota dealer and found out a (TSB) Technical Service Bulletin was issued on this problem. The fix was to replace the drive shaft under drivetrain warranty at no cost. After replacement of shaft i have had no further problem. Overall the new Land Cruiser is solid and performs well!

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  2002 Tacoma - 2002 Toyota Tacoma
  By Ron Huffman - November 25 - 12:46 pm

  My Tacoma is a regular cab short wheelbase 2WD with 2.4 L and automatic. It is fun to drive and very manuverable. It can haul the load when asked and gets fairly respectable gas mileage (20-24 mpg). I made several cross country trips with a loaded bed and it has performed just great.

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  Great Car - 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By Kenny - November 25 - 10:10 am

  Ive had my Hybrid since Feb 08. I love it the gas mileage it is great. Around town I get around 36 mpg. We have went on 3 family trips the average trip was about 6 hour driving time. We got up to 44 mpg. The only thing I am disappointed with is the navigation system it is not user friendly at all. We had a Nissan before it was a lot easier to use.

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  Pathetic - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By markntx - November 24 - 3:24 pm

  Like many other posters, I bought the Camry based on their reputation but it has been a HUGE dissappointment. Multiple recalls, extended parts warranties, snap-on visors and floor mats falling apart, new struts at 25000, a hard shifting transmission and now I find out about the sludge-prone motor, just to name a few. The most frustrating aspect is that Toyota refuses to be accountable for their mistakes unless forced to, then they still claim driver fault on issues like brakes, sludge and visors. The Service Director at Pat Lobbs Toyota in McKinney even brought up "lemon" in our conversation. But then decided it couldnt be since it made it to 128000 miles. hmm...Very Low Standards!