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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  High Quality Product - 2004 Toyota 4Runner
  By john - March 24 - 9:06 pm

  Bought the 6cyl LTD 4Runner new and have put 5000 miles on it. Very pleased overall with this SUV vs the Jeep GC I previously owned. This vehicle exudes quality and great driveability. Combines off road capability with car like comfort on the highway. My main beef is the comfort factor of the front bucket seats could be greatly improved-- not enough cushion and about 2 inches shorter than should be for my 6 foot frame. Also rear side view visibilty not adequate. But overall this is a great SUV. I expect many years of quality performance from this vehicle

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  Its the Little things! - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By anteatersgirl - March 24 - 12:10 pm

  40K miles, 4years old... Rear Speakers cracked and fell apart, into the speaker last year. Really hard to clean out, radio buzzes when bass plays. Toyota doesnt replace part. Bad design! Had to buy new covers. Door remote no longer works. Can only get into the car by driver side. Very hard with 2 young children in car seats. $800-$1000 to replace at Toyota Dealer. Safety hazard that should be covered by the company...its not. Other than those issues I like the car very much. Its the little annoying things that just add up.

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  Premature review ! - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By Dale A. Drottar - March 23 - 10:53 pm

  I write a review earlier, immediately after buying the car. Having owned it for a month, the only obvious fault I have experienced with it is the quality of the front part of the seat back on the drivers seat. The polyester cloth has worn/frayed where I enter/exit the vehicle. Apparently my belt and belt loop has worn the cloth on the lower left of the drivers seat. I tried to contact Toyota through the computer help line with no results. The seat was worn with less than 500 miles on the car. I am thin and in good shape, my weigh has nothing to do with the poor quality material being used. Dealership will try and help me, I hope. Rain always drips in the windows, rain shields a must.

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  12 Tacoma 4wd, DBl Cab, 4WD, Sport, L/B - 2012 Toyota Tacoma
  By lagunasecam - March 23 - 5:59 am

  I had a 2010 GMC Sierra 1500, but really wanted something smaller to drive around town. Overall a nice truck, but it has some significant cost cutting that shows through. With an MSRP of almost $35k, it is hard to believe that the 4WD selector, outside mirror, fog light, and door switches are not back-lit. Drove the truck the second day I owned it at night in a snowstorm. Had to pull over to find the 4wd switch. Just plain cheap! What could it cost to back light the switches, $10? A hood prop rod? What, another $20 for struts? No heated mirrors or rear defroster available at any price? I guess it never snows. Auto-door locks? Entune does not work wirelessly (BT) with an iPhone!

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  Excellent Used Vehicle Value - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By Earle - March 22 - 10:34 pm

  I want to add a review of a used, older vehicle, since I value those reviews. Thats also the vehicle market I am in. I generally dont buy new vehicles. Instead, I tend to look for good used vehicles with 100k miles on them that I am confident will get to 200k miles with few problems. As such, I need and value reliable and dependable vehicles. Seems to be for us the most economical way to go. We are second owners of an 2003 Sequoia, which we bought to replace a Sienna. Bought the Sequoia five years ago with 90k miles on it and we have since added 50k miles. We have five children, ages 12 and under, and we live in rural Montana. The vehicle has performed for us very well. All seven of us fit comfortably. There hasnt been any winter weather conditions it couldnt handle. Feels very safe on the road. It does have the notorious rear door problems and a couple of other minor issues, but overall the vehicle has performed flawlessly. I love 4.7L V8 engine. While not the most fuel efficient, I am satisfied because we are only about 1.5 mpg less than what we were getting on our AWD Sienna. The Sienna was a bit more comfortable and roomy, but it could not handle the rough terrain and winter conditions nearly as well as the Sequoia. I recently looked at a newer generation Sequioa. It is bigger and better but not enough to justify the price. Putting 10k miles on our 2003 Sequoia a year, we hope it will continue to serve us well for several more years until the kids start leaving home and we can then downsize. Thus far, I am very pleased as this seems to have been an excellent vehicle purchase for our family. Great value! UPDATE: I have been asked to provide an update. I dont feel to change anything on my review. We are still very pleased with the Sequoia. It continues to meet our familys needs while handling the rural Montana environment. Weve added 10k miles and done some routine maintenance, including the notorious rear door latch. Even so, we feel it continues to be a good value vehicle. Probably our best vehicle purchase weve ever made. No regrets.

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  Mixed bag - 2008 Toyota Tacoma
  By rmw288 - March 22 - 3:27 pm

  I bought my Tacoma used in 2011 with about 25,000 miles on it. I drove it for 3 years and 55,000 miles. I never had any kind of trouble with the engine or drive train, as far as reliability. It never broke down. My complaint was the truck always revved a little high while at idle. Also, the shifting was always weird. At low speed it would stay in low gear too long and rev high before shifting. Under load, the engine would knock. 3 of the 4 automatic door locks eventually quit working. The compass/thermo stopped working. The A/C fan would intermittantly stop working.

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  Whered the quality go? - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Fred - March 22 - 10:36 am

  I have owned my Camry for over 2 years and 30,000 mi. Initially, I loved the car and couldnt drive it enough. Rattles, squeaking, and transmission troubles started shortly after. After several trips to the dealership, I am happy to report that everything has been taken care of. My wife and I were in a serious accident with it and while it was in the shop, we couldnt wait to get it back. Over the month it was in the shop, we rented several different cars and nothing seemed to measure up to the comfort and options of the Camry. Strongly recommend it, just make sure it has been taken to the dealership for the technical bulletins.

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  Love my matrix !! - 2004 Toyota Matrix
  By RDavis - March 22 - 10:00 am

  I absolutely love this car. Ill be buying a 2nd one when the 2005 come out.

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  Superior Reliability - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Stacey L - March 22 - 10:00 am

  Has been the most reliable car ever had - formerly Ford, Saturn, Chrysler. It was a RENTAL car before we bought it and weve not had anything every go wrong. Now it has over 70k miles. Only oil changes, tires, maintenance needed. We are happy toyota converts, especially when compared to the engine failings weve had with other makes.

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  Great Van, Worst than expected mileage - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By wpali - March 22 - 10:00 am

  Great design (split foldaway rear seat is a must for 3 kids). Bigger than my old Silhouette. Noticed my mileage is less than 20 mpg on mostly hwy driving while a friends 2004 XLE is getting 25.9 on his computer. Based on actual fillups so far the computer mileage is pretty accurate. Also seems to be some engine hesitation when trying to accel at low speeds..need to push the pedal fully to get the engine to respond. Anyone else notice this?