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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  The perfect commuter car - 2000 Toyota Echo
  By catomaior - February 11 - 3:03 am

  I owned my ECHO for five years and if it wasnt for the need of more space for the child seat, I would still have it. It is a lot of fun to drive, sprinty and light. The inside is roomy albeit cheapy (you have space for everything you want). The gas milage is unbeatable (I averaged 35 MPG on my daily usage, meaning about 20-25 bucks a month on the gas). The handling was always challenging, though, especially with strong winds on heavy rainfall (not rare in Seattle). Once, only my rally driving training helped me keep the car on the road when I had to make an abrupt emergency maneuver on a wet road to dodge a deer. Also, with more than once passenger, the engine is a little underpowered.

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  Its a great car for its class - 2003 Toyota Celica
  By Tigress - February 11 - 2:53 am

  I absolutely love my car. Its an absolutely great car for the price (I could not find a better one in its class). Toyota did cheap out on a few things like some materials they use (like for seats) is really shoddy. But, its cause they managed to make this car perform better than its predecessor while making the price cheaper. The car handles like a dream even for a FWD. Its not the fastest in its class but its an absolute ball to drive. So far its been reliable but Ive only had it for a year so take that as you will. It does have some buzzes rattles and the seats have wear out parts but it seems so far the stuff that matters like engine is solid.

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  Nice but not perfect - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Maurice - February 11 - 12:50 am

  I really like the overall package but have a couple of issues. About 6 months after I bought my Highlander, the drivers side weatherstrip came off at the bottom of the door. Toyota issued a Technical Service Bulletin about it (see edmunds.com Maintenance, Recalls, and TSBs) so it must be a fairly common problem. Closing the sunroof completely is a guessing game. If you hold the button too long the roof tilts up. Ive also noticed an excessive amount of wind noise on the highway, which was addressed in another Toyota TSB. To me those are fairly minor issues. Would I still buy one? Probably so.

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  2008 Prius 1st 6 months - 2008 Toyota Prius
  By Lloyd - February 10 - 10:06 pm

  Most bi-polar (some pun intended) car I have ever owned. Great around town fuel economy 40mpg actual! Corners ok but absolutely numb road feel. Surprisingly roomy for size. Good utility from the hatch. Rear camera slow to come. Requires extra care when backing. Keyless features work great. Not sold on the touch panel climate control. Visors, shifter and steering wheel controls toy like. Too easily bottoms in some road conditions.

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  Built To Last - 1999 Toyota 4Runner
  By Jovi13 - February 10 - 8:03 pm

  I love this truck, and with 187,000 miles on it, I have never had a problem with it. If the routine maintenance is kept up, these things will last forever. After all these years, it still looks great, and puts the newer body style to shame. Interior has held up extremely well, and all the electronics still work perfectly. The engine is still strong, for the period it was built, and the transmission still shifts like it was brand new! Great, great vehicle. I just wish it was a little bigger in the front seating area, but I am 65", so it just wasnt built for 90% sized people.

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  Pretty Happy So Far - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By Okay in KY - February 10 - 10:00 am

  Overall, we really like our Rav4. My wife is the main driver. She wanted something smaller than a van, but still wanted to sit higher than a car. Im still trying to get used to the arrangement of the dash. The speedometer is in a large circle to the left. ( I look for it in the middle.) The tach is smaller and in the middle. The fuel gauge and the temp gauge are in a large circle to the right. The front bumper/grill seems mostly plastic/vinyl. The rear bumper is almost nonexistant. There are two narrow "bumps" - one on each side. Nothing in the middle because of the spare tire. So far, the rattles have not been bad.

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  Love - Hate relationship - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By love/haterealtionshp - February 10 - 9:53 am

  Ive had my Yaris for a little over a year and a half. Amazing gas mileage one of the things I love, its got quite a lot of oomph when you want it. I think its probably best as a tuner car. I dont recommend it as a family sedan though, unless you have snow tires on it, it slides everywhere in the winter, the cars too light for decent winter driving. Also Im expecting and am very afraid to put my child in the car, Ive seen them get totaled at 15 mph. As much as I do love this little car, I hate it at the same time, wish it was safer. As it stands with a little one on the way Im searching for something else. Itll make me sad to see it go, but I gotta do whats best for my family.

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  Design flaws - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By tlb4x - February 10 - 6:00 am

  There are design flaws in the new 2007 Tundra. The head room is insufficient and I must lean forward to see when a stop light turns green. This makes for a rather unenjoyable ride. Im 62" so unless youre shorter than 511" you probably will have the same problem I have. I wish Toyota could explain why they needed to make this truck bigger then the last because there is less head room on this one than the last. Hope they fix it because its close to being a great truck like the last model was.

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  Solid truck - 2001 Toyota 4Runner
  By best ever - February 8 - 10:43 pm

  I brought it used at 73,000 about 5 yrs ago. I currently have 155,000, the only major problem Ive had was that the transmission had to rebuilt at 96,000, but it has been running sound ever since.

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  Great Truck - 1998 Toyota Tacoma
  By MarkW - February 8 - 10:00 am

  This has been a real workhorse. Totally realiable and economic to operate and insure. Zero mechanical problems.