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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  Great car for the money - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By happy owner - November 18 - 11:40 am

  Traded an 01 Cadillac DTS for my first for my first foreign car (built in Kentucky!) and have been very happy. Excellent performance, 0 to 60 in under 7 sec,and averaging 29 mpg on highway on regular. Just returned from a 4000 mile trip and got 35 mpg on a 55 mph strip. Thats as good as my daughter got on her 95 Civic coupe. The Caddy got 15 in town and only 24 max on the road. The Avalon has much better acceleration too. I also expect to get much better resale value than the Caddy.

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  Marixn 09 disappointing! - 2009 Toyota Matrix
  By Poormel - November 18 - 5:13 am

  Not particularly fun to drive, has awkward sitting position, seat doesnt travel far back enough for my comfort. I get a back ache after 2 hours of driving, which I dont get in my 01 Corolla. Emergency brake lever placed in a bad position, it seems to be always in the way and can easily be pulled up by a child or you by accident. It creates a cramped area in between 2 front seats. Rear seating room is very limited. Doors sound cheap when closing them.

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  Best Ever - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Best Ever - November 18 - 12:53 am

  I drive this truck for off road soils testing business. I have had a lot of different 4wd vehicles - the FJ does the best job. Dependable, easy to operate. Goes where I need to go with no problems. I have also taken it on road trips over 650 miles, very comfortable. I burn only regular gas, no problem & get from 19.8 city to 23 mpg hwy. average around 20mpg. I have not found the blind spots to be a problem, even in Dallas multi lane heavy traffic. Mirrors take care of it just fine. This is my favorite vehicle I have ever owned. I am 61, so have owned a lot of autos, so takes a lot to say this is my favorite ever.

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  Happy with my 2010 Camry SE V6 - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By SH Jones - November 17 - 9:33 pm

  I have enjoyed my 2010 Camry SE V6 since purchasing it new in late 2009. Have experienced no problems so far (recall related or otherwise) and enjoy excellent customer service at Nalley Toyota in Roswell. This vehicle offers great versatility, design and features for the money. Also think its a big plus this car is made by US workers. Perfect for business use or as a family cruiser.

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  2004 Toyota Sienna LE - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By Paul Alappat - November 17 - 3:36 pm

  This is the worst new automobile that I ever bought. Radio didnt work out of the dealership and it leaked when parked in the rain. A year later radiator cracked and was replaced. Then came multitude of recalls. Run flat tires needed to replaced every 15,000 miles. The kicker is when my van broke down due to a faulty heat sensor at 80,000 miles the Toyota extra care does not want to pay.

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  x-runner rocks - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By gijoe - November 17 - 11:40 am

  Great handling and nice free flow exhaust notes. Mileage is good for this size and power. Had only one fillup so far and went 320 miles on a little less than 16 gallons. Love the close ratios in the 6-speed.

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  Early thoughts on 2012 Sienna - 2012 Toyota Sienna
  By dwkreutzer - November 17 - 10:23 am

  Since this is a first-week review, take it with a grain of salt. So far, it is excellent. We traded in an 8-year-old Sedona, so the impress-me hurdle is pretty low. Nevertheless, the Sienna is impressive even though we purchased the base model V6 with the only options being floor mats (why arent they standard?) and towing prep. Im 62" and found that all the seats (driver, second row, and third row) were able to accomodate me comfortably. I just returned from an 800-mile trip and couldnt get over how smooth and comfortable the ride/drive was. Averaged over 25 mpg. Powerful engine, great feeling brakes, and good-for-minivan steering. Felt very solid and stable.

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  A Rav4 Cant Start - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By ToyotaNoMore - November 17 - 6:03 am

  I have owned many Toyota (4Runner, Camry) - this is the third one and the last one - quality control has been an issue for my Rav4. There were quite a lot squeeze noise on the plastic part in the interior even when its brand new. Spent some time to fix them. Now second year - the vehicle wont be able to start every 5 to 7 days. Its not battery for sure. It could be security system, starter, spark -- dealers (yes, I tried two Toyota dealers) wont fix it because they cant duplicate the error so they cant fix it. Oh, by the way, the audio system display started to not show anything, or strange Japanese characters. If you press the panel really hard - it fixes the problem.

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  Toyota RAV4 L - 2000 Toyota RAV4
  By Jonni928 - November 16 - 8:46 pm

  An overall wonderful small SUV. The build quality is rock solid. My experience with reliability has been excellent, I have never owned a vehicle so reliable. The engine and transmission work wonderfully, and the engine is suprisingly powerful for a 2.0 L.

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  Functional and Fun - 2006 Toyota Tacoma
  By ThaBeazer - November 16 - 3:20 pm

  Just got my 06 Tacoma PreRunner, and I love it. It was a long overdue upgrade to my 96 Mitsubishi Eclipse RS. It rides almost like a regular car, but has the height and power you need in a truck. Compared to other vehicles in its class, the Tacoma is a better dollar value, and also an ongoing maintenance value.