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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  Never again! - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By vader33 - September 2 - 10:00 am

  Worst car I have ever purchased. Every bump in the road causes noise in the front end. Factory recall on front end parts, got them replaced, problem not fixed. Incompetent mechanics and/or bad car design? Only power is between 3500 and 4500 rpms. Very unstable to drive on the highway at 75mph. Somebody wake me from this nightmare!! Do yourself a favor and buy a Honda!

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  Cant go places with our new 2016 RAV4 - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Peter - August 26 - 10:47 am

  What had happen to Toyota? The quality is not there any longer... We own the car only for a month and had the whole headliner replaced as it was not correctly installed in the factory. Now the car makes whining sound and Toyota service is not very helpful to resolve the issue.

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  PLEASE do NOT buy this car - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By chefgirl1 - August 22 - 12:27 am

  I have owned my Corolla for 3 years now. It had 57,000 miles on it. The only cars i have ever had have been Toyotas. Never Again!! My accelerator pedal became stuck 2 days ago I was merging into oncoming traffic on the interstate. I went from 35 mph to a sudden 75 before the pedal came "unstuck". It was the horrifying! My car was not a part of the recent recalls. Until after the incident. I am scarred to drive the car now. I warn all owners and people looking to purchase! it can happen to you! I never thought this would happen to me ever!

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  Disappointed owner - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By r b - August 9 - 9:58 am

  This car had an oil consumption issue. Toyota considers 1 qt. per 1100 miles normal. For me the oil consumption and loss of gas mileage was not acceptable nor normal. The final detail was the resale value. In 2012 I paid $13,000 for the car. In 2015 a Toyota dealer would only give me $3,000 trade in value. This car was a loss from start to finish. No part of the Toyota ad campaign in true.

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  Gas Pedal Sticks on 2010 Sienna - 2010 Toyota Sienna
  By KJM - June 13 - 12:16 am

  I was shocked when the gas pedal stuck twice on my new 2010 Sienna XLE minivan. All I could think of was to turn the minivan all since pressing on the break pedal did not stop the minivan. Toyota of Knoxville blamed the floor mats. The gas pedal stuck again after they removed the floor mats. I got rid of this mini van in February and purchased an X5 BMW. Now that is a real amazing vehicle.

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  Not Worth the $ - 2006 Toyota Corolla
  By dee333 - June 8 - 4:46 am

  The only thing this car has going for it is its fuel economy. If you are looking for a new car because of the gas prices and dont mind giving up handling and performance, this car is for you. Otherwise, this is not a car for new drivers (very poor handling) or car enthusiast.

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  What a junker - 1997 Toyota Tacoma
  By jjb - June 2 - 2:00 am

  This peice of junk was never any good from day one! Its just one thing after another. Then you take it in to be repaired and they cant figure out what is wrong! I will NEVER BY A TOYOTA AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!

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  Great Value - 2015 Toyota Corolla
  By Erika - May 29 - 6:35 pm

  I would recommend this car to anyone.. Its comfortable, good on gas, great handling but, would recommend snow tires for winter.

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  DO NOT BUY 2016 CAMRY LE - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By G. G. Jayasinghe - May 4 - 1:14 pm

  Do not buy this [non-permissible content removed] car! I used drive 2012 Camry and I had it for 3 years. I never had issues with it and I loved it. I just had an accident couple of weeks ago. Our family needed a car so bad that we decided to buy a new car. The dealership kind of tricked us. They knew our situation and made us lease this crappy 2016 Camry LE. They never asked us to test drive the vehicle, it was around 6.30pm at night, they knew our situation and we trusted Camrys. They used our situation to sell this crappy car to us. We ended up with this hideous looking car that makes me feel like Im driving a piece of plastic. More importantly, there is a distortion in the windshield, mirror buttons arent working properly, and the car stereo jams when I put mirror heaters. And the sound quality is nothing like what we had in 2012 Camry. 2016 Camry is not only cheap looking, its CHEAP QUALITY. Do not buy or lease this crap! We are in a big mess trying to get out of the lease we signed. We only drove this car for a week and totally disappointed in Toyota and Camrys! We no longer have the same trust for Camrys! If anybody wants to buy 2016 Camry, test drive it, and look carefully all the features and functionality. But I still dont recommend buying this car! I dont understand what they have really improved in this car compared to 2012 Camry LE. 2012 Camry LE had a much better, classy look I would say. Camry doesnt have the same look anymore, it looks like cheap version of Corolla.

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  Stay away from this piece of GARBAGE!!! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Shane Beach - April 10 - 5:42 am

  Thats right piece of GARBAGE! Bought the Trd Sport a couple months back and guess what 5,000 miles and the truck is in the shop for over 3 weeks. ( Ordering parts from Japan lol) the truck was making a loud ticking noise on the left side of the engine and would accelerate with out me in it. No the heater was not on or AC. Took it in at my 5k service and the head mechanic came and looked at it and said omg that engine is loud. We pulled up another Tacoma beside it and the other truck sounded way better. Long story short they kept the truck and I got a call from Toyota stating that one of the cams needs to be replaced as long as the injectors. And that Im looking at a three week turnaround, I went to the dealer ship to see the truck and the whole motor is cracked open. Im sorry Toyota Im going back to Ford where the parts come from the good old USA.