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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  Read this before you purchase a Camry - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By rickaroo1122 - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I had purchased this car from my mother who had bought it brand new in 1997. It has been trouble since. One problem after another. Rebuilding its engine didnt help. Still blew a rod and basically had the whole engine built again. Get around 20 miles to the gallen highway driving. I drive it like a old lady and very rarley floor it. I am selling it and going with a acura. Somthing a little more reliable hopefully. Basically three engines in it and still runs bad. My vote is never by another Camry.

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  My Corolla - 1994 Toyota Corolla
  By skhalsa - October 5 - 10:00 am

  One word describing it would be Loyal Its pick up is great, turns are awesome, mileage is wonderful.

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  Dependable with great value - 1997 Toyota Avalon
  By CISinger88 - October 5 - 10:00 am

  My mother bought hers used at 34,000 miles. Now has 167,000, and have had very few problems. Car handles reasonably well for a large car. Toyota 12 disc CD Changer in trunk stopped working at 45,000 after living on a gravel road, laser was scratched. Dealer warrenty was expired on electronics. I used the car for several road trips and was always comfortable - the climate control is great. Keyless entry stopped working at 99,000 - dealer had to recode the system for new remotes.

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  This is a great vehicle - 2004 Toyota 4Runner
  By relba67 - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I researched several vehicles before making my decision to purchase the 4Runner. This vehicle is awesome. Its a smooth ride and its very comfortable. It has awesome features. I just love it!

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  What A Great Van - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By rharnist - October 5 - 10:00 am

  This is our first minivan. I drove them all and couldnt find anything as nice as the Toyota. It was alittle more money than we wanted to spend, however, since we plan on keeping for quite some time we decided to go with the best.

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  Nice Ride, Great Value - 2005 Toyota Corolla
  By Rollaboy - October 5 - 10:00 am

  I bought my 2005 S last week. Though Ive only had it one week I am in love with the car. I only have a few complaints which I will post below. I also looked at the honda civic, the nissan sentra spec and the mazda 3 neither car was 1/2 as nice as the corolla S and each cost more. Overall this car is great for what you pay and the sleekness of my car gets so many stares.

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  2016 Tacoma Double Cab TRD Sport 4wd - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By KC - October 5 - 4:09 am

  First, Im very hard to please. I recently sold a beautiful BMW 335 Xi AWD with 16,000 miles. It had all the options and was incredibly fast with phenomenal handling. Its build quality, engineering and materials inside and out were top quality. The options were incredible. I sold this BMW to buy my 2016 Tacoma and I have extremely high standards to measure by. Also, I had and sold my 2002 Tacoma double cab PreRunner 2wd 6 months ago. I used that as my daily driver, the BMW was my second car. The Tacoma had 150,000 miles and everything still worked and I never had a problem with it. My guess is, It will last 300,000 miles and still be worth $5,000 which is rediculous. Now lets get into the 2016 Tacoma TRD Sport Double Cab 4wd I bought. First, its a damn good looking truck. Some dont like the front grill, I think it looks good. The lines and stance is manly and classy. Its acceptable in the city, off road, for business, or farmer. I just drove this from St Louis to KC. Its a 4 hour drive. Handling is excellent for a 4wd drive truck, the ride quality is excellent and its quiet. I was driving against a 25mph headwind and it truly was pretty quiet considering I was driving a truck. It was compatible to my BMW which is impressive. The tires are quiet, the truck is solid but feels soft on the road. The ride is smooth even when driving over bad road. The transmission is good but I was driving against a 25 mph head wind so the transmission had to downshift frequently while going up slopes and hills. I believe the strong head wind caused a fair amount of downshifts on the hills. I was traveling 65-70 mph, with the wind and the hills the downshifting was frequent but smooth. Again, I attribute several of the auto transmission downshifts due to me trying to maintain 70mph against a very stiff wind and the hills on I-70. Regarding the power, in my opinion the Tacoma could use 10-20% more horsepower. Perhaps its enough horsepower for most but I like more power. I wouldnt buy a Tacoma for heavy towing, they list a towing capacity of 6,800 lbs. I wouldnt subject mine to that torture. This isnt a V8 full size truck. The options really are good. I didnt buy the technology package. Mine is the normal TRD Sport and I think the base entertainment system is very good and user friendly. Navigation, stereo, voice activation, Bluetooth is all good. It syncs to your phone easily. Also I have the Samsung 6 phone which has the wireless charging. The Tacoma charging base doesnt work very good but it might be due my phone case. I know its not my truck because the truck I test drove acted the same. I dont have a problem with my wireless charger at home so I dont think its my phone protective case. Anyway, it does work after moving around my phone multiple times. Its a little frustrating. Ill remove the case to see if that fixes it. The Bluetooth phone system works fine but the audio quality is not wonderful. My BMW phone system perfect, better than any landline or any phone. I was so good I used to purposely do conference calls in my BMW. The Tacoma phone system is adequate, not great.. The steering is very responsive and smooth. Theres very slight road feel in the wheel which is fine because you feel in tough with the road. The steering wheel seems a little large to me but thats probably due to being used to my BMW. I didnt notice it as much after driving 4 hours. The steering wheel adjustment could offer more movement. It has a limited amount of telescopic movement and tilt but I found a comfortable position so thats good. Im 6 tall. The driver seat is ok, not the best. The padding is a little thin but it wasnt uncomfortable during my 4 hour drive. My BMW had 8 different power adjustments and the steering had tons of telescopic tilt movement. Toyota should change their seat adjustments to include adjusting the seat height. I would like the option to sit a half inch taller. Also, my legs could feel more like a sitting position. The thigh length of the seat could be another inch longer. My legs slightly dangle, another BMW strength that Toyota falls short on. I dont believe short drivers below 59" will be able to choose the Sport model because they wont be able to see over the hoodscoop. Toyota needs to spend the money and provide a height adjustment. There are no power adjustments for the seats, its all manual. Ok, I was spoiled but worth noting when youre spending $34,000. Driving view is excellent front, side and back. The back seat headrests adjust and can be tilted down so you can see out the rear view mirror. Also, side mirrors are excellent. Not sur wif theyre heated, kinda of doubt it. Dang the BMW was nice. The technology package and premium package offers a few nice things but not worth the $3,000 for me. So far Im very happy with the Tacoma. It should last 300,000 miles. I expect in 9 years it will still be worth $18,000-$20,000.

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  Great Car; Worst Seats Ever - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By ALC - October 4 - 10:10 pm

  This is a wonderful automobile, especially for the price. We find the ride relatively smooth and quiet; wonderful on trips (36 MPG w/AC). Unfortunately, after 60 minutes, one finds that Toyota has designed the WORST front car seats ever placed in an automobile; your back and bottom will suffer! We are so upset, I am shopping after 18K miles. In prior vehicles, I have driven for days for over 12 hours per; not in this car. Two of my relatives, who have never had back pain, now have problems when they drive their Camry (same yr). In today’s market, this is inexcusable. I would gladly provide Toyota with a design solution, if they cared.

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  Still running. from the Halcyon Days of Toyota! - 1998 Toyota Camry
  By james Reed - October 4 - 7:19 pm

  This car has needed essentially no unplanned repairs since I bought it 20 years ago. It has performed essentially flawlessly for 225,000 miles. I changed the oil using synthetic about every 10K miles; the spark plugs were changed only once. The timing belt had to be changed once, and the starter motor died once. Thats IT for 20 years and 225,000 miles. I repainted the body when it needed it at 15 years...it lived uncovered in the San Diego sun every day of its life. Once upon a time, a rock hit its windshield. Replaced easily. Flawless handling, great ride, supreme comfort for driver and passengers. Car happily accelerates to 100mph whenever asked..even at 20 years old!

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  Toyota answers the call! - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By rustinginvermont - October 4 - 2:26 pm

  I would put this 4WD system up against anything on the road for practical driving purposes. 9 inches of snow were no problem even with all season radials. We had a 1999 but it wouldnt fit an infant seat in rearward position of 2nd row without giving up the passenger seat. On the 06, I drive with my seat in furthest rearward position. My 6 ft. 3 inch friend sat behind me with room to spare between. The turning radius on this seems much better than the 1999 RAV4. Didnt check specs. on that. My wife is still thanking me for buying it (since 1/02/2006). Vermont mountain driving conditions can be scary. Im glad she drives the kids in this.