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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  Holy Cow!!!!! - 1992 Toyota Camry
  By Miles and Miles - May 14 - 2:03 pm

  Mom got it new and drove it 100,000 miles. My brother then took it and drove it up to 205,000. Ive got it now, and its got 319,456 miles. It was just in to the shop to clean the fuel injectors and a general tune-up, and the mechanics told me they couldnt believe how good the engine looked. Im on my way to 400K.

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  Very Good -- not Great - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Bill - May 13 - 9:20 am

  I have driven it over 5K miles. Overall, I think it is a good car. Its very peppy at slow speeds and is great on mountain roads. At high speeds, on the interstate, the transmission continually shifts on minor hills until its annoying. Rush hour on the interstate is not fun! Downshifting is slow and uncertain! Its almost dangerous when trying to change lanes quickly. It holds the road great, steering is very responsive, allwheel drive is very good and it rides smoothly. Gas mileage is poor - about 22; only 10% better than my full size Chevy pickup and my Lexus LS 400.

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  08 Corolla S - 2008 Toyota Corolla
  By Franklin - May 12 - 11:13 am

  Never had a Corolla before this but my husbands family has owned quite a few. I like the gas mileage and it drives smoother than the Honda Civic we test drove. I dislike the fact that the brakes make a loud "popping noise" when you take off and/or put it in reverse. Its loud enough that ppl in the back seat and on the street will make comments about why a 2008 car would sound like that. Have taken it to the dealership who says the brakes have "floating" parts on them & all 08s sound like that. Next visit in, I heard someone else complaining of the same thing. It didnt happen until the car got about 15,000 mi on it. Now its more frequent than ever. Other than that its fine.

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  i hate hub caps - 2006 Toyota Matrix
  By dangading - May 11 - 6:50 pm

  Ive had my Matrix going on 4 years now and although its been really great, I have recently run into a couple of problems. For 1, it hasnt had hub caps for years! They fall off too easily. After reading this, Im sure youll see plenty of non xr models with no hubs. Also, the accelerators are cableless and if something goes wrong with it, you have to replace the whole system ($1000 for the part). Why not use cables? At least you can afford to fix it when it fails! Seems like planned obselescence to me.

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  The v6 is super fast! - 2010 Toyota RAV4
  By glennm76 - May 11 - 5:52 am

  I brought the 2010 rav4 limited v6 awd brand new on a lease. I owned it for almost three years and have put 26,000 miles on it. The v6 engine is amazing, super fast and can pass anyone. The JBL stereo system is awesome. The bluetooth works good. The rav4 doesnt like corners and takes longer to break then most small suvs. If you open the moon roof while you are on the freeway, there is too much noise. The leather seats are not very comfortable. But other than that, great car and Toyota sells the best cars out there. I never had a problem.

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  TUNDRA DOUBLE CAB, FORGET F150 - 2005 Toyota Tundra
  By dennis Kasprzak - May 10 - 7:50 am

  I love my tundra. I waited to review it until I had it for a while 8 months now. 15000 mile service, and the first car I have owned, that hasnt been to the shop multiple times for engine lights, breakdowns. As you can tell this is the first toyota I have owned. Hauls great had 2000 lbs of sod with minimal rear end sag. Towed 16 foot enclosed trailer rated above the 6800 lbs towing capacity with no problems, trailer brakes were wired and only required 4 wire hook up. Never a problem with power, will be adding trd supercharger when it becomes available. Only problem thus far has been on door panels. The carpet keeps comming unglued, will adress that at the 15000 mile service coming up.

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  Decent, but disappointed - 2001 Toyota Sienna
  By Jim - May 10 - 2:36 am

  I bought this minivan in 2001. Our first choice was a Honda Odyssey, but in that year Hondas were so in demand wed have to order one and wait. The Toyota Sienna has been a decent alternative. We have traveled across the country with it and it has never broken down. It has issues, however. Among them are the engine light and low tire inflation light constantly going on and annoying little repairs (struts, CV joints, shocks, and assorted other annoyances) such that I generally have to sink $2000 every two years into the thing to keep it going. Most recent repair bill in April 08 was just under $2000. Brakes seem to need to be replaced often.

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  Good not Great - 2008 Toyota Tacoma
  By Vantrader - May 10 - 1:10 am

  Overall, a good truck, but not great like Id thought it would be. Anti- lock brake system makes a "doosh!" sound when the vehicle is initially started and begins to move. Brought it to the dealership and was told it was the brake system doing a "self test", hmmmm. Annoying more than anything else as it was a 30k vehicle. Find myself keeping the tranny in D4 around town as it is quick to upshift into the highway gear but slow to downshift. Should have gotten the limited slip option as it slips pretty easy in loose gravel or greasy hard-top after a rain. Have not towed with it yet but have used the bed and it performed well.

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  Problems with Our Prius - 2007 Toyota Prius
  By Ken Horn - May 8 - 12:13 pm

  We have had repeated electrical issues resulting in the dash going blank. This has happened repeatedly and the car has been in 4 times in 20,000 miles for the same issue. Very frustrating. This is a safety issue, try driving at night with the dash electrical system all out. It gives no warning it still appears to not be corrected. My Ford has been much better quality.

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  Not as well as expected. - 2006 Toyota Prius
  By LEE - May 8 - 12:36 am

  I am somewhat disappointed in the mileage. Over all I am getting about 46 mpg.And I baby it. I bought it used. in excellent condition. It had 5300 miles on it. I have not had any serious problems. GPS map feature leaves something to be desired. Toyota installed the latest program for maps. Some small areas I had are now not on the new level program. The paint is really poor. It shows the smallest maring.