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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  For The Dog - 2005 Toyota RAV4
  By For The Dog - September 15 - 12:33 pm

  Traded in a 2003 Volkswagen Jetta GLS for a 2005 RAV4. Got one in Evergreen Metallic with everything except leather. Paid $23700, which was $100 over invoice, which was fair since they had to go 150 miles to get the one I wanted. Needed something bigger for our dog (Akita). The fact that the rear seats come out easily and it gets the best MPG in the SUV market (sorry not buying an Escape Hybrid) make it the perfect vehicle.

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  Happy Matrix Owner - 2006 Toyota Matrix
  By Happy Matrix Driver - September 15 - 12:16 pm

  Bought to replace my wifes 1995 4-Runner 4X4 with many miles on it. Although we knew we were giving up power (from 6 cyl to 4 cyl), the Matrix has performed well for us. During wet roads or windy conditions, the AWD keeps the vehicle on the road. The windshield and windows provide excellent visibility. We have averaged about 24 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway (2500 miles on the car in the 1st month), which is at least 50% better than the 4-Runner gave us. Overall we like the Matrix because it provides us flexibility: we can haul 4 or 5 people with decent leg room, or haul loads where the front passenger seat folds down. For the price, we enjoy driving this car.

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  Love our 4Runner - 2006 Toyota 4Runner
  By 4RUNNER#1 - September 15 - 6:06 am

  This 4Runner is definitely at the front of the pack. We looked a numerous SUVs before deciding on the 4Runner. Even though the America car companies were offering 0% financing for 72 months, we decided that the Toyota quality was worth paying for. We have own numerous vehicles from different manufactures, American and Foreign, by far the Toyotas have been the best.

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  Great Car - 2004 Toyota Echo
  By Jeffery Smith - September 15 - 2:00 am

  Excelent car. On average I get 39 miles to the galon. The bigest problem I have with the car is the salesmen were realy pushing that you can go 7500 miles between oil changes when in reality if you read the manual 5000 is more like it unless your drive in perfect conditions. But 5000 miles is not bad and the car drives great.

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  Best Toy for My Money - 2003 Toyota MR2 Spyder
  By Eliseo - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I just want to tell all those Porsche owners that there is one real alternative to those who want the true feeling of a 356 or a 911SC in this little but highly affordable roadster. Eliseo (ex-Porsche fan)

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  A Hybrid Worthy a Family Vehicle - 2004 Toyota Prius
  By ACKnecht - September 15 - 2:00 am

  My husbnd and I have been talking about a hybrid vehicle for our family for awhile now. When the 2004 Prius was released my husband had a chance to test drive it. He was so excited about it! I went to test drive it that night. Its spacious enough for a family of 4 AND it achieves our goals of reducing our gasoline consumption and being friendly to the environment.

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  2004 Toyota Prius -- Puget Sound area - 2004 Toyota Prius
  By Price T. - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I have a 2004 Toyota Prius with 1,100 miles on it after 2 weeks (I took a trip last weekend up to Vancouver, BC). It has great handling qualities, is more "zippy" than you might expect, great interior and nice interior and -- did I mention the mpg? My last tank was 50.8 (calculated).

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  OurSienna - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By erkand - September 15 - 2:00 am

  The 2004 Sienna has exceeded our expectations. We have a new baby daughter and we were in need of a new vechicle. After test driving the 2004 Sienna along with the Honda Oddessy, and Dodge Caravan, our choice was easy. The only negative about the Sienna was that it took us 2 1/2 months to find the Sienna Limited. We found one, and drove it home the next day.

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  Best Minivan Ever - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By Zeid - September 15 - 2:00 am

  I have love this van. It has the best ride I have ever experienced. I had a 96 Chevy Lumina minivan before I got my Sienna and its was the greatest van for its "time", but it was old and didnt match up to all the options and features that were available on todays minivans. I liked the Oddyssey at first, but when I saw the Sienna, the Oddyssey didnt even compare to it. It VERY comfortable and the features availble make it even better.

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  Bad Engine! - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By jbass5 - September 15 - 1:29 am

  We bought our Highlander four years ago and have loved it til now. It seems there are a batch of Toyota 6cyl engines with bad valve seals. Toyota was repairing these engines until 2010. They absolve themselves after a vehicle is 8 years old. We bought our Highlander in 2010 with only 87000mi. It now has 133000mi. Now in the last six months the engine consumes large quantities of oil. The symptom of these engines with bad seals is they consume oil when driven at highway speeds. A service mgr at the local Toyota dealer confirmed this valve seal problem when I described the pattern of oil consumption, a $2700. repair at the dealer if it is still repairable! the six seals cost $6 each!