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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  Rav-4 09 Limited -Poor Paint - 2009 Toyota RAV4
  By Stew-16 - October 28 - 6:16 pm

  Leather interior is nice, gas mileage is not as good as they make it out to be, Toyota has put company profits above safety and apparently quality and control. The recalls issued has not mentioned the exterior paint my vehicle is 9 months old and has over 40 chips and counting in the black metallic paint, Im not alone with this complaint but Toyota, will not stand behind the quality of their paint work, they are blaming the new Chipped paint on the road environment. My other non-Toyota products did not have this issue. By time its paid off I will have more touch-up paint than factory paint on my New Rav-4.

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  NEVER again... - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Alex - October 24 - 3:13 am

  Ive had 2 Camrys before the one, and bought it thinking that the quality standards known to a Toyota would still remain excellent. This assumption was my first mistake. Its now apparent that Toyota quality took a nose dive. I get terrible fuel economy (19/20 in the city, 25/26 highway ...with a 4 cylinder!), even though its rated at 24/34. The transmission is crap, and erratically shifts despite modest acceleration and conservative driving habits. Ive already taken the car back to the dealership 4 times for rattling, creaking, and clicking in the dash and center console (granted Ive had the car for 3 months). They never fixed it, but instead said that its normal.

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  Miles Per Gallon NOT as advertised - 2015 Toyota Corolla
  By rkh88 - October 24 - 1:38 am

  I bought a new Toyota Corolla 2015 based upon the price, size, and miles per gallon. Toyota advertises 29 MPG in the city, 31 combined and 38 on the highway. I have yet to get better than 31 on the highway, and 26 in the city. I am highly disappointed with this. I took it into the dealer, and placed a complaint with Toyota. Since they found "nothing wrong with the car" they did nothing. Very, very disappointing.

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  Leg cramps from uncomfortable seats - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Steve - October 22 - 5:40 pm

  I really cant wait to get rid of this car. Its nothing like my old 4runner. Drivers seating position is so uncomfortable I have constant leg cramps. I tried spacers under seat legs, extra spring on gas pedal, lumbar pillow, seat cushion, none worked. I have to drive for now but this is the last toyota for me. That is saying a lot from a guy that had 4 so far but this one is not my favorite. Really dont like silly side-swinging rear door. Dash rattles. It struggles to get the rated MPGs. Transfer case whines a bit a certain speeds. I am just plain unsatisfied.

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  speedometer broke in two days - 2002 Toyota Sienna
  By johem - October 6 - 10:00 am

  I liked my old toyota carolla a lot. But this van got the speedometer broke second day. I am nervous about the quality of this particular toyota vechicle.

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  Worst Owning Experience Ever - 2004 Toyota Camry Solara
  By Eric S - October 4 - 12:00 pm

  Had problems from day 1. The car had the "Left Drift Issue", rattle in dashboard, and the start of transmission problems. The car was in the shop 4 times for the pull issue and the rattles, but the dealership was never able to fix them. Eventually was told that the car is suppose to pull to the left. Completely unsatisified with this car, coming from a family that owns nothing but Toyotas. Owned the car for a total of 5 months before I had enough and traded it in on a brand new Scion tC, which has had absolutely no problems at all. I guess the plant in Kentucky should take notes on how cars are built in Japan because they sure as hell cant compete with the quality from overseas.

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  2012 Toyota Rav4 transmission problem - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By allie_oop - September 28 - 1:28 am

  Ive had my Rav4 for a year and took it to the dealer to have the transmission checked. When making a low speed turn, after braking then pressing the accelerator, the automatic transmission shifts roughly. It feels like a new driver just learning to drive a manual transmission. The dealer test drove it, identified the issue, then said that was normal and there is nothing wrong with my Rav4. Other dislikes: hard seats, brake too close to accelerator, doors sound tinny when closed, keyless ignition locks up randomly, too many lever controls on steering column (3 with wipers, lights, and cruise control)

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  Entune NOT fully compatible w/Iphones - 2017 Toyota 4Runner
  By Mark - September 25 - 1:40 pm

  The car is brand new but I wanted to bring this to the attention of buyers. I like the truck overall, rides well, looks great, comfortable, no mechanical issues. However, the Entune system is awful. The iphone is NOT fully compatible with the system. You CANNOT return text messages via the ENTUNE system, which to me is unacceptable. You can receive the text message but the outgoing messaging part of the ENTUNE system does NOT work. Major inconvenience on long trips. This info comes directly from Toyota Customer Service. They blame Apple! If you want the ease of sending text messages through computer/voice system, do NOT purchase a Toyota with Entune expecting iphone to work. They said to use Siri, which is a workaround but NOT what I paid for. Also, sales reps are unaware of this or choose not to share. Im very disappointed.

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  Entune NOT fully compatible w/Iphones - 2017 Toyota 4Runner
  By Mark - September 20 - 3:47 am

  The car is brand new but I wanted to bring this to the attention of buyers. I like the truck overall, rides well, looks great, comfortable, no mechanical issues. However, the Entune system is awful. The iphone is NOT fully compatible with the system. You CANNOT return text messages via the ENTUNE system, which to me is unacceptable. You can receive the text message but the outgoing messaging part of the ENTUNE system does NOT work. Major inconvenience on long trips. This info comes directly from Toyota Customer Service. They blame Apple! If you want the ease of sending text messages through computer/voice system, do NOT purchase a Toyota with Entune expecting iphone to work. They said to use Siri, which is a workaround but NOT what I paid for. Also, sales reps are unaware of this or choose not to share. Im very disappointed.

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  toyota empty promisses! - 2010 Toyota Highlander
  By canada80 - September 11 - 10:44 pm

  Its really a gas guzzler i never got more than 11 miles per gallon on it. I did like all of us, first I look at the numbers promise by Toyota, than I tought I would make a rational decision, then comes the deception. Took it many times to the dealer, all is fine, no check engine light on, no codes, nothing at all! Tire size is the rignt one, pressure is fine, I only use premium gas (no ethanol filler gas), used recommanded oil, 99% of the time I drive on flat surface road, still get bad gas milage. I change my old 4runner for a Highlander, what a bad choice, made to deceive. Maybe whit all the new subcontacts Toyota is a china made machine with a Toyota sticker on it!