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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  family car - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By jeff vercollone - October 9 - 9:25 am

  Acceleration and mpg are disappointing, but only the very reduced mpg was unexpected. Overall, if youre not looking for a crossover that is fun to drive like an X3, its a good family car that has a better ride, interior size and options over the other makers in the mid-priced market (Honda, Mazda, KIA and Hundai). We test drove them all.

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  This is a great car. - 2008 Toyota Yaris
  By scb - October 8 - 5:40 pm

  I bought this car just over two weeks ago and wanted to write an initial review. I replaced a Honda Accord because I wanted something smaller for the city and because I wanted better gas mileage. I am really impressed with how safe I feel in this car. It is also very fun to drive - it wont win any drag races, but its perfect for me.

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  2005 Corolla S - 2005 Toyota Corolla
  By sh801 - October 8 - 10:00 am

  Good acceleration, tight steering, good cornering, excellent gas mileage, and Toyota quality , all for less than $15K. Whats not to like? Did I mention HUGE trunk space? I also dont understand the gripes about lack of power- this thing accelerates well even at highway speeds and 5th gear. Is it a sports car- no. Is it a very fun to drive econo car- very much yes!

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  missing options - 2005 Toyota 4Runner
  By carmann - October 7 - 2:13 pm

  Bad stuff......No power seats??? A/C controls look like a 1960s design. Seat fabric looks it came out of an old airplane. Radio has mediocre sound quality. Way too much gap around tires - it looks empty. 7 empty console & dash buttons with plastic filler plugs - real cheesy design. Automatic headlights should be standard in this era. All windows should be express down & up. Front seatbacks need to be deeper.Great stuff.....bullet proof reliability, quiet ride, strong 6 cyl motor, excellent 5 speed tranny, terrific handling and turning radius, top notch quality, cold A/C, nice wide travel tilt wheel, power rear hatch pulldown, power hatch window is great.

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  Convinced - 2003 Toyota Highlander
  By DLD/IA - October 7 - 8:50 am

  A test drive convinced me. This vehicle does everything, very powerfully and very comfortably. FWD gets me through the Iowa snowstorms without the expense of 4WD. It is economical and not overly huge-easy to manuever and park. It has the best of the midsize car and the suv combined.

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  Red Sharp - 2015 Toyota RAV4
  By Cookie12 - October 7 - 5:01 am

  I actually traded my 2015 Subaru Impreza for a 2014 Toyota RAV4 (Certified Toyota). The Rav4 had less miles on it then my Subaru. Nothing wrong with the Subaru except it was a bit small and a lot of engine noise. I just wanted something bigger and actually I had traded in a 2009 RAV4 on the Subaru. My new RAV4 gets worse gas millage then the Subie but I knew that when I traded (24MPG for the RAV 35 MPG for the Subaru) over all so far I really like my new Rav4 and love the color, metallic red! The Toyota is much more comfortable and bigger, I just feel much safer in this vehicle this being my fifth Toyota I am well aware of their reliability.

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  Prius owners rating - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By James Hodges - October 6 - 9:00 pm

  Our 2004 Prius is not as fuel-efficient as our 2001 Prius. We averaged 42 MPG+ on the 2001 and average 40 MPG on the 2004. We did average over 52 MPG on a trip to Colorado but that was downhill most of the way back. We use the air- conditioning in Southern California constantly and drive 70 MPH on freeways much of the time. Sometimes we can get up to 43 MPG on freeway trips of 50 miles or more but the around-town average is about 37-38 MPG. The rear window spoiler is a safety hazard for blind spots in traffic. Other than that it is a fine automobile. See the suggested improvements section for other complaints.

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  Take time and compare... - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By un_delighted - October 6 - 6:26 am

  LE w/ 4 cylinder is equipped with adequate power plant. Handling and cornering slightly improved from 2003-6 model. Transmission shifting (hunting for a right gear) not much improved - especially on even small incline. With my 6 it is no way to get acceptable visibility looking backward, and what is worse than 2003-6 models, I cant see front of the sedan too. So parking in busy places may be tricky. In my feeling driver was stripped from elbow space due to oversized center storage compartment. I am not to impressed with all the controls made of cheap plastic formed in unattractive way. Trunk space is noticeably smaller too.

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  Camry is good but not Toyota - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By Bhaskar - October 6 - 5:05 am

  I have to say, Camry is good with updated dashboard and stylish outlook. But the toyota guys are not helpful once you purchased the car. They will come up with irrelevant reason for every issue. I had to call the Toyota since the Pre-collision system is not working in my new Toyota Camry 2018 SE which resulted in an accident, however they are not helpful and come up with some reason that Pre-collision system will not work in some scenarios which were not mentioned anywhere. Wont suggest any one to go for Toyota with this bad experience.

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  A small car that fits me. - 2003 Toyota Matrix
  By Blackcloud_92592 - October 6 - 2:00 am

  Being 6’4” tall, my first requirement for any car is whether I fit or not. It is a pleasure not having to recline the front seat so my head doesn’t scrape against the roof. Even with the seat upright I have at least 2” of headroom above me. I find the engine has plenty of get up and go. Sure I (and probably everyone else) would want to have the higher horsepower engine but it just didn’t fit in the budget. I did opt for the wheel and stereo upgrade and haven’t regretted it. I love the way the car looks, feels and drives. I hate white cars so I got the dark blue.