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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  Camry LE 4cyl 2011 - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By mkrahn - April 15 - 3:40 pm

  Pick her up back in 8-10-10. As of 12-30-11 she as 77400 miles on her. Owned a 2007 Camry LE V6 drove her up until 185K before trans went out. So for just bought 4 new tires around 62k and shes still running strong with no problems. Im gald Toyota changed the 4 cyl to 2.5 L and changed the old trans from 5 spd to 6 spd. Sure its not as fast as the V6, but still gets up and moves.

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  Dont Buy a Prius - 2007 Toyota Prius
  By pam2bad - April 10 - 3:20 pm

  When I first got my Prius I loved it. Now, a year and half later, Im hating it. For the past 2 months I have had trouble with the headlights going out on me and I have had it not start for me several times. The dealership I took it to in Maryland said it would cost me $400 to replace one headlight. When I told them about the car not starting they said it must be my battery. Then when they looked at it they said the battery was fine. I went to start up the car two days later it wouldnt start. I didnt leave any lights on or anything that would drain the battery and who knows how much a new battery for this car will cost. When you buy a car it should at least hold up longer than 1 1/2 yrs

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  Didnt mind the rough ride... - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By RAFFY - April 10 - 12:20 pm

  I didnt mind the truck like ride, the constant shaking of my head up and down while Im going down the road is what really bothered me. I got rid of it like a hot potato. Took the loss, but at least Im not stuck with it.

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  Pause Before Moving - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By SilverSnail - April 10 - 2:00 am

  Although the vehicle has excellent fit and finish and the quality of the build is quite good, Toyota fails to complete the vehicle. First, the vehicle pauses every time you push down on the gas, then it goes. This is maddening. Second, the brakes go down to the floor--no better stopping though. This is disturbing. The tailpipe hangs down under the car and only has about 5" of clearance from the ground. There are far too many blind spots. The mirrors are for decoration. The Tilt Steering column doesnt. Toyota tells us that if any of the warning lights come on, they will get interested--Otherwise-Toyota designed the faults and likes them.

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  COULD HAVE BEEN , the perfect vehicle for me!!!! - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By ranger@columbus.rr.com - April 5 - 1:20 am

  for rear seat passengers it rides worse than my pick up truck. front seats not too bad. the intune radio is not user friendly. if you are a do it yourself person and want to change your own oil you can expect going to the dealer to get the special oil filter wrench. now for the the big one. mechanically its great. the navigation system system is so bad I may shop for a different brand next time. Toyota has bought a navigation system that is very hard to use ands the accuracy is terrible. if you are paying for the nav. system take it out in the country and try it first. the menue actually give you the coverage maps that you can look at (kinda like a cell phone coverage map) look at it before you waste your money. they must have thought the people in the south would buy the car. the navigation system is so bad that I use my OLD garmin instead. my thought is if I buy a $200 gps at a dept. store and dont like it I can return it. if you buy the $1500 Toyota nav system you are stuck with it and can do nothing. I seriously hope they get sued over this one.

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  Poor, Poor Corolla - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By vallet1 - April 3 - 2:00 am

  I bought a 2003 LE in May 2003 and sold in Feb. 2004. This was one of the worst car buying/ownership experiences of my life. First, the dealership (Planet Toyota) used the "old fashioned" tactics to sell the car-- you know the "let me see what my manager says..." deal. Secondly, the car is not fun to drive, rides poorly, looks like every other car and is not very comfortable. Lastly, the people at Toyota Financial are very unfriendly, rude and elitest--they really need to humble themselves. Luckily I was able to sell it for a good price. I would NEVER buy anything Toyota again. You should look at anything else--DONT BUY A TOYOTA!

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  Disappointed - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By minera5 - March 24 - 4:04 am

  I spent a tremendous amount of time researching and comparing vehicles before purchasing my 2007 Toyota Camry 4dr. I bought it new. The viser immediately was broken and I have been to the dealership for recalls several times. The brakes have been squeaking for at least a year every time I back up and so far the three places I took it to cannot fix them. The car also squeals when turning corners and this is after new tires. The biggest hazard is the inability to see out of the back widow. The rear end is too high and impossible to see out of the back. This was my first and last Toyota.

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  Initial Excelleration - Poor & - 2004 Toyota Camry Solara
  By Coupe - March 23 - 10:06 am

  Over all I would give my Solara SE V6 a low grade because of its very much like a turbo engine. A friend of mine is a Toyota mechanic and he explained why there is so much excelleration delay similiar to a turbo engine. For this review, Im only referring to low speed performance. At highway speeds it is more than adequate. I think it is unsafe, because when you need instant excelleration, its just not there. I have owned a manual turbo engine car before and it was very responsive from low end to high end speeds. Would I buy another Solara? NO! Another problem I found is that the brakes are to spungy. I dont get that positive feedback from the brake pedal.

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  Very disappointed - 2001 Toyota Sienna
  By Scott - March 20 - 12:20 pm

  Despite the glowing reviews, our 2001 Sienna XLE is one of the worst vehicles we have owned. Its build quality, interior and exterior, leaves much to be desired. The power doors have stopped working, the transmission is leaking, the front speakers went out, the radio head unit is failing, one of the visors is broken, and the fabric and interior overall are poor. I am so disappointed, and my wife hates this vehicle as she has lost confidence in it; we admit that our 2000 Dodge Caravan was a better vehicle, if you can believe that!

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  Overall Garbage - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By wicked31036 - March 19 - 1:48 am

  Got this as a hand me down three weeks ago with 32,000 miles. Ride is terrible. I feel every pebble in the road. Traction control stunts hard/quick acceleration at all speeds. Steering wonders at high speed. Cheap interior quality, the plastics rattle. Wind noise is bad. Cheap feel overall. Dealer has to do certain customizable feature for you. My 2005 Civic with 183,000 miles was better in every way. Including MPG. (Note: I never changed the shocks and only did routine maintenance on it) And this car does not have as much room as the Civic. Civic all the way.