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:

• 

  Review at 27,000 miles (2.5 years of ownership) - 2012 Toyota Highlander
  By jzach402 - July 7 - 10:26 pm

  Car has been performing flawlessly. Engine power is more than ample for my needs with 270 hp. Handling is ok but could be better. You get more body shift movement in your seat than say a regular size car due to the seat contour. Car rides quite comfortably with 5 passengers during short or long distance driving. Engine noise is quite acceptable. Car handling is quite sloppy especially at quick acceleration (FWD). Car tends to veer/pull on one side and may take some time getting use to. Gas mileage in my city driving averages 15 to 17 MPG and ~ 24MPG on HWY. All controls are quite user friendly and easy to use/reach and learn. Visors could be positioned better. Need simple Tire sensor rst

• 

  What you would expect! - 2000 Toyota Tundra
  By TrentpNC - July 6 - 2:00 am

  I bought my Tundra used with 19K on it. I had my heart set on a Dodge Ram 1500. My wife (who sold advertisement to dealerships at the time) talked me into just test driving the Tundra. Wow was I surprised! Handled like a sports car! I now have 51K on it and the only thing Ive done is replace a O2 sensor, cost $70 for a sensor and $10 for a special socket at Auto Zone. If you are like me and dont own a lot of heavy farm equipment this is the best truck for light duty. Even my friends who own the other big 3 think its great, mostly because theyve had trouble with there trucks.... :-)

• 

  Nice Driving - 2003 Toyota Matrix
  By medigasarleen - July 6 - 2:00 am

  I found the car easy to drive. The front window was to expansive and easy to view. I felt like I was in a school bus, with the seat high in the car. It make viewing of the road easy. I thought the pick-up could be alot better, but once it hit 40 the car kept up with the other cars on the road. The radio and CD player had good quality. All in all this car is fun to drive.

• 

  Rotten Egg deal - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By Connelly - July 6 - 2:00 am

  I am so upset with Toyota. My car has this rotten egg smell that is unbearable. Im so embarrassed that I have to tell everyone who comes into my car that they will smell a rotten egg odor at least one time during our ride. Why should I have to do this? Ive gotten in touch with the dealer, No results. I called 1-800-GoToyota who contacted me to the regional office no results. I called the Toyota Headquarters again and now I have to go to arbitration in order to get this resolved. I really thought by buying a TOYOTA I was getting a great car and great service. What a joke.

• 

  Slight Disappointed! - 2010 Toyota Venza
  By sam063 - July 4 - 2:20 pm

  Bought the car in March 2010, made sure with the dealer it wasnt on recall list which they assured me it wasnt. 3 weeks later. I get my recall notice. But they said dont bring it in yet as they dont have a fix for the gas pedal yet. ok? (still not fixed) Went from Ford Explorer to Venza. Very different driving. Beautiful styling in &out. Back seat very comfortable. Bought 4-cyl and not enough pep for fast pull outs.Engine has to work hard. Should have bought 6 cyl. so take heed. Brakes are very strange. Had to bring in to dealer after 6 weeks to sand the rotors!! Never heard of such a thing. I am hesitant about this car and I have a 5 yr.loan. Hopefully it holds up like a Toyota used to.

• 

  Problems with brakes and rattles - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By Unhappy Owner - July 4 - 1:00 pm

  This is the first Toyota I have ever owned and will probably be the last. I have only had it for 2 months and I have lots of complaints. There are a lot of rattles coming from the dash and when I took it in of course they said they were not out of the ordinary. But, a bigger more serious problem is that the car has shut down on me twice while waiting at a red light. I have had to take the car in 4 times and they have put it on the computer and have not been able to duplicate the problem. They told me its the traction sensor and that I am putting extreme pressure on the brakes which is causing the computer to think I am stopping suddenly and shutting down the engine. Is that nuts?

• 

  GREAT CAR SO FAR JUST GOT IT - 2014 Toyota Avalon
  By jnealy87 - July 4 - 4:38 am

  I Got 2014 avalon limited Parisian Night Pearl, Rides like Lexus as mention in my prev review, now that Ive had it 7 months, i will explain my review stars given for each section. Performance drop one star due to understeer when driving. Comfort drop star due to front seats shows a lot of wear from using them I only drive 10k miles a year or less. Interior drop a star due to the cup holders silver liner that goes around the edge is coming apart and tearing off. Safety drop star due to car loses traction with tires at 5/32 and still have treadwear on tires, so car only does well with new tires, so that means new tires every 4 years not good for winter weather or rain. Technology drops 2 stars due to the climate control changes on it own at times when you restart car. also the car cabin air filter has been replaced a lot, the reason is the smell of the HVAC ,Toyota has not did a recall on the EVAP System drain yet, so the smell isnt the cabin air filter. Reliability drops star due to the engine had to have throttle body serviced after Main Battery replacement car had issues with stalling after new battery then had to have fuel injectors serviced to help with MPGs afterwards other then that no major issues will have these services again at 90k miles. Value drop star due to Fuel economy has not met the factory set amounts with all mixed driving and highway. I do all recommend service intervals and make sure my car runs new. Next service is 62k with oil change. the reason, I got car at 52k with oil change

• 

  Does everyting well - 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  By gwnorth - July 3 - 1:03 pm

  We bought this car in need of a vehicle with enough space for two kids, two dogs, and two adults with the hopes of getting some respectable mileage. It has meet our needs well and so far we have averaged about 27 mpg using the econ mode and focusing on how we drive the vehicle. Toyota builds a great car, just not a very exciting car. Dont get me wrong, it does everyting it is supposed to do and does it well, just very conservatively and below the radar. We are pleased with our purchase and hope to get many great years out of our new HH!

• 

  Hybrid Avalon Touring 2014 - 2014 Toyota Avalon
  By Hybrid Avalon 2014 Touring - July 3 - 8:01 am

  For some reason Edmonds doesnt know theres a Hybrid version of this car so I selected the V6 version. I Really like the Avalon now that I got rid of the OEM Toyota chosen Bridgestone Turanzas. DO NOT get an Avalon with Bridgestone (rocks) tires. I test drove the care with Michelin tires and the ride was firm but comfortable. My located Avalon came with Bridgestone Turanzas and the car rode brittle and handled terribly. I did some investigation and found others had Bridgestone Turanzas and hated them and got rid of them. At 16k miles they were getting so loud I couldnt bear it any more. I went to Toyota and they did not care or help. So I was on my own and put Pirelli P7s on the car and it rides, handles, stops, goes through rain great and is very quiet and is a LRR tire that gets great MPG. My headliner behind my sunroof fell down and the Toyota dealer fixed it once (including nasty fingerprints all over the headliner that I had to argue with the dealer to clean) and it fell down again. Toyota came up with a second headliner fix and they got it right. The radio every once in a while goes dead on AM or FM. It works fine through Bluetooth or other sound inputs, radio just dies. Its intermittent so of course the Dealer cant fix it. Poor quality radio though buyer be ware. The NAV system that Toyota provides would have been outdated in 2008. It has no speed limit and updates are horribly expensive and dont come out very often. My $100 Tom-Tom Nav or my apple phone do a far superior job than the one Toyota sticks you with. Regular free updates and speed limit display on the Tom-Tom. So after my flawless 2012 Camry XLE Hybrid, this Avalon has come with some issues and Toyota has not been much help. What I do like is the MPG for a car this size. Comfort is pretty good. Ive gone on some long trips and the seats are firm but not fatiguing. I would expect more padding in the seats for a car like this. Overall I like the interior layout. The armrest on the driver side at 17k is starting to wear through. Not too happy with the lack of durability of the arm rest vinyl. The steering is great. very low effort and accurate with decent road feel for a big car. The styling is pretty nice for a car in this price range. Over all a pretty nice car that I enjoy driving now that I prematurely had to get rid of the Toyota OEM Bridgestones. I have always owned Toyotas, and I still like this Avalon, but the quality and customer care is sadly slipping from Toyota and the dealers.

• 

  Good Family Car - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By vinay - July 1 - 4:33 pm

  This is a good family car. It is quiet, i.e. both road noise and wind noise are low. The V6 engine is smooth and low noise also. The transmission is excellent, shifts smoothly and accurately. Drive is soft and comfortable. This car cannot be really called fun to drive though because it leans quite a bit and is not very composed while cornering (even moderately hard), I guess it is the price you pay for a smooth ride. Design interior and exterior are pretty good, simple and ergonomic. I am bit disappointed in the build quality given Toyotas reputation. I can hear a few rattles and squeaks at high speeds. Safety features are outstanding though as it should be for a family car.