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:

• 

  Underwhelmed - 2006 Toyota Tacoma
  By Don-T - March 18 - 12:20 pm

  I bought my 06 Sport pkg 4 dr short bed a couple months ago after trading in my 2000 Tundra. Ive had Toyota trucks for 18 years now and Im a bit dissapointed in their latest offering. I find the ride much harsher than previous trucks, like old solid axle GMCs. That has translated to numerous ugly rattles that the dealer cant seem to find. The Sport seats are comfy for about 30 miles and then get progressively harder. I dont like loosing the cassette player and ashtray either. Style is a personal thing but using a third of the dash for the radio and painting it all silver is a little pushy. The V6 is short on torque like the previous V6s but does get V8 gas mileage.

• 

  I like the odessey better - 2006 Toyota Sienna
  By Julie - March 14 - 3:16 pm

  I had purchased a used Odyssey with leather seats and dvd and I loved it but found out it had been crashed and not fixed right so we went back to the dealer and we traded it in for the sienna. I hate the seats, you lean back to rest and it is like laying on a brick, we have 80,000 miles and the a/c is acting up. The cd player and radio for the last 10,000 miles has been very strange some days you cant see any of the words on the radio and then it just stops working then it will work then stop again later. The one thing I noticed is when I accelerate it shifts hard and almost has a jerking noise. It has been really reliable that I am thankful for.

• 

  Garys review - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By GaryMcC - March 10 - 10:00 am

  I am only six foot tall and the car is very unconfortable to get in and out. I bump my head almost every time. The center console hampers fastening the seat belt both driver side and front seat passenger side. The rear seat belts are cumbersome due to very short receiving side of belt. The fan for heater and aircondx is weak except in the highest position and it is noisy. The trunk door does not open wide enough to place an icechest in and be able to open door on the chest while in the trunk. (My Echo does)

• 

  I dont think Ill become a fanboy - 2017 Toyota Corolla
  By unsatisfied - March 3 - 5:11 am

  The car is not that good looking to begin with, but it comes in any color you want as long as its white, black, 50 shades of grey, or Christmas tree ornament blue or red, very boring. You get what you pay for, but surprisingly for the price the fit and finish are very good.. The interior does seem to contain a lot of shiny cheap plastic. They also put a lot of emphasis on back seat legroom, but they didnt leave any upfront and that makes the car uncomfortable on a long trip. I have already stopped to stretch my legs so as not to get a DVT. My major complaint is the CV transmission. Im sure this may be an adequate transmission is a state that is flat, or in a snowmobile; but where I live It is very hilly and there is the problem. First it is noisy under acceleration and that acceleration is very poor. It is slower that the 4 speed automatic it replaced and a snail when compared to a manual shift. The engine races when accelerating, and it seems you are always waiting for the transmission to catch up. The RPM are all over the place, and passing can take a long time and be dangerous. Toyota put phony shift points in a transmission that doesnt shift; this is very irritating and it is one more thing to go wrong. I wonder what Toyota was thinking? Has anyone asked why the 2018 Camry started with a clean sheet of paper and they didnt put a CVT in that car? My theory is that this transmission is light duty only. Instead of gears there is a belt between two drums, and unlike a gear that meshes, the belts probably need a high coefficient of friction to function and friction spells wear. I was going to purchase this car until a friend, who is a transmission technician , suggested I lease it because in about 60k-70k miles there is a good chance of transmission failure. Visits to various websites appears to bear that out. If the factory has all this confidence with this gum band transmission why dont they offer a longer FACTORY warranty to give the buyer peace of mind? If there are a lot of problems model wide, resale will suffer. Before you buy one insist on an overnight test drive to see if you can live with it. Why cant Toyota give us options like a 6 speed auto, 5 speed manual, or a dual clutch auto? There really is no alternative except Kia, Hyundai, or Mazda since the Honda civic, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Altima also have CVTs. I realize that auto companies are being forced into this with CAFE averages, but Im not happy with this transmission and a potential of a $4500+ replacement charge, when it is out of warranty, so they can meet the CAFE and be able to sell a Tundra. This is just my opinion, but if you are buying for the long term maybe you should research CVTs on some websites Other complaints are lack of road feel, visibility is poor, and one has no idea where the front bumper is (maybe they need an upfront camera too), too much pedal travel in the brake, and difficulty getting in and out Other than the transmission, and some minor stuff, this is a very decent car for the price. As mentioned, fit and finish are excellent. It has a five star safety rating. The lane departure is good for those who like that tech. The air is great even though the fan is loud. I think this is my last Corolla especially when the next generation is going to be made in Mexico. Well thats my review, choose wisely.

• 

  I dont think Ill become a fanboy - 2017 Toyota Corolla
  By unsatisfied - March 3 - 5:11 am

  The car is not that good looking to begin with, but it comes in any color you want as long as its white, black, 50 shades of grey, or Christmas tree ornament blue or red, very boring. You get what you pay for, but surprisingly for the price the fit and finish are very good.. The interior does seem to contain a lot of shiny cheap plastic. They also put a lot of emphasis on back seat legroom, but they didnt leave any upfront and that makes the car uncomfortable on a long trip. I have already stopped to stretch my legs so as not to get a DVT. My major complaint is the CV transmission. Im sure this may be an adequate transmission is a state that is flat, or in a snowmobile; but where I live It is very hilly and there is the problem. First it is noisy under acceleration and that acceleration is very poor. It is slower that the 4 speed automatic it replaced and a snail when compared to a manual shift. The engine races when accelerating, and it seems you are always waiting for the transmission to catch up. The RPM are all over the place, and passing can take a long time and be dangerous. Toyota put phony shift points in a transmission that doesnt shift; this is very irritating and it is one more thing to go wrong. I wonder what Toyota was thinking? Has anyone asked why the 2018 Camry started with a clean sheet of paper and they didnt put a CVT in that car? My theory is that this transmission is light duty only. Instead of gears there is a belt between two drums, and unlike a gear that meshes, the belts probably need a high coefficient of friction to function and friction spells wear. I was going to purchase this car until a friend, who is a transmission technician , suggested I lease it because in about 60k-70k miles there is a good chance of transmission failure. Visits to various websites appears to bear that out. If the factory has all this confidence with this gum band transmission why dont they offer a longer FACTORY warranty to give the buyer peace of mind? If there are a lot of problems model wide, resale will suffer. Before you buy one insist on an overnight test drive to see if you can live with it. Why cant Toyota give us options like a 6 speed auto, 5 speed manual, or a dual clutch auto? There really is no alternative except Kia, Hyundai, or Mazda since the Honda civic, Nissan Sentra, and Nissan Altima also have CVTs. I realize that auto companies are being forced into this with CAFE averages, but Im not happy with this transmission and a potential of a $4500+ replacement charge, when it is out of warranty, so they can meet the CAFE and be able to sell a Tundra. This is just my opinion, but if you are buying for the long term maybe you should research CVTs on some websites Other complaints are lack of road feel, visibility is poor, and one has no idea where the front bumper is (maybe they need an upfront camera too), too much pedal travel in the brake, and difficulty getting in and out Other than the transmission, and some minor stuff, this is a very decent car for the price. As mentioned, fit and finish are excellent. It has a five star safety rating. The lane departure is good for those who like that tech. The air is great even though the fan is loud. I think this is my last Corolla especially when the next generation is going to be made in Mexico. Well thats my review, choose wisely.

• 

  dont buy this car get a 2004 and up - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By jlevitan - March 1 - 11:50 pm

  bought the car from a dealer. car needed the starter and fan system replaced 2 days after. car runs really hot. oil is seeping out of the engine. car has 103,000 miles on it for a Toyota this shouldnt be much. there is a known issue with camrys from 2002-2006 with the headbolts stripping off the engine block causing the engine to overheat and then blow at any givin time.and there is no support from toyota they could car less selling the car on name alone instead of quality. if i could go back in time i would tell the dealer to keep it and got into something else. purchased it for Toyota name and quality and got the worst car experience ive ever havve to deal with do not buy this car

• 

  Dashboard Sticky and Melting in Sunlight - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By ses4747 - February 28 - 2:53 am

  I bought this car used. In the 1st week my dashboard appeared overly shiny and sticky to touch. In the 3 weeks Ive had it my dash as begun st melt literally with small to medium size holes in it. If anyone has the same problem Id like to know. [HTML removed].

• 

  Lousy Transmission - 2006 Toyota 4Runner
  By Jay Alan - February 27 - 7:03 pm

  I bought this truck after having a 2002 GMC Envoy. Since I bought this truck, Ive noticed the vehicle shifts up or down harshly and at the wrong speeds. When the ac is on, the idle is so high that the truck seems to drive itself. Coming off the highway, the car lurches forward when youre merging onto a new road. Very disappointing and cant wait to get rid of it.

• 

  Design Flaw - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By TBM - February 24 - 11:03 pm

  The placement of the a/c condenser, close to the ground, and very little protection from the grille can cause foreign objects to damage the condenser, especially small rocks. A very small rock penetrated through the grill and damaged the condenser causing a micro hole depressurizing the a/c system. The a/c no longer works. I took it to a Toyota dealer even though it is under warranty I still had to pay $80.00 for them to look at it because the damage was caused by an outside object and was not covered. The bill to repair it was $1200.00. Toyota should have put wire mesh in that area of the grille to protect the condenser. Positives are gas mileage and price, but you get what you pay for

• 

  poor - 2010 Toyota Highlander
  By buttermilk - February 19 - 5:16 pm

  Very poor fuel economy. It is running a lot worst than (17/23) mile/gallon. Less than 11 MPG in city. Another problem is the car does not move right away once the gas pedal is pressed. There is at least half second delay.