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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  5 Year Tacoma Owner/READ ME! - 2007 Toyota Tacoma
  By 07tacomagirl - February 19 - 11:36 am

  Well, Purchased Feb. 5, 2007.....first of all I LOVE MY TRUCK!!! Sadly, it spends more time at the dealer than I have actually driven it. I have a file on it at least a solid inch thick. Things replaced so far: washer line..started shooting out of the side of my hood, 3 months in blower motor went out, 7,000 miles tire blew...literally came apart, 3 weeks later another tire blew, decided to replaced dunlops, engine rattle started, 14,000 miles brakes, calipers, rotors replaced they couldnt figure out why they wouldnt stop squeeling. 2 years in trans. hits when parked at a stop light. All before 36,000 mile and my list goes on but ran out of room. Im at 75,000 miles but at least its paid!

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  2009 Toyota Corolla S - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By 09corolla - February 17 - 10:12 pm

  This is my second toyota corolla and i have alway loved toyota and could not see myself buying anything else. Well this car has changed that opinion and my next car will not be a toyota. This 2009 has had the whole A/C replaces, cam shaft gear, starter and the car still has problems starting. My corolla only had 56,000 miles. Total cost of repairs under warranty is over $9,000…. beware of the 2009 year.

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  MANY DEFECTS and FLAWS - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By zych - February 15 - 10:00 am

  We have had defective:seatbelts, radiator,shock,12Vplug,& brake pads, and a catastrophe with sliding door. The door motor is flawed and allows you to open the door faster than the motor can retract the cable. The slacked cable derails the door. OUR DOOR FELL OFF almost entirely and the rear window glass shattered. Toyota took weeks to fix it, now the door does not always function properly.Toyota refuses to fix it (opens inconsistenly, retracts inconsistently) since they cant "reproduce the problem" in the shop.

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  I hope you like service department!!!!! - 2000 Toyota Celica
  By celicaman2 - February 13 - 10:00 am

  Since Ive had my GTS model it has been nothing but headache. Bought the car on past reliability of the Celicas history. So far I have had the moonroof,driver and passenger seats, motor, clutch, headlamp, assembly,alternator(2 times),airbox assembly, the full fuel system and the belt tensoner pully. becuase of this I will never buy a Toyota again.good luck to all that have them.

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  Under Powered - 2001 Toyota Tundra
  By joel - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I bought a new toyota truck and have been disapointed the longer I have had it. It is not able to pull the heavy loads that I wanted too. I bought a new trailer for my business and it just doesnt have the power to pull like I need. It is really underpowered, unless you just drive it to Lowes Hardware etc... I have also had a few problems, one is with some interior noise and an air conditioning problem. I have been underwhelmed with the performance of this vehicle.

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  Under Powered - 2001 Toyota Tundra
  By Joel - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I bought a new toyota truck and have been disapointed the longer I have had it. It is not able to pull the heavy loads that I wanted too. I bought a new trailer for my business and it just doesnt have the power to pull like I need. It is really underpowered, unless you just drive it to Lowes Hardware etc... I have also had a few problems, one is with some interior noise and an air conditioning problem. I have been underwhelmed with the performance of this vehicle.

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  Saved by a 30 day trial! - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By sirharper - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I intended to lease this car for my company use and decided to take advantage for a 30 day test drive the local dealer was offering. I had no idea at the start that I would actually pay the $1000 at the end of the month to give it back. This car was a total pig on the road with probably the worst performance Id ever driven and mind you I once owned a Chevette! The interior was neat looking but very uncomfortable.

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  Thought it was reliable - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By SteveMA - February 7 - 6:53 am

  I had no trouble with this car and felt it was highly reliable, like the Toyota reputation suggested. I bought the car new and always took car of the maintenance. Then at 59,000 miles, the transmission completely failed. No warning, no symptoms, just stop at a light and when the light turned green, the car would not move. Turned it off and turned it back on, and when I put the car in drive, the car made a horrible grinding sound. Called Toyota and they would do nothing for me. 6/60000 miles was the warranty. Guess they had it figured out just right. Ill never buy a Toyota again.

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  Quality ? - 2006 Toyota Tundra
  By Tom Bergklint - February 6 - 10:56 pm

  I purchased my Tundra 4dr 4WD in 12/06 brand new. I previously owned a 2002 access cab 4WD. The quality of this Tundra is inferior to my 2002. I have a shifter lever that doesnt like to let the key out, heater controls that work hard, and an A/C that didnt work when I got it. The truck is nice riding, but huge to try to parallel park. The gas mileage is only 15-16 and really needs improvement. I wish I would have kept my 2002 and I hope that Toyotas quality is not starting to slip. I still have not received the questionaire from Toyota asking me how I like my truck. I plan on letting them know about the difference in quality from my 2002 to this 2006.

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  Not enough low end torque - 2003 Toyota Celica
  By JWorrel - February 6 - 2:00 am

  This car takes to long to get going. When you punch the gas pedal, nothing happens until about 5 seconds later (when you are at 7000 rpm). I know that is sort of the point, and it does corner great and can accelerate through turns great, but I still feel that it makes the car feel underpowered and sluggish off the line. At least a 6cyl Grand Am can bark the tires when you floor it. Apparently a manual transmission in this car is a must since you probably have to rev it up to about 7,000 rpm and drop the clutch to have a good start off the line. Im just disappointed because I wanted something sporty, but this car just doesnt have any real oomph.