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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  Same car. Why buy new? - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By Alexander - April 1 - 11:43 am

  Shoppers should know about... Camry has no power. Take it to the highway and you will see. I didnt... Transmission shifts too fast and... there is no power. Lost between the gears. My combined MPG is showing 13.5 MPG. Not sure how to reset it. Interior: old dash from the European version. Hate transmission sifter.

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  *BEWARE* - 2010 Toyota Tacoma
  By JASON - April 1 - 8:44 am

  With a known recall for the differential locking up for the 16s and 17s my diff locked up on the freeway with 68,000 miles 8,000 miles past the warranty. Let me tell you it was a scary ride, luckily I was able to regain control of the vehicle without rolling the truck at 65 mph and thank god my kids were not with me. I took the vehicle to Toyota to see if they would do a good wheel warranty. Even if they would have taking care of some of the financial damage would have been ok for me. Especially, knowing this is a issue for there newer trucks. They did nothing. This is how Toyota keeps there customers happy. I will never buy a Toyota again!

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  Echo Mistake - 2004 Toyota Echo
  By David & Anne - March 23 - 2:00 am

  Purchased as a second car for wife. The sheet metal is like tinfoil. We have had trouble with the paint chiping (silver) Toyota will not do anything we have been to arbitration and no good. The car rattles inside, plastic. All in all its a very poor built car will trade very soon. Seats are very uncomfortable. NO MORE TOYOTAS

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  4th Camry and LAST! - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Karen5555 - March 9 - 3:46 am

  I have had 3 other Camrys all were great, the 07s and up are junk..... I had a 05 Camry and I loved it, wish I never traded it in. This 07 Camry has been nothing but problems. I went to a car wash and the cheep paint came off the bumper, the trans has had problems, shifts weird, I have has 4 radios, and the power seat is broken. The dealership was no help at all, I had the car for 8 months with only 65k on it, traded it in for a 09 Honda Accord EXL V6 and Love it, I will NEVER buy a Toyota again!!!

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  Toyota Camrys Suck - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By camrytoyosucks - February 8 - 9:50 am

  I have express the pain i feel to have bought a toyota 2008 Camry, my car is only 3 years only has 25,000 miles! I barely drive the thing because i work so close to my house....and now i have problems...the so called brake booster is broken and it cost 1,500 to repair! I have taken my car to the dealer since i bought it and now i get this...oh its "wear and tear"what they told me....its riduclous...i have to agree with the person below me...Toyota is making BAD CARS! Stop buying...i cant belive they are doing this to me...they offer to only pay the labor but i still have to pay the part which is $972!! For a car i barely drive and take care of since i bought it!!! Im SOOOO DISAPPOINTED !!!

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  2005 Toyota Matrix - 2005 Toyota Matrix
  By mark_texas_usa - January 28 - 2:10 pm

  I bought 2005 Matrix in July 2005. Battery failed after 20K miles, dealer replaced on warranty. Interior plastic features delaminating if grabbed by hands. Tires (terrible continental) replaced after 15K miles. Cruise control failed after 17K miles. Mileage is not meeting specs criteria? Vehicle garaged, currently Jan 09 24K miles. Summary: very poor quality vehicle. I had 1999 Ford F150 pick-up never a problem. In 10 yrs not even light bulb failed @150.

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  $35k rattle trap - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By Rt trask - January 28 - 12:02 am

  Supremely disappointed: rattles, cracking noises at less than 1k miles. Numerous trips to dealer to get these fixed. Still have sharp cracking noise from driver door area that happens to me every day but dealer claims they can not reproduce. Have escalated to Toyota but they just gave me the bureaucratic shuffle back to the dealer. Am looking to dump this pos asap.

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  TOYOTA WARRANTY INFORMATION!! - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By ConcernedConsumer - January 25 - 12:15 am

  Before you purchase a car, check to see if the company stands behind their product. Some companies do and some companies do not. According to my recent experience with Toyota, they definitely do not stand behind their product. Paint was chipping off immediately after purchase and it was determined to be a defective paint job by the factory. Google "Toyota paint peeling" and youll get tons of results. I called into their corporate customer service and they were immediately trying to deny that a warranty applied even without hearing which model car and year I had. (Person helping me was Angelina; case number 1606203521)

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  unstable when driving - 2015 Toyota Corolla
  By roberto tepedino - December 14 - 12:42 am

  bad back vision. a lot of noise in the cabin. if its raining and with a little windy better stop the car.

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  Piece of Junk - 2002 Toyota Corolla
  By netprowlerp - December 9 - 5:13 pm

  Owned this car for a few years, had both Cats go change under warranty. Toyota put bad motors in these, rings that carbon up and dont seal. I was burning a quart every 200 miles when the car had 50,000, dealer told me they could not confirm the complaint. I have owned 3 Toyotas now and all were cheaply put together and I had nothing but problems. I thing it is time to give the American Cars a try again, can not be any worse then this Junk Box they call the best.