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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  Disappointment for a Toyota - 1997 Toyota Tacoma
  By Josh C. - January 10 - 10:16 am

  Within a year of purchase my Tacoma overheated twice on a flat interstate at normal speeds and once in West Virginia. Auto trans prevents effective use of already limited power and gas mileage has never been above 22. Under load, it sinks to around 12. It now has 106k miles and Ive repaired the transmission linkages 4 times and had numerous electrical problems. Very disappointing for the reputation of a Toyota.

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  The 4th Time IS a FLOP! - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By Beyond Disappointed - January 9 - 4:13 am

  Owned 3 Camrys-1991,1995 & 2004; due to satisfactory previous ownership history - I made HUGE mistakes in making this purchase! Shopped all day online-made calls-night-time test drive-purchased car Saturday night. Week later realized-CHEAP BUILD & INFERIOR QUALITY of plastic material of interior, fabric, exposed metal & bolts on floor, downsized & eliminated compartments, eye/sunglass holder, small poorly designed seating-driver, passenger & rear-no elbow room-cramped interior, smaller trunk space, etc. Only 54 roof of car close to head. Cheap fabric on seat not sewn-just stuffed inside cheap plastic bucket of seat. Driver seat should be ergonomically correct-miserable drive.

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  Good Body, Very Poor Drivetrain - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Josh - January 5 - 12:33 pm

  The new Tacoma is a great looking truck with a very smooth ride and excellent off road capabilities, but it has one very serious flaw that makes all the good features pointless. The engine and transmission in this truck are terrible. The transmission never selects the correct gear, the engine has zero low end torque and the combination goes together like oil and water. I absolutely hate driving this truck anywhere but on the trail off road. Sure the ride is fantastic and the braking and handling are good but whats the point when you constantly have to smash the throttle to go up any kind of incline. Im not sure what the engineers were smoking when they developed the engine and transmission for this truck but it must have been really good. Dont buy this truck with a V6 and automatic transmission.

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  worst seats EVER!!!! - 2016 Toyota Corolla
  By will hill - January 2 - 1:12 pm

  This was just given to me as a company car. I drive about 85k miles a year. So when I first got in it looked really nice lots of cool new option nice layout. until I noticed only one power outlet I have search the whole car very weird in this day and age but not a deal breaker so far. After I started driving home from the office which is two hour drive i made it about an hour down the interstate and had to get out the seat was killing lower back my arms were also tired because the steering is not telescopic and you have to reach for it so the arm rest are only there for decoration. I am only 510" but I do believe this car is design for shorter people. Just to make it clear I am not here to beat on Toyota I travel allot and I drive all types of rental cars and this is by far the worst car I have ever driven Hopefully they can return this monday...

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  Beware of this minivan - 2015 Toyota Sienna
  By D.P. - December 8 - 7:11 pm

  We bought a new 2015 Sienna during the summer of 2015. Though large inside the vehicle is hard to see out of and has sizable blind spots. The car no longer comes with regular tires and the runflat tires that come as standard equipment are of low quality. We only got 20K miles out of ours and replacements cost twice as much as a decent conventional tire. You dont need runflats since if you end up having a problem you wont be able to pop on a spare and continue your trip. You have 50 miles to get to a tire shop or dealer in order to get a new, overpriced tire. While the car is still under warranty the TPS sensors are starting to break. Toyotas policy is to ask customers to commit to paying a fee to determine if the sensors are covered under the warranty. I ask you, if you have to pay to use it what good is a warranty in the first place. Neither Toyota nor the dealer that sold me the car will put this policy in writing, they just refuse to do the work unless you agree. In this day and age you can do better. Be warned and learn from my experience. If I had known then what I know now I never would have bought the car. Update as requested by Edmunds. Minivan continues to have problems. Most recently a door recall that the dealer required to be done during the week and was an all-day fix. For those who work being unwilling to do recall repairs during their scheduled weekend hours shows the lack of customer service Ive come to expect.

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  Clunk when taking off from a stop - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Greg - December 4 - 6:43 pm

  I bought a new 2010 Camry. it has had a clunk when leaving a stop light with 3/4 to full tank of gas. It sounds as if the spare tire shifted. I have taken it in to HOOVER TOYOTA, Alabama 3 times and had a Toyota engineer come out and the dealer, engineer and service manager all heard the clunk. They went on to tell me it is within spec. I will never by a Toyota again. The dealer was so set on dodging the issue. The engineer told me it was something I had to deal with. I dont think a new car under 3000 miles should feel as if something is shifting in the trunk when you take off. Very bad service and car never again!

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  Dont buy this car - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By Naveen - November 23 - 2:00 am

  This car has been poorly built. There is excessive wind noise starting from 70 MPH. There are rattles even when the car is driven at low speeds. I also hear a rattling sound when the A/C is switched on.

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  Hate It! - 2005 Toyota Sienna
  By Catharine - November 19 - 12:30 pm

  Always thought Toyota was a great car, but I think their head started to swell, and the quality went down. The Marriage between Dunlop And Toyota should end in divorce. Not a good match. I have gone through 8 sets of tire before( lots of money), putting on bridge stones. The Tire light goes off and on with a mind of its own and the sliding door will open by them self. Cant wait to get rid of it.

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  snow - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By rich - November 6 - 12:59 pm

  When going down a snow cover road the two front door fill inside the door with a lot of snow and slush inside .They is a very bad cool brezze coming from front doors into the car when driving down the street

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  POOR RELIABILITY, MPG NOT AS ADVERTISED - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By Mikey316 - November 5 - 3:06 pm

  In the first 2 months I have been left stranded twice "Oh what a feeling!" Mileage has been 40-43, not bad, but much less than promised. Acceleration is week, but you have to give up something for 60 mpg, oh I mean 43 mpg. The Prius understeers alot when pushed in the corners, but I guess it was never ment to have sportscar handling.