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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  Cruddy "leather" seat - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By J Carlson - October 30 - 11:53 am

  The side panel of the leather side is vinyl and cracks near the seam. Im on my second replacement. I use the heated seat in the winter that may be causing problems? Also, the drivers side window is difficult to control how far opens.

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  20 K in 8 mos - 2012 Toyota Corolla
  By 12db - October 29 - 9:39 pm

  Test drove the Elantra, Mazda 3, Sonata, Fusion, and the Mazda 6 before going Corolla again. Eight months old and just hit 20K on the odometer for my 12 base model. The car has zero issues, and is a great commuter with occasional long trips. My other Corolla is a 03. As it should be the 12 is noticeably quieter, comes with ESC and ABS not on the 03. Its basically same engine, but 12 seems tuned for more power -- as the 03 would have noticeable power drop when using AC. Even with more power, regularly getting 33 to 35 average MPG on each tank full on the 2012.

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  Solid Car - Beware of Bluetooth on LE - 2011 Toyota Sienna
  By aschreiber1 - October 27 - 8:27 pm

  When comparing the different versions of the Toyota Sienna 2011 if Bluetooth is an important feature then you really dont have much of a choice. The reason is that the Bluetooth with Navigation package is much more advanced than the standard Bluetooth that comes with the Limited Edition and it is only available for the XLE model. Three of the top five most critical Bluetooth profiles are absent from the standard Bluetooth package on the LE and they are Phone Book Address Profile (PBAP), Synchronization (SYNC) and Object Push Profile (OPP). Of these three profiles the fact that PBAP was left out is an atrocity!!! Aside from the Advanced Audio Distribution Profile (A2DP) and the Hands Free Profile (HFP), PBAP is undeniably the most important profile as far as making phone calls is concerned. It boggles my mind why Toyota would have left this out!!! Instead, owners are forced to manually add a MAXIMUM of 20 entries into a "Phone Book" which is merely a lookup table that tries to pull up a phone number based on how "you the owner" decided to record the matching voice tag. For those people who might actually bother taking the time to add any entries into the "Phone Book", limiting the number of entries to 20 only adds insult to injury! Considering most people on average have at least 3 phone numbers per contact (i.e. home, work, cell) Toyota is really limiting you to only 7 contacts. A true and correct implementation of Bluetooth would have (at the very least) included the HFP for voice dialing in conjunction with A2DP, PBAP and SYNC. Using this "industry standard" approach results in a seamless experience instead of the excruciatingly painful and ultimately futile one that users will have to endure. Unfortunately I dont see many complaints on the Internet regarding this shortcoming and I believe its for good reason. Bluetooth is still a very new concept for most people -especially in cars and especially for the Siennas target demographic which is still soccer moms. For most moms this will be their first encounter with a Bluetooth equipped car and they therefore have nothing to compare it to. For them, not having to look at their phones to dial, put them up to their ear or take their eyes off the road is a fabulous thing and since they dont know how things "should be" they dont care because as the old saying goes, "ignorance is bliss". But this is actually what angers me the most because it doesnt have to be like this and it shouldnt have to be like this. I just paid $30,000 for a brand spanking new Sienna 2011 and it cant perform the simple task of synching my wifes address book from her iPhone to the car so she can can simply hold the talk button and say "Call Steve Smith on mobile/home/work etc.". SHAME ON YOU TOYOTA!!! For more information on Bluetooth profiles you can check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bluetooth_profile. Toyota, I think you guys should seriously consider going through the list and reading it over very carefully. Then have one of your engineers pair his/her cell phone with the current system installed in the 2011 Sienna LE ($30,000) versus a 2010 Kia Forte ($13,000) and tell me which experience is more pleasant.

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  Bought a used touring model - 2008 Toyota Prius
  By Mike - October 26 - 6:10 pm

  Averaging 45mpg. Performance is great for an engine this size and efficient. Paid $16,500 with nav, jbl, touring edition an 36500 miles. The incline of the front of the car causes a lot of bug paint damage to the hood and above windshield. A lot of sunlight inside the car due to the angles of the glass and there is no tint strip at the top of the windshield. Very pleased with gas mileage since my 06 m35 only averaged 19mpg. The car handles better than my $45k infiniti and handles rough roads much better. Seats are more comfortable too. At least the plastic interior looks good for plastic. I love the car and look forward to driving it and with each mile i drive im saving for my sons college

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  Toyota Tacoma Double Cab PreRunner - 2004 Toyota Tacoma
  By Aplus - October 26 - 10:00 am

  I have had the truck for about two months now and I love it. The quality and reliability greatly outweigh any negatives. This is the second Toyota in the family (2002 Sequoia) and I have never owned any car or truck that has been better made or has been as reliable.

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  Toyota Kluger CVX (Toyota Highlander) - 2004 Toyota Highlander
  By dmcdonald - October 26 - 10:00 am

  I purchased as you Americans Call a Highlander and we call it a Kluger in Australia. We have a model which you dont have in the US where its identical to the limited with out the sunroof and Satellite Navigation called CVX. That is what I got. Its a very smooth ride and fabouls offroad. I have been using the vehicle at Australias snow season at the Victorian Snow Fields. Handled snow very well!!! After that, I have travelled to Queenslands beaches. Handled well I opted for the V6 3.3l AWD modeI would only ever recommend this model. Overall a fantastic car to take the kids either to the snow or sand.

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  This car drives me nuts! - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By nurse - October 26 - 10:00 am

  I was so excited to get this car after ten years with my Nissan Quest. But, despite some fabulous features, like the rear seats that fold flush with the floor and the great fuel economy, I am trading it in this weekend. The automatically locking doors that cant be disarmed even tho the dealer said they could, the keys that cant be copied at a hardware store--you have to go to the dealer and pay $100 for a NON- REMOTE key, the hubcaps that keep popping off, the rear hatch that has no place to open manually--you must do it from the front doors or the remote key, which we lost and I will NOT pay $300 to replace--just a few of the things that tick me off.

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  Mixed Feelings - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By KL_DC - October 25 - 6:43 pm

  I looked for some time at sedans for less than $35K. I immediately fell in love with the Avalon and bought the Touring for a bit more of a sporty/youthful feel (I am 35). Surprisingly, I have had numerous problems with the vehicle. Broken trim, complete replacement of moonroof (2x), Tech bulletin replacement of catalytic converter, replacement of faulty A-pillar (front passenger) trim. I went into this aware of Toyotas build quality so I want to believe I bought a bad instance of a great car. A bit disappointed and am considering trading it in on an alternative vehicle.

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  Traded in my lemon after just 1 year - 2004 Toyota 4Runner
  By G OFF - October 25 - 7:56 am

  I was in the market to buy my first new car and wanted something with an excellent track record. I got a lemon. In the 11 months I owned it, the dealership had it for nearly 6 weeks. Everything was covered under warranty except that so many problems is unacceptable. Major issues like the vehicle dynamic stability function kicking on and off making safe driving impossible and the exhaust leaking inside the cabin (never able to fix). And LOTS of little things broke from the sun roof staying open (big problem in Boston), to the rear roll up window, to the gas cap release lever severed (stuck out on a trip with no way to fill up and not nearly gas enough to get home), even the stereo broke.

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  Camry can do - 2016 Toyota Camry
  By Edmund Toomey - October 25 - 2:57 am

  You can not find a better car for the price than a Camry; always reliable and dependable.