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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  not for snow/cold weather - 2004 Toyota Prius
  By GREG STUEWE - September 24 - 2:00 am

  This car has been built for less weight and hence experiences loss of traction coupled with the long wheel base(room for battery)very hard to turn on snow/ice. The first snow we got(after buying) I hit the curb and bent the rim $380 + to replace. Got stuck 4 times. I only had that happen one other time in 27 years of dirving. Poor fuel economy in cold weather. Gas engine never shuts down, has to run to keep warm. I plan on storing this vehicle next winte

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  Traction Control is a Poor Performer - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By rockgj - September 24 - 2:00 am

  Great interior space and comfort, fair exterior style. A terrible performer in the snow. If you need a vehicle that moves you through, dont get the FWD, try the AWD model.

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  2014 FJ Cruiser - 2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By 32hooptie - September 23 - 7:34 am

  I bought the FJ Cruiser because its cool! So far i have been very happy with the vehicle. Its fun to drive, has plenty of power, and is solid and well built . Also it has all kinds of safety features through out. As for some of the reviews I read online.....Go to your toyota dealer and drive one, if you can still find one, toyota cut the FJ line and wont be making them anymore.

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  Great car - 2007 Toyota Corolla
  By tg - September 22 - 1:53 pm

  Just bought a month ago with ABS and side airbag options. Couldnt find one at dealers with ESC. Great car so far, approx. 30 mpg combined thus far. Very quiet, good backseat and trunk room. Considered a hybrid, prius or civic, but went with the Corolla for the price. Only negative is the drivers seat position related to the radio and steering wheel.

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  buy prius over honda - 2002 Toyota Prius
  By jabass - September 22 - 10:00 am

  I have nearly 22,000 miles w/o any problems to date......I average about 70 mi/day commuting.....what the reviews of this car (as compared to Honda) dont tell you is that Toyota covers your preventative maintenance for the 1st 37,500 miles of driving...and goes a step further than Honda by warranting all hybrid components for 8 years/100,000 miles...and the power train is for 60 months/five years....honda doesnt come close......... Great commuting car...and has a good, solid feel on the road......

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  Oddyssey strikes again - 2003 Toyota Sienna
  By mjsohel - September 22 - 10:00 am

  The Sienna is a terrific car really. Its just that its nut as great and fun to drive as the Town&Country and the Oddyssey. The Sienna lacks quality in the areas of comfort,convenience,price,and driving/ride experience. Other than that its as good as the Oddyssey. Toyota could make their minivan good by maybe fixing the style, adding comfort and more convenience feature like power liftgate and a navigation system like on the Camry and the Land Cruiser and maybe roadside assistance and the Onstar* system like on the Gm cars. In summary the Sienna is a great minivan, but lacks some features.

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  This car is a sleeper - 2005 Toyota Avalon
  By samuel - September 21 - 8:23 pm

  in my 30 yrs of driving, Ive had more than 20 different cars. a 87 lincoln mk7, 93 sc400, 2002 q45, had been my favorites until buying my 05 avalon limited. nearing 2 yrs with 65,000, all done has been installing ipod plug and oil changes. ive taking 2 yrs of auto courses, so i know about problems with autos. my 05 avalon is a true sleeper. every time i get into it, Im amazed at how it seems to want to be noticed.besides 23 city and 30 plus hwy, it never breaks down. though, like a number of others, i had to be reminded how to use the key fob. thing is why hasnt more be told about this car? my 05 limited is nearly the same car as the 2010 limited,so why hasnt the critics mentioned this?

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  2012 Prius II - 3 year 51,000 mile review - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By Colin - September 20 - 4:24 am

  I purchased this car brand new in March 2013. I have now driven it for 3 years and 51,000 miles. The Good: No mechanical problems, excellent gas mileage (I average 45 mpg overall), large cargo space with rear seats folded down (I can put my road bicycle in without taking the wheels off), inexpensive to maintain and seats 4 adults comfortably. The Bad: Noisy ride, plastic interior rattles, not good in snow on stock tires (Ill elaborate next sentence) and boring to drive (I knew it would be though because its a Prius). I live in Pittsburgh which is hilly and gets lots of wet snowy days. I have stock tires and this car struggles to go up steep hills, slips a lot during acceleration/braking and traction control works funny. There is an odd procedure of pressing the brake pedal and turning the car on/off multiple times to temporarily disable the traction control but it is not something you can do in a tricky situation. Its nice to be able to turn traction control on and off because sometimes it makes driving in the snow harder. Overall this is a great car getting good gas mileage and its a great highway and city commuter. I plan to keep this car several more years despite some of the negative aspects.

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  Disappoined in MPGs in my 2006 Prius - 2006 Toyota Prius
  By marjie - September 19 - 9:13 pm

  I really enjoy drivig the car. Tire pressure has been checked, I am driving in the most efficient way that I know of; no flooring, lots of coasting, avoiding complete stop at lights if legal, slowing down for a turn using low gear and very little of any, brakes. So why am I getting a high of 36 mpg? I brought it into the dealer but they have no suggestions.

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  not happy with our Camry - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Kevin - September 19 - 3:36 pm

  I purchased two 2007 Camrys the same day; one for my wife and one for my daughter. My daughters has been great from day one, my wifes although it was always dependable had engine hesitation and the drivers sun visor continually fell off into the drivers lap every time you tried to move it up or down. With Toyotas current problems I decided to dump it and buy a Volvo. Yes, I took it back to the dealer several times and finally got tired of dealing with them - now ai dont have to.