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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  as always, a reliable toyota - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By Ed302 - September 10 - 2:00 am

  My wife and I purchased a 2002 dealer demo in August, 2002. After only two months on the road, my wife was involved in a pretty serious accident with it, getting hit head on at approximately 50-60 mph, and walked away. That made up my mind on the next car, a Camry. We just took delivery of the 03. What a nice car. Hopefully Toyota has worked any kinks that the 2002s may have had (we didnt have ours long enough to experience any), but we got the dark blue color along with 5 star rims, and this is one sporty car.

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  Fun and Practical - 2005 Toyota MR2 Spyder
  By Mike W - September 10 - 1:23 am

  I bought my Spyder with 8,666 miles on it in December 2007. I had first looked at a Spyder several years earlier. I almost couldnt believe my ears when the Carmax salesman told me it had no trunk; I had never heard of a car without a trunk. I passed on it at that time because I thought having a trunk was important. But Im still single, so I figured what the heck, I have no one I need to please -- Ill buy what I want and put the groceries in the passenger seat. Obviously, the car is fun. Its also more economical than a Miata because it uses regular unleaded gas, and I average about 28.5 mpg in the summer, about 27 in the winter. This car is fine in the snow with snow tires.

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  Great Reliable car! - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By Collin Chapman - September 9 - 8:30 am

  This is an amazing car. I must admit that, in my opinion, is not a good looking car at all, but if you are looking for a good, dependable car, this is it. In 90k miles I only changed the factory battery -after 5 years- the serpentine belt and water pump that was on warranty, so didnt pay for it. Other than that, oil change, filters and one set of brake pads + resurface rotors. Thats it. (Note: The good thing about this car is that it does not have a timing belt, it comes with a chain instead, hence, not needing a costly replacement. It also comes with disc brakes ONLY in the front, hence, maintenance is way cheaper). The ergonomics inside are not the best, but all in all, great car.

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  could be super - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By leaknclunck - September 8 - 1:50 am

  I have had my Tacoma for about 2 months now and Im now having mixed feelings. The truck is bigger and more comfortable than before and a lot more powerful. This thing will scream, bottom end, top end, mid range. Not awesome but very, very good. Roomy well laid out interior, the ride still a little stiff in the rear. Great handling. Ive had to take it back for rear seat replacement because of loose material. I also had an extreme water leak from fire wall area into drivers front floor. Complained about clunking from rt. front when hitting a bump. Still not fixed. Now at 45 to 50 mph in top gear rpms will shoot up a 1000 going down hill!at times. No I didnt press the gas anymore. Very annoying.

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  New odd car - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By Dale - September 7 - 11:30 pm

  Well, I just bought the odd car 2 days ago so the above evaluation is probably premature but accurate for as long as I had the car! I traded my Tacoma in, and Ive always had a truck, and at age 56, this is a new experience! I wanted the smallest, ugliest great gas mileage vehicle I could afford... and bingo... heres the Yaris! Roomy inside, plenty of pep, and fun, yes, fun to drive. I have the 5 speed, and its a riot to drive! Only drove it approximately 125 miles so far, but it looks like that will cost me around 10 bucks to fill up. Whew! I was getting tired of always looking at the gas gauge. And the Tacoma was a 4 cylinder getting around 20 mpg! Dont like the daytime driving lights, though.

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  2003 Toyota - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By A - September 7 - 8:20 pm

  Vehicle has been extremely reliable, at 107,000 runs stronger than when new, only maintenance other than fluid changes, have to install front brakes at 80,000 miles. Very, very reliable especially considering it has been driven by two adults and two youth operators.

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  Sienna after 2 years - 2012 Toyota Sienna
  By tater_skins - September 6 - 3:02 pm

  After two years the 2012 Sienna is doing its job. There have not been any quality issues and my kids love having their own sliding doors. Here are some things to consider if you are looking at getting this used. 1) This vehicle eats tires. Even rotating every 5k like recommended and itll probably need a new set at 25k. 2) Drivers seat arm rest is way too high, and doesnt even line up with the rest built into the door! So uncomfortable it is not used 3) I infrequently pull a trailer weighing roughly 2500lbs and the V6 is not a strong as Id like. Van is rated for 3500lbs, that would be a stretch with any hills. 4) Gas mileage never lives up to billing. In MN winters it gets 16mpg combined

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  Some good, some bad. - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By rlovall - September 5 - 10:20 pm

  I own two of these cars. One has performed well with no problem and gets 50 mpg or better. The other has had the software glitch causing the car to shut off the gasoline engine, plus it only gets around 43-45 mpg at best. Oh yes, one more thing, if you plan on sitting in this car for more than 45 minutes you will need a seat cushion to sit on as these are the worst seats I have ever had in a car. The car is also hard to keep on the road in any kind of side wind.

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  Which Hybrid to choose.... - 2014 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By basictek - September 5 - 10:14 am

  So I did tons of research that included the new fusion, sonata/optima, new accord, and toyotas own lexus/avalon. I would have preferred a kewler/sportier fusion but the slow and unproven hybrid system turned me off, the sonata/optima are lacking in mileage, reliability, build quality, and more (my last car was 2011 sonata SE). The avalon.Lexus charge too much for the exact same engine plus better styling, more standard features, and roomier interior (which the camry is plenty big enough). This left only the new accord, which has quite a few new features never before tried on a hybrid, and a price tag about 5K more. If I had more to spend I probably would have gone this route...

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  This is NOT a sporty car - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By Filo Snard - September 4 - 2:00 am

  Handling is woefully inadequate and ride quality is far less than I had expected from a Camry. I can feel every bump, divot and imperfection in the road. Replacing all four struts didnt help the problem. After owning this car less than 3 years, I am already planning its replacement, even though when I bought it I had planned to drive it for at least 6-10 years. On the positive side, it is very roomy and has a very comfortable interior design. Controls are thoughtfully layed out and cabin noise is very well controlled.