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:

• 

  Lovin it! - 2006 Toyota Corolla
  By Toyota4Life - August 5 - 6:53 am

  My first Toyota and I love it! From what I hear about Corollas it will probably be my last for at least 200,000 miles. And you can bet your bippy that Ill get another after that! Superb gas mileage, comfy seating (Im 5 tall and its hard to find a luxury- like car that fits me) drives fun, quiet + smooth. This might sound strange, but I live in the boondocks and have never been able to get in many radio stations with my other vehicles, The Corollas antenna rocks! Not that I use it much now that I have a 6 disk Cd changer! Wish the volume went up more though.

• 

  Unique 04 Corolla S - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By Steven - August 5 - 2:13 am

  Im not so sure now that this car was worth buying. I bought the car used with 10,000 miles on it, and it currently has 22,000 on it. The car has good build quality, but the drivers door rattles and sounds cheap when you shut it. The car doesnt have enough low-end power, and the gas mileage that Toyota advertises is false, Im only averaging about 25- 26mpg in the city. Ive had a humming noise coming from the vehicle, Toyota said they fixed the problem prior to being there 4 times before. The car start making the sound again, and Im just fed up and I dont want to take it back there. The interior is nice, sporty, but it lacks the "driver friendly" atmosphere.

• 

  Oh my aching back! - 2006 Toyota Corolla
  By MRI tech - August 4 - 5:56 pm

  The Corolla is like a Timex watch, very reliable. I never worry about it breaking down. I bought this car new and I have only had to do scheduled maintenance. Great gas mileage, 30+. Now for the bad news, very uncomfortable seats, steering wheel does not telescopic, air conditioning hardly blows out at all when in head/foot postion. Defroster takes forever to unfog windshield. I drive an hour each way to work, and my back kills me. The arm rest might as well not exist, it is of no use except for storage. I am presently looking for a "comfortable" car. Why does inexpensive have to hurt so much? Windshield cracks if anything hits it however small.

• 

  History of problems - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By jimdereynier - August 4 - 4:57 pm

  2007 Rav 4 First 100,000 miles= a real problem At 80,000, external oil line blew- lost all oil but was just coming up an I 95 ramp so I was able to save engine- This occurred before the recall- - Bad battery in the first 18 months. - $600 air bag electronic line went bad- no recall. - Disk brake rotor plate- front and rear and to be replace- under 60,000 miles. 100,000- to 238,000 - Car works like a Toyota - and even get much better mileage than the first 100,000.- Bottom line- the engineering team should have been fired.

• 

  great new styling - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Wade - August 4 - 4:02 pm

  The new 3.5 liter engine does not have great acceleration unless you really hit the pedal. The new engine has more mid-range power, presumably it helps for highway mileage. Great new tech with phone charging pad and the always awesome crawl control. It seemed to get good gas mileage driving around town, better than any full size for sure.

• 

  Unique 04 Corolla S - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By Steven - August 4 - 12:20 pm

  Im not so sure now that this car was worth buying. I bought the car used with 10,000 miles on it, and it currently has 22,000 on it. The car has good build quality, but the drivers door rattles and sounds cheap when you shut it. The car doesnt have enough low-end power, and the gas mileage that Toyota advertises is false, Im only averaging about 25- 26mpg in the city. Ive had a humming noise coming from the vehicle, Toyota said they fixed the problem prior to being there 4 times before. The car start making the sound again, and Im just fed up and I dont want to take it back there. The interior is nice, sporty, but it lacks the "driver friendly" atmosphere.

• 

  WOW - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By smprescott2010 - August 3 - 3:13 pm

  This is my first used car in over 13 years. The economy killed me and didnt have a choice in getting a used car. I found a 1999 with 266,000 miles on it (2,300) and pampered its entire life. The car looks really nice and has had everything replaced and maintained. It cruises PERFECTLY like a brand new car at 80mph. All power options and AC work perfectly. I was worried I would be driving a beater... NOT THE CASE! Nice car!

• 

  Toyota of SunnyvAle does not honor warranty servic - 2015 Toyota Sienna
  By josh Cheng - August 3 - 10:20 am

  I have a 2015 Super White Sienna SE with Premium package. After 1 month, I have been experiencing issues with the Navigation: It powers down while in use and it freezes periodically. When I brought it in Toyota of Sunnyvale, they refused to look into it even though I have the issue on video. I dont recommend a Toyota Sienna until they fix the issue and also alert their Toyota dealers of the problem. When I spoke to Toyota they said that they cannot force a dealership to look into it. So it is tough to buy a product that Toyota cannot stand by and Toyota of Sunnyvales Director of Service, Bob Pelletier even cussed me out when I tried to get him to look into it. I do love the Sienna if it wasnt for the jittery Navigation system.

• 

  2001 camry LE - 2001 Toyota Camry
  By MtSnow - August 2 - 10:00 am

  Well, this car is pretty reliable. Have not had major problem with it, Except for 3 times the check-engine light came on. The first time was becasue I didt tighten the gas tank gap properly. the 2nd time it went on, have autozone peps check the reason for me, it says something about transmission fault. I dont quite remember what it was. They deleted the code for me, I thought It was just because I didt tighten the gao properly again. but then, 3 days after that, the check engine light came on again. Had to take it to a toyota dealership, they checked and told me they do not know what the problem is and the car is fine. weird!

• 

  Excellent OVERALL Package - 2014 Toyota Sienna
  By stringattached - August 1 - 5:30 pm

  First minivan and I love it. Im more focused on practicality in our family and after noticing that my 4 year old nephew had issues climbing into our Traverse, I knew it was time to think seriously about a minivan. We owned a 2010 Venza which we traded in after 75,000 miles and other a slight manufacturing defect with the 4-cylinder engine which was repaired under warranty, I took care of that car and it hummed along at 75,000 miles like that day we drove it off the lot. Needless to say I was sold on Toyota and noticed the difference in long-term build quality between it and our Traverse.