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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  Undeserved Reputation - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By irishlager - October 8 - 4:44 am

  This is my first Toyota and I bought the Camry based on Toyotas quality reputation. I now regret the purchase. I have experienced the following pre-mature repairs: 1. At 32k miles I had to replace all four tires. 2. At 40k miles I had to replace all four struts because they were leaking. I also had to replace all four suspension links. 3. At 43.5k miles I had to replace the right rear brake pads. The outside pad was completely worn out. When I removed the caliper, I noticed one of the caliper pins barely had any lubrication. This was causing the pad to remain engage with the rotor and pre-maturely wear out. The Toyota reputation of quality is undeserved.

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  Thank god its gone! - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By electricwitch - October 5 - 10:43 pm

  Just traded my 2009 corolla S in today for a Honda CR-V. The corolla had a clutch issue. Constantly stalling in traffic. I mentioned it to the dealer, they just insinuated that I needed more "practice with clutch". Well, 35 years is a lot. My other car has a clutch, no problem there and anyone who drove this corolla had issues also. Paid 19k. It was only worth 9k a little over a year later. Cramped, zero headroom, cheap paint job, plastic parts that snap in the cold. It did have good gas mileage tho, and I could have dealt with all of the cosmetic stuff, but the stalling out in traffic thing is just plain dangerous. Didnt want to wait for a recall and maybe become a statistic. Shame on you Toyota!

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  Why Didnt I Get the Hyundai? - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By Sadbuyer - October 4 - 10:00 am

  I feel like such an idiot for getting this car, even after reading reviews about the transmission issues, during the long test drive I didnt hear/feel the lackluster trans. I could have gotten a 2011 Sonata for 5K cheaper then is (26K, but the only reason I picked the Camry was due to the "Strong" V6, but this damn transmission doesnt let it deliver the power right away, feels like there is a 3-4 second gap. I just had a close call on the freeway where I needed to "gun it" and I had no instant response which forced me off onto the side of the FW. If I knew Hyundai was going to offer a turbo Sonata I would have waited, in fact Im planning on waiting for it. Be safe Camry owners!

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  Expensive Hand Vibrator for $41k! - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Robert S. - September 29 - 6:31 pm

  I really wanted to like this truck. Styling is fine, interior is a little cramped, especially the back seats. Front seats are flat. No glovebox light and no power drivers seat in the Limited. Trans takes a long time to learn and shift well. Mileage is just OK for this fancy new engine. Quiet enough inside. Tech inside is great. Great ground clearance and handles snow and fire roads perfectly. If it actually let me drive on the freeway for any distance without numbing my hands, I could live with the little things and would love the truck. I traded a 10 FJC in for this, as my wife and I wanted a truck and we love the reliability of our previous 5 Toyotas. Big mistake...wish we still had the FJC. Between 2100-2400 RPMs, the steering wheel has a resonating buzz in it that puts my hands and lower arms to sleep (never had this happen, even on any of my Harleys). This happens to correspond to highway and freeway speeds in 5th and 6th gears of the new automatic trans. Took it in and, after the dealer checked it (acknowledging the buzziness, BTW), left it for a day with Toyota Engineers from Denver. The response? The buzziness was normal for this truck and "the steering functions as designed". Huh? Found several threads on different forums where others are having this issue, some worse than others. People report that when they report it to Toyota Corporate, they are told that "we havent heard of this issue with anyone else". Huh? Dealer says that unless Toyota comes out with a fix, Im stuck. As it is, I can only drive around town and cant stand any trips of more than a few miles. I didnt spend $40k for a local hauler. This will be traded as soon as I decide between the upcoming redesigned Honda Ridgeline or the 17 GMC Canyon Denali, no matter the financial hit I take. Probably the last Toyota I ever own...their Customer Service and quality has tanked. I gave it two stars because it has a lot of potential. For now, Id stay away until they can figure this out...or take yours for a long test drive in manual mode and make sure that the buzziness isnt there (although some posters are saying they have none, then it shows up with a vengeance, later.

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  DO NOT BUY - 2006 Toyota Sienna
  By skier - September 26 - 6:26 pm

  This is the worst vehicle i have ever owned. My wife really wanted it so we leased one for three years. Thank goodness I did not buy it. I cant wait to turn it in. The Run flat tires left me and my family (young kids) stranded. Had a blowout in the runflat you could stick a baseball through. I dont think that is to safe. The transmission does not shift smoothly and the dealer keeps saying it works properly. The gas mileage in terrible. 17.5 mpg is the average that we get for combined driving. We did get 18.1 on a 1000 mile all interstate drive this summer. Do not buy this junk.

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  No start problem - 2012 Toyota RAV4
  By piko584189 - September 25 - 1:43 pm

  We paid close to 35,000 with all of the upgrades. Since the first week we owned this car it had an intermitent no start problem. Has been back to dealer 3or4 times. Today we were told it had something to do with steering lock--and we need to just live with it--now that we know what the problem is we know it will eventually start.. They sent a tech bulletin to toyota and maybe someday they will do something about it. This is an uncomfortable riding vehicle--will never buy a Toyota again.

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  Buy the Extended Warranty - 2006 Toyota Sienna
  By Bill_in_CO - September 21 - 1:50 pm

  We bought our Sienna new in 2006 and have driven 48,000 miles. The vehicle has been back to the shop 7 times and repairs are now costing us staggering sums of money. If you like this vehicle, be sure to get the extended warranty. The drivers side automatic sliding door just broke and cost $1800 to fix. The dealer said this is a common problem. The rear hatch wont close on its own and the dealer cant fix it. After 10k miles and 35k miles, we had to have both sliding doors fixed as loose parts were rattling loudly. The run-flat tires are terrible. They wear out at 15k miles and cost $1000 to replace. The vehicle doesnt come with a spare tire.

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  ugh... - 2012 Toyota Corolla
  By tess19 - September 15 - 4:32 am

  i got this car as a gift but my dream car was the camry. i have the 2012 LE corolla but the 2012 Camry XLE was what i thought i was getting i was sadly mistaken. cons: inside is small and basic the shape is hideous there is just nothing positive about this car

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  38000 mile review - 2011 Toyota Venza
  By veevolt - September 11 - 1:59 am

  My comments seem to unfortunately mirror other who have posted a review for this model. I to have had several rattles pop up, humming from the rear at highway speeds, navigation unit failure, leaking water pump, leaking sunroof, abs sensors replaced, and two battery replacements so far. This is my first Toyota and quite sure Itll be my last.

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  Poor interior, poor comfort - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By solace - September 3 - 8:53 am

  Made the mistake of not driving it any distance. Very uncomfortable. Seats headrests seem to push your head forward, and keep your neck at a bad angle. Arm rests not in correct location. Silly little plastic foot holder for left foot to rest on, reminds me of a kayak. May be reliable, but surely not any joy to drive. Cup holders do not accept regular size household coffee cup.