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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  Problem with headlight bulbs/burning out - 2001 Toyota RAV4
  By Terry Bond - July 30 - 1:06 am

  Been a great car, plenty of storage and seating. Easy to drive, and other than Headlight Bulbs, virtually trouble free at 97,000 miles! Gas mileage could be better, but I am not complaining at about 25 mpg overall. Some rattles but not bad, usually able to find and fix-usually a loose screw on interior plastic. Would sure like to know why we seem to go thru 2 sets of Headlight bulbs a year! Started slowly but seem to burn out one side or the other about every 6 to 8 months! Dealer and electrical shop say everything tests fine?

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  Outrageous windshield replacement - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By FeralEquine - July 30 - 1:02 am

  As in other reviews, the windshield spiders easily. The first hit made a small aggravating spider. The second small rock that hit far from the first made a tiny spot that at first was almost unnoticeable. It was quiescent for a few days then expanded to the whole windshield in the sun in one afternoon. Its $1200 or more to replace with the original. Turns out the old Tacoma windshields fit and are much, much, less expensive. The trucklet has only 11,000 miles.

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  Not as cool but definitely reliable! - 2013 Toyota Corolla
  By Chi Hin - July 28 - 4:03 pm

  This car maneuvers around busy streets and the freeways pretty easily. The electric power steering was a little hard to get used to because the steering wheel turned so easily especially when driving 40+ mph but I don’t even notice a difference at all now. This is a great and reliable vehicle to look stylish in for a price that’ll keep your wallet happy. I do miss driving V6 engines at times because I came from mostly bigger engine vehicles but this corolla will get you from point A to point B with no problems as long as you’re keeping up with the maintenance and oil change intervals. I strongly recommend this car.

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  Steering Fixed ! TSB - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By Vic S - July 28 - 10:00 am

  I have 17,000 miles on the car. At first the STEERING on center wandering was TERRIBLE on long trips over 60mph. Toyota came out with a fix (TSR involved changing the steering computer) and its now a great car. Before that fix I felt Id have to get rid of the car! I also own a 2004 Honda Accord and 2008 Honda Accord (both manual transmissions). The Corolla now drives similar to the Accords, which I very much like. The 1.8L engine is nice with the manual transmission. The manual makes it a JOY to drive. Its NVH (Noise Vibration and Harshness) is far superior to the civic & NO Kiddy Digital Speedometer. The ride is more like my 04 Accord, which is very good.

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  So far, so good - 2008 Toyota Prius
  By KS - July 28 - 7:53 am

  Overall we are very pleased with the prius, great mpg, comfortable seats, reliable.

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  Great Car - 2007 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  By RS - July 28 - 12:00 am

  Very smooth acceleration. Solid in turns. Well built vehicle.

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  Decent Vehicle - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By RINNC - July 27 - 12:43 pm

  Drove this car for about 2 yrs. Fabric seats are comfortable on long distances,seat material started pilling shortly after purchased. Dealer replaced but same thing happened. Position of controls well placed. Radio sounds great and subwoofer in rear door does not rattle. Mp3 jack was stupidly placed in the cntr console below the power outlet. Lots of hard plastic but it does not look cheap. Handled well in the snow,only have front-wheel drv. The original tires wore out to fast. Cant see backlit orange temp and radio cntrl with sunglasses on. Back cargo net is cheap. Torque steer when accelerating.

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  Drive shaft problems - 2001 Toyota 4Runner
  By granny - July 27 - 6:26 am

  Bought new with 140,000 miles today. Early 2008 thought vibration was u- joints but had to have drive shaft replaced. 8/09 - it is just now doing the same thing. Checking to see if common complaint. Until then it has been very reliable and maintenance (major) free.

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  monicas review - 1998 Toyota RAV4
  By prince - July 27 - 5:00 am

  I love my car. It is dependable and running very well.

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  Great for town, bad for highway - 2009 Toyota Yaris
  By yarisdriver - July 26 - 7:16 pm

  I have a conflicting experience with this car. We made 2 long trips in this one, one was 4000 miles/5 days long to a remote area in TX. If you live in a city, have 55 MPH speed limit–it is a great car. Roomy inside (I’m 6’4”–have plenty of space), nice MPG. If you have to operate it daily above 65 MPH–dont buy it. The car has a horrible problem with oversteering. It is not a defect, it is a design issue. Electric buster is too sensitive, so on a high speed forget about your cell phone–a small bump can be deadly. My wife got into an accident after trying to honk when doing 70 MPH: couldn’t hold the car with one hand, lost control and went into a ditch. The car is OK, but it tells a lot.