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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  Wow, Not What We Expected - 2011 Toyota Sienna
  By brightsun1 - May 22 - 2:00 am

  This is our 3rd Sienna. Always liked the solid quality of these cars. New interior panels are very hard and cheap looking. My wife loves all the convenience gadgets. But.. the sliding doors are starting to stick and the power steering is making a strange crunching noise. Took it to the dealer. Yes, Toyota is aware of these things. There is no fix. Now, some of the electronics seem to be intermittently failing. It is amazing to me that these things are happening if Toyota had tested them out before releasing production. Last model was higher quality.

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  A disappointed Toyota fan - 2008 Toyota Tundra
  By disappointed toyota - May 19 - 11:40 pm

  I have been a Toyota fan for years. I like Corolla, Camry because they are reliable, gas efficient, good looking, keeping their value really well. A huge mistake was made when I traded in my Camry for a Tundra. I wanted a truck to haul my boat sometimes and for more fun. Auto experts have rated the truck very high. I must say, Edmunds you did totally wrong: Gas mileage: 10-13 MPG. Performance: No fun at all. Engine is very loud. When hauling, it is extremely loud. I miss my Camry very much. Quality: Cheap all around. Styling: too ugly. Reliability: 2 dealer visits per month

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  mold, wet carpet - 2013 Toyota Highlander
  By Vanna - May 17 - 12:31 pm

  After 2yrs purchased the car, I have a problem now that the water leaked inside the car. When it rains, all the carpet is wet, especially the driver seats carpet is soaked with water. I removed all the carpet out to clean, now the car has the mold smell, every morning my 2 sons sneezed (allergy from the strong smell of the mold in the car). It happened last week when it rains, I started to pay more attention about it and double check why it leaks in the car. I cant find any solutions and it rains again in the last 3 days, my car is getting worst so I took it to the local Toyota dealer service for them to check. I found out that my car is not the first one that has a problem, and after the diagnosed theyll fixed it by replaced the whole car carpet. After a week that they fixed my car, the car is now still have that mold smell and my sons still have allergy every time theyre in the car. Ill sell it as soon as I pay off the car. I suggest anyone to review it carefully, so you wont run into this problem at Toyota. I live in Hayward, California. This review on March 7, 2016.

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  You get what you pay for in this great big world! - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By jamaicanred - May 5 - 1:53 am

  This car seems to have had every corner cut possible to save money. 1rst, the paint is a joke. Easily chipped, scratched, dinged. I feel that just by looking at the car the paint begins to peel! Buy the paint protection if available, its worth it. 2nd, the car just feels cheap. From the interior controls (ie windows, door locks, mirrors, etc.) to the body panels and trunk deck; flimsy, thin, & cheap. 13k miles and already had the trunk cable break. My 99 civic with 209K miles never had the trunk cable break. Leaves me wondering what will be next. The drive train is about the only positive so far, as the motor runs smooth and the auto trans shift smoothly. But for how long is the ??

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  Bad Choice - 2003 Toyota Tundra
  By cru_fan - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I bought this because it got good reviews. Bad call. My buddy just bought a Dodge and was telling me how happy he was with it. I almost thought about getting one, but people said good things about the Toyota Tundra. Ive had to go back to the dealer for work 3 times already. In addition, it doesnt hand wear and tear at all. At this point, I am really thinking about getting rid of it, taking the loss and getting the Dodge or the Ford. Stay away from this one. Its built cheap and requires way too much maintenence.

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  Comport to drive is below average - 2002 Toyota Highlander
  By john ball - May 4 - 2:00 am

  I just bought my Highlander few months ago, so far its okey but i am not really satisfied with the "Fun to drive" Toyota is claiming. Its a little sluggish when the motor is cold and the cargo area is not that big for SUV.The back seat is very small for tall person (im 6`3 tall) I will give this car 4 out of 10.Wish i bought a Honda SUV.

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  Sometimes you have to believe what you read. - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By John D. - May 2 - 1:09 pm

  Everything negative you can read on this vehicle is true. The transmission has terrible shift flare on top of being geared improperly causing it to shift all the way to 4th gear climbing small hills. You would think with the 3.91 rear end would mean it could hold its own but seeing as your peak torque doesnt show up till 4600 rpm you will be in 4th gaining any sort of elevation. This will destroy your gas mileage. I may see 18.5 combined but I say between 16-17.5 consistently. Lets move on to the rear differential that sings between 45-65 mph. Toyota will absolutely not acknowledge this is a problem and some have this this is normal yet when you drive any other model they produce their differentials do not produce any discernible noise. This is coming after their rear end recall which led to people seizing their differentials due to leaking and low fluid conditions. The supplier of this component on top of their quality control is disgusting . You will have window rattles, dash rattles, door rattles and possible water leaks and faulty seals. This will leave you with a wet back seat ( failed third brake light gasket) or various sounds emitted from your windows as the seal breaks allowing air in. The low pressure fuel pump will make noise loud enough to hear through the sliding rear window. its loud enough you will never want to open it. Your truck will chirp like a cricket at idle .Your dealer may make sure your fluids are topped off but more than likely they did not and it is low on fluids from the factory. the only way you and prove this is by taking it to a private shop and having them check and fill everything. Toyota and the Toyota dealerships do not care about you or your vehicle. They want you to sign the contract and move on with your life and seek help elsewhere. The Qi wireless charging will cook your phone battery and hardly charge it at all. You may maintain battery but your phone will kill the charging as the temperature gets too hot. If you plan on lifting this truck you will have to buy a special bushing for the driver side differential or else your stock needle bearing will fail and you will experience drive line vibrations. You can not use android or apple carplay. You will be restricted to the entune system which is buggy and doesnt work 50% of the time. The GPS is outdated and runs on a 1 year lag and you will have to pay out of pocket 200 dollars for a new SDCard. This truck has incredible drive line slop and axle wrap. When you come to a stop the whole truck will settle and make a thud and when you accelerate the entire drive line has to pick up the excessive slack and you will notice it. You will regret this purchase and at 35k + you will be ignored, given the run around and treated like an idiot. Buyer beware and understand these trucks were designed to hold together for maybe 1,000 miles before they just start falling apart on you. Just long enough for it to be registered and leave you stuck. Then you will have to decide if trading it in and rolling negative equity or just living unhappily with it is what you want to do. So save yourself the stress, headache and embarrassment and look else where.

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  Dont Buy - 2009 Toyota Prius
  By Mike - April 30 - 11:56 am

  My prius has 10000 miles on it and I average no higher than 36mpg and only 25mpg in the winter. The fuel gauge reads no gas left but when I fill up it only takes 7 gallons to fill its 11.9 gallon tank. The engine is slow, loud, and noisy. For a $30,000 car I expected more. For an extra $5,000 my Subaru Tribeca gets 25mpg highway, power and heated seats, sunroof, AWD, 6 cylinder engine and better safety rating.

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  Lousy Gas Mileage/No pick up - 2004 Toyota RAV4
  By Gdcsb - April 28 - 10:33 am

  This is the worst car I ever owned. I am lucky to get 17mpg around town and 22mpg on hwy. For a small car, light car it has no guts. It is reliable and has a nice look; however, it really stinks. I just traded mine in for a Saturn SUV.

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  piece of junk - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By lawrence wood - April 18 - 10:00 am

  Shift from 1st to 2nd gear floats; shift from 2nd to 3rd gear is a hard double jerk. Just maintaining speed at 1200-1400 rpm and just over 40 mph, engine/transmission pulsates as though transmission cant figure out what to do. Toyota wont fix transmission; they say hard shift is a characteristic, not a fault. Cant hear stereo at highway speeds due to road noise. Seats uncomfortable after 30 minutes, no thigh support. Cant see out the rear window. Lower part of rear fenders loose and will move 1/4 inch. $30,000 piece of junk. Trade-in value of 7 month old car is only 60% of new car price.