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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  Overall Im happy with it - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By Charlotte - December 30 - 12:36 pm

  This is my first Toyota, after many great reviews on them from friends, and so far so good. The ride of the car is a lot smoother than its competitors (Honda CR-V and Jeep). The fuel economy is great, and was a big factor for me. I dont think its a really sexy car, but for the price point its a great combination of attractive, reliable, safe and good on fuel considering how spacious. I do think the drivers seat is a little hard, but not too bad.

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  Wonderful car ruined by a horrid entune system - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By Matthew - December 30 - 8:09 am

  Wonderful car with a very catchy design. This car, with the exception of uncomfortable seats, would be exceptional if it wasn’t for its horrid entune system. The entune app itself isn’t doesn’t work very well and constantly crashes. Pandora is very unresponsive and doesn’t work half the time. The scout navigation system is HORRIBLE. One of the stupidest designs I have ever seen. If Toyota addresses these issues and ditches the entune system then this car would be exceptional

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  Toyota truck - 2005 Toyota Tundra
  By tsand33 - December 30 - 7:56 am

  My Tundra struggles to get things done. It struggles under heavy loads and really sucks the gas. Its towing capacity is considerably less than that of the F-150. I also have a 2004 F-150 and its out performs the Toyota 10 to 1 in terms of power and capacity. It also has a better design and better interior

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  Great, reliable car with only 66750 miles. - 2001 Toyota Camry
  By jean shepherd - December 30 - 5:15 am

  Original owner of this great auto. Always serviced. Always garaged. Has new AAA battery. Full leather seats in interior. Always reliable ; just time for a new car for me! Upkeep has been very inexpensive. Somewhat reluctant to part with this good car but time to look for a new Camry for the next fifteen years!

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  2005 Toyota Highlander EXCELLENT! - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Cindy Duncan - December 30 - 4:00 am

  highway and city driving on a dime and superb handling, comfort (the seats are ergonmically correct and adjust for the back!). plenty of room in back of SUV (for a medium sized SUV) to put the seats down and allow for my 55 pound border collie and dog ramp. still plenty of room for storage for other things. lots of power for a V6 but drives with the ease and comport of car, NOT truck, given it is a 4WD SUV. VERY EASY to put the seats up and down in the back. EXTREMELY EASY to use things like the heating system. in fact, temperature control inside is phenomenal. plently of leg room in front and back seats when the seats are up. starts right up and totally reliable in every way!

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  Nice allround - 2006 Toyota Camry
  By Bill - December 29 - 11:46 pm

  Boring inside design, moonroof has given more problems than it should...elct. wiring up behind headliner is always coming loose making for roof rattles and the drain line[s] for the moonroof clog up so I end up with a lake in the front pass. side floorboard after a heavy rain. Otherwise its been a great car and I really dig the power of the 3.0 V6. On the highway with cruise control set at 62-63 mph....Im getting 30 MPG.

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  2005 Avalon simply a great car! - 2005 Toyota Avalon
  By David Hendricks - December 29 - 10:06 pm

  We drove our Avalon on a 2000 mile trip a week after delivery. It is a great car, everything we wanted in a quiet spacious package. Acceleration is surprising, especially merging back into interstate traffic after a rest stop. Seats are very comfortable...rated best ever by my wife! We got about 30 mpg overall! We felt so rested we drove "straight through" coming home, 850 miles in 14 hours.

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  I can see why... - 1992 Toyota Camry
  By Pat - December 29 - 7:50 pm

  After owning this car for a year and a half, I can see why it is the best selling car in America. My car gets around 27 MPG while being very comfortable, and the 4 cylinder engine, while not having tons of power, has good mid-range torque. It is a very comfortable car on the highway, and handles corners pretty well. The steering is, well, boring, but it gets the job done. Seeing as my car only has 93,000 miles on it, I plan on keeping it as long as possible.

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  What a truck! - 2005 Toyota Tacoma
  By Ylekiot - December 29 - 7:40 pm

  Bought it yesterday! Truck looks, rides and drives excellent.

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  Great Car - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By J Tyler - December 29 - 3:43 pm

  Our last Camry, a 1990, was traded in after 14 1/2 years. It was still running perfectly, no problems all those years. We expect the same from this one. It is smooth running, quiet, good acceleration, plenty of leg and head room. The trunk is very large and rear seats fold to to carry large objects. The navigational display is somewhat difficult to use, but once you learn, it is very helpful in finding stores and addresses.