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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  The seat is so uncomfortable - 2010 Toyota Corolla
  By iwishihad - February 10 - 7:18 pm

  I had this corolla for a year and half with 18,000 miles. the worst about this car is that it hurts your lower back because the front seats are so unconfortable. Im fit in terms of physical shape. Interiro is very boring and buttons are hard to reach. sound system is okay. engine noise is okay. The handling is little off because if I let go my steering wheel on straight road, it turns to right or left. The acceleration is slow than I anticipated but okay. I get around 30 to 31 MPG on 50/50 hwy and city. Although the meter reads 32.5 but I think its inaccurate. I also notice a wind noice especially when driving on hwy. I wouldnt recommnad Corolla unless you want your back broken.

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  Unreliable - Dont buy - 2002 Toyota Sienna
  By Bizman - February 9 - 2:00 am

  As soon as I purchased the XLE, it wouldnt start, so Had to get a jump. Once I got home 3 Warning light were on. Took it back to dealership, they said the onboard computer was bad. The XLE sat on the Dearlership for a month before they could get the part from Japan. After 3000 miles, took it to Jiffy loob for Oil Change, he said to get rid of the car the engine will go bad due to oil sludge. Known problem on Toyota 3.0 v6 engines. Didnt belive him, until some research in the internet. Found USA Today article and others.

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  Too Loud...Too Much Wind Noise - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By Whistler...... - January 30 - 11:16 am

  This car has a lot of wind whistles and noises at highway speed. I live outside of Los Angeles and you have to drive fast to stay up with traffic, and it is often windy in the passes. This Avalon is very loud inside at those speed. I dont like it. My 2002 LeSabre was much quieter at highway speeds. The engine has good power, but I have found the car has trouble finding the right gear. It sometimes jerks when I push on the gas. I am less than pleased with this car, my first Toyota.

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  Disappointed After One Year - 2014 Toyota Avalon
  By oldgoldtop - January 25 - 4:23 am

  Thankfully I only have one more year on a two year lease. This is my first and last Toyota. The Entune was originally great but updates have rendered it very unreliable and nearly useless. Bluetooth is now constantly disconnecting and reconnecting which drops calls and streaming music. Phone text messages rarely will download anymore since recent automatic updates to the software. Navigation is cumbersome and voice recognition on search function is pathetic. The touch controls can often be activated by mistake if you are not careful. In fact that ugly dash touch panel was almost a deal killer for me. The climate display can be impossible to read in the sunlight. Just too many things not implemented well. Dealer service seems uninterested in dealing with the unreliable Entune. Seat heater controls are located on the center console which I find inconvenient and poorly designed. Prefer they be on dash. Exterior styling is appealing to my eyes but so are many other sedans these days. Ride and handling is acceptable for my conservative driving style. I do lie the active backup camera system but would lie some front sensors. The front is very low and easy to scrape on the sidewalk when parking. The lane change sensors work well and a nice feature although unlike my previous car, there is no audible warning .

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  big mistake - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Kaylor - January 15 - 2:19 pm

  Whistling noise on breezy days, transmission shifts constantly, anemic power, it does seem to get advertised MPG. Nothing like my 1999 or 2005 Tacoma. Very disappointed, will trade soon. Update... My opinion about the truck did not change, whistling noise continued, and I could not get use to the lack of power, really disappointed, my wife tried it for a while and took it on a trip to the mountains, she said it was a struggle to keep it going and didnt like all the engine noise. Had to really baby it to get 22 mpg and most of the time it was 19-20 mpgs. I traded it this month, got a Ram with eco diesel and Im getting 27 mpg not from the computer but checking it myself. Again this was not my first Tacoma it was my 3rd. I guess others are feeling the same see lots of used 2016s on the car lots.

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  Transmission problems - 2009 Toyota Tacoma
  By ben_talla - January 7 - 7:16 pm

  I have the SR5 4x4 off road. The good - rides nice, has power, handles well. The Bad - auto transmission has no sense at all. Drops into 1st gear on slow turns and downshifts when it should not. Toyota refuses to address the problems. Seating is low and the lack of available power seats which I thought I could live with, adds to the mix... has me trading back to Nissan with only 3K miles. Tranny drives me nuts.

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  Lemon - 2000 Toyota Sienna
  By jzhou - December 31 - 10:00 am

  Transmission failed at 24k miles. 4 tires worn out at 20k miles. 4 tires worn out again at 40k miles. Tires need alignment every 5k miles, otherwise will out of alignment by themselves. Will never, ever, buy this car again.

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  My Last Toyota - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By C.S. - December 25 - 7:26 pm

  Bought this for reliability, safety, and fuel economy and expected such from Toyota. Since then, there have been 2 recalls on the car. The latest is for unintended acceleration! I see this as a serious safety issue and would strongly discourage anyone to purchase this car for that reason alone. Ill probably trade it asap. On the surface it seems like a decent car. The mpg is fantastic. The trunk and interior is spacious for its class and the mp3 player jack is nice. However, the cheap plastics have began to rattle. Both the seats and plastics show wear after only a year. It just doesnt seem to be made to last. Even though I knew its not a sports car, its boring to drive.

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  Stinky Camry - 2014 Toyota Camry
  By hogheadjoe - December 20 - 7:11 pm

  I leased a 2014 Toyota Camry in August of 2014. Two months later I had to take it in because of a moldy/mildew smell coming from the air conditioner. I was told at the time that "Camrys are known for that issue". The unit was cleaned but I was told it was just a temporary fix. When I turned the air on this spring, the smell was back even worse than before. When I called Freeman Toyota they said that there was nothing they could do to fix the issue. I called Toyota and was told their stance was that it was an "environmental issue". They should stand behind their customer satisfaction claim and either fix the problem or replace the car. My wife cant even drive the car because of allergies.

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  having issues - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Chris badertscher - December 16 - 7:16 am

  I just bought a 2009 toyota camry LE with 76000 miles. After owning it for only a couple weeks Ive had it stall out on me as I slowed down for a stop light. Also the other day as I was driving the brake light randomly showed up. Anybody else having issues with their camry of around the same year stalling out?