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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  Black trans fluid - 2004 Toyota Matrix
  By jpg - March 30 - 10:00 am

  Anybody else with transmission fluid that looks bad at 32,000 miles, Dealer dosent care, Asked them if they are seeing this in the other matrix and they say no but its perfectly normal in mine. Fluid should go 100,000 miles.I like the car, dont like being given a line of bull.I think the trans is going out.

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  Disappointing Mileage with Poor Tires - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By ez050152 - March 30 - 10:00 am

  To the reputation of Corolla, 03 CE is close to a disgrace. Quite a few owners report low gas mileage. My car can only run 23 mpg given 60/40 city/hwy, way less than Toyota advertises. And I have kept it below 2500 rpm most of the time, rarely above 3000. Another disappointment is its poor tire grip of Goodyear. It feels like a panic stop, even although you are stepping on the brake for a while before the red light. One improvement is the roomier interior compared to the old model, while some knobs are hard to reach from the drivers seat.

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  03 V6 XLE great car, but.......... - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By SURF DUDE - March 30 - 10:00 am

  I recently purchased a 2003 XLE with the 210 V6 VVTi engine, equipped with the 5 speed transmission. The transmission is becoming a disappointment. I have noticed it has a problem downshifting from 5th into 3rd for passing. The transmission hesitates before a lower gear engages, then shifts into gear with a degree of roughness. There is a concern when immediate response is needed. Many owners of the Lexus ES300 have experienced the same problem, with the 5speed transmission [the Lexus and Camry share much of the same mechanical underpinnings] Lexus is aware of the problem, lets hope Toyota is in the loop and aware of the problem.

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  Some Camrys are trouble! - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By opher - March 29 - 11:56 am

  My wife purchased a brand new Toyota Camry in Feb. of 2004. We took it off the lot and thought wow what a car, great interior design and fun to drive. However several months down, my wife whos a very careful driver said the check engine light came on. We took it to the dealer and they fix it. A few months later again "Check engine"! Next the A/C system started leaking water into the passanger compartment. Dealer took care of it, but how annoying! Today the car needs servicing again, the steering column is making a loud noise when i turn the wheel. Look out, and get a warranted car.

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  Really like the Highlander Hybrid - 2010 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  By HighlanderHybrid_Fan - March 29 - 10:40 am

  Mileage is terrific for an SUV, 22-25 compared to 12-16 for others. Really like the car a lot. Somewhat worried about the accelerator issue, but assume Toyota will fix it.

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  I like Toyotas. However... - 2007 Toyota Sienna
  By jenny Del Rio - March 29 - 2:40 am

  First year my battery died off, first year had a new transmission to my XLE limited edition. Year and a half, had a new ac compressor. Third year, starting to have problems with my transmission again. I bought the vehicle brand new. I just can not believe this. I think very highly about Toyotas: there quality is the best. I just got a bad one, unfortunately.

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  Dash popping up - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Tanner - March 28 - 2:36 pm

  My wife and I love pretty much everything about the Camry except the sluggishness at times when hitting the gas pedal to merge in traffic. And the fact that we have had it back to the dealer 2 times, soon 3, to try to fix the dash. Right next to the clock and the windshield it keeps popping up. It is really annoying.

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  Real World Gas Mileage - 2009 Toyota RAV4
  By chuck - March 28 - 1:00 am

  Heres some "real world" mileage figures: Brand new 2009 V6 Limited 4X4....took it on a trip to New Mexico and Arizona starting in Minnesota. 4,498 miles....22.6 miles per gallon. 70-80 miles per hour on freeways plus city driving, lots of baggage. There ya go.

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  Scout GPS Navigation Very Unreliable - 2017 Toyota Camry
  By R. CAUDILL - March 27 - 6:12 pm

  I have a 2017 Camry equipped with Scout GPS navigation. Scout is positively horrible. The audio instructions dont sync with the graphic maps, its constantly restarting, it will not accept voice commands accurately, and it averages about 1 out of 10 in finding an address or location. Recently, I was sitting in my dealerships parking lot and Scout couldnt find the dealership. I have addressed this with my dealership three times and with Toyotas Help Line once. On all occasions, I have literally been told: 1) That they are aware that the system has problems and that they get a lot of complaints about it - one service Mgr went so far to say that he stopped using it in his car, because it was so unreliable and just uses Google maps from his phone and 2) Toyotas Help Line told me that they were aware of the problem and were working on a fix, but did not have a software update scheduled. So at the end of the day, I have a GPS system in my car that doesnt work and Toyota knew that it didnt work when they sold me the car. Toyota should be ashamed of this kind of behavior. Its hard to believe that they have knowingly done this and are unwilling to fix it.

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  Disappointing for Toyota tradition - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By Don Rieder - March 27 - 10:50 am

  This is my first Toyota purchase. I felt that if bought a Camry, I could kiss any frustrations goodbye. Not true! This car has an annoying lag time when the car is slowing down ( stop and go traffic), and then you try to accelerate. There is a dead spot, then it jumps ahead, as if the transmission doesn"t know which gear to go in. This is the new Drive by wire technology according to Toyota. The local dealership has acknowledged this a problem, and they are working on a programming change, but in the meantime, the car can be very aggravating to drive. They must resolve this problem. I will not put up with it. As for gas mileage, it is not as good as stated. The car does have lots of power.