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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  Best Driving SUV on the market - 2003 Toyota 4Runner
  By Marlin Headley - October 27 - 10:00 am

  By far the best looking and best driving SUV I test drove

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  Great Looking and Reliable!!! - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By Test Drive - October 27 - 10:00 am

  I recently purchased this car for my daughter as an early graduation present! I needed to depend on reliability, handling and gas efficiency. Of course, I even liked the sporty style. I did compare it to the CE and LE models and for me the S model out weighed as the car for her. It steers and handles well on the road. Also, its looks great driving down the highway. She is very HAPPY!!! And so am I! : )

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  Best Car in its class - 2004 Toyota Corolla
  By Bemisal - October 27 - 10:00 am

  I bought 2004 Toyota Corolla in Ausgust, 2004 and I have fallen in love with it. Hope my wife doest find this out!! It a good looking, well designed and fuel efficiet car. I highly recommend it to the prospective buyer.

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  We love our new Corolla! - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By sugakimsuga - October 27 - 10:00 am

  We love our new Corolla S, but its a little slow on the pick up. We were told that it could be the fact that we just moved from Florida to Colorado and the computer needs to adjust. And when we first bought the car we didnt know to keep it under a certain mph for the first hundred miles. I know its only a 4 cyl, but we have old cars beating us uphill! Itt gotten a little better, but were only gonna give it another few weeks before we bring it into the shop. Does anyone else have this problem?

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  Really Love My CorellaS - 2003 Toyota Corolla
  By YoMoma324 - October 27 - 10:00 am

  I have had my car for 2 months and I really Love it. I would recomend ir to anyone who is looking for a new car in this price range. One of the things not list above is the room in the trunk. It is a perfect car for me.

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  A good buy - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By CarBuyer - October 27 - 10:00 am

  Tested Accord, Altima. Settled on Camry SE, manual. Used CarMax.com no hassle price of $17,300 as the starting point with the dealerships. Got it down to $16,900 + tag + tax + $100 dealer processing fee.

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  Forever Camry - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Mike - October 27 - 8:43 am

  This is our 3rd Camry. This one is the best by far. Our other Camrys were 1987 & 1989 and since then the Camry has come a long way. We traded in our truck because we stopped driving it since the gas mileage was so poor. So, we decided to trade it in for something that got better gas mileage. We looked the Honda Accord found it too noisy and had no stablity control. The Hyundai Elantra not enough pep. The Nissan Altima not as smooth. The Camry was "perfect" I cant wait to drive it on vacation. This car will be in our family for a long, long time. We couldnt be happier with our purchase.

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  Toyota Solara - 2007 Toyota Camry Solara
  By ajwilke - October 27 - 6:53 am

  I have had a Solara for over 2 years now. It is a great car! I dont get as many admiring looks as I did with my MR2 Spyder, but it definitely gets noticed. It rides well and is very quiet. The back seat accommodates 2 adults easily and it has ample trunk room. The V-6 is very responsive and I have to be careful about speeding. I have had no problems with it. Only visits to the dealer for routine maintenance. If I ever have to replace it, I will definitely have this model at the top of my list.

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  Love the Tundra - Texas Female - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By Love my Tundra - October 27 - 3:13 am

  I love this truck. I can have a stressful day at work and when I get in my truck its all left behind. I wish I lived farther from work so I could drive it more. First vehicle Ive owned over 6 months and still love it. I still love walking out to a parking lot and knowing Im headed towards the best looking truck in the lot. Its just fun to drive. Getting on freeways is fun with the power of this truck. Watch your speed in this truck. Its so smooth I often catch myself speeding.

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  A Great Choice!! - 2006 Toyota 4Runner
  By Vinny Turner - October 26 - 3:40 pm

  After driving this for three weeks, Im am soooo happy that I purchased this vehicle. Smooth and comfortable ride for an SUV. The V6 provides plenty of power and the gas mileage is better than I expected. Plenty of leg room for both the front and back seats (Im 65"), though the headroom could be a tiny bit higher. Quiet ride and responsive steering. Easy access to all instrument controls. This is the first imported car Ive ever owned and I should have gone import many years sooner. My 2000 Ford Explorer was a headache from day one! Other than buying a Corvette in the future, Ill never buy American again. Toyota will have a customer for life!