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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  Disappointed. First and last Toyota. :( - 2001 Toyota Tacoma
  By 909george - January 1 - 2:00 am

  Purchased at 18 sold at 19 years old. Toyota needs to learn a lot from these trucks. Underpowered gas hog comes to mind. Dash rattles and poor dealer service are the norm. Truck is overpriced and overated. Constant small "non toyota-like" problems occur. Water gets in lamps and windows. Fix your mistakes Toyota.

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  Had to Junk Our Sienna Due to Oil Sludge - 2001 Toyota Sienna
  By going.back.to.honda - December 29 - 3:20 am

  Purchased a new 2001 Sienna XLE in 2000. 3 years later we had to replace the engine due to oil sludge. Toyota calls it "oil gel". Toyota fought us at first but then agreed to fix the car when we produced oil change receipts. 2 years after that the engine started leaking oil, and we had to replace all the oil seals. Again we had to fight Toyota for reimbursement. Also around this time we incurred over $1800 in costs to replace various fuel and exhaust sensors. And even after that, the check engine light kept coming on. Finally after another 2 years (we had the car 7 years and 80k miles at this point), and a major oil-related repair bill, the engine seized again from oil gel build-up. Avoid the Sienna. We junked the car after spending thousands on oil sludge related repairs and two engine seizures. A total nightmare.

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  RAV - 1997 Toyota RAV4
  By FRED DURST - December 22 - 10:00 am

  HARD RIDE NO FUN TO DRIVE SEVERAL TRIPS BACK FOR NOSIE IN CAR

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  Material and Mechanical Parts are so Cheap - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By Thuy Vp - December 18 - 1:35 am

  I own 2005 Toyota Camry (this is my 2nd Camry) and the quality of this one is terrible. The fabric inside has rolled up cotton ball. The fabric of the ceiling inside the car was all falling apart. The plastic inside is all loosen up. Its value is really bad compared to my previous Camry. My sister bought a 2012 Camry and the same thing happened to her. The material is so cheap. Not to mention all the mechanical parts - they dont last like the old Camry. We decided No more Camry and had shared this problem with everyone we know.

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  Could have been great... - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By heymark - December 14 - 5:25 pm

  ItÂ’s a good looking car with great trunk space thats wider than many SUVs. The 6 cylinder has great acceleration and is fairly nimble when driving around town. Unfortunately, Toyota cut too many costs with this car. The plastic dash and faux wood inserts look cheap and the leather looks like shiny vinyl. The cabin is very loud at high speeds and the low profile of the 20 inch tires lets you feel every bump. Despite 13 JBL speakers, the sound is average. Nav and backup camera work fine, but the screen resolution is very low. At 30k miles, the steering column had to be replaced and at 36k miles, trans is starting to wine.

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  CAMRY HAS SLIPPED - 2013 Toyota Camry
  By Les - December 13 - 6:48 am

  Our 2013 does not measure up to our 2002. Its noisy, has uncomfortable seats, poor visibility, glare from dash reflects on windshield, poor audio, and rocks side to side with minor road undulations. We also had an 87 which we loved, but the 2013 has seriously slipped.

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  Never Again - 2007 Toyota Sienna
  By Padre - December 8 - 11:33 pm

  I bought the Toyota because I heard of its great quality reputation. After three months with this lug, I cant wait until my lease is up. It has been back to the dealer four times thus far: poor transmission, trim pieces around the a-pillar breaking, a wind noise coming from the passenger door that nobody seems to be able to fix. The thing handles like a semi, and is about as refined suspension wise.

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  The "Avolanpong" - 2016 Toyota Avalon
  By J Miller - December 8 - 4:36 pm

  The 4th generation 2012 -16 Avalons has the ride comfort of a bouncing ping pong ball. Just terrible...most large sedans also have re engineered suspensions to give a much stiffer ride but Avalon wins the award for having the ride and seat comfort of a hay wagon. Avoid it like the plague if you are looking for a comfortable large size sedan.

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  Toyota is loosing ground to others - 2008 Toyota Camry
  By camry20 - December 2 - 1:49 am

  First and last time to buy Toyota brand. I have a 2008 Camry LE bought almost brand new. Since I got it I had few repairs I did not expect. First the U joint for the Steering wheel column right at 50K miles after the warranty expired. Few thousand miles later the left front Spring broken and paid another 900 $ to replace the spring and strut. Not to mention the engine starting to burn oil already at 50K miles too. I had a windstar few years back and had a spring broken and because Ford is having a concern for their customers Safety they did have a recall on this problem. Toyota should not be even operating in NA when they do not care about those issues that could put drivers at risk

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  Avalon = Pain - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By Uncomfortable car - November 30 - 10:53 pm

  I was duped by its performance. Once the honeymoon was over, the pain started. This car is large in every dimension except one: the room for the driver!! The console restricts the available leg room. The pedals are oddly spaced causing you to have to twist your foot at an odd angle in order to depress the accelerator. The driverÂ’s seating position is terrible. The seat cushion is like sitting on a 2 by 4: No comfort whatsoever!! There is no lateral support for your thighs. I have driven this vehicle for over 13000 miles to date and have yet to find a comfortable driving position. Save yourself the pain. Buy a different car.