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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  beware the AC - 2002 Toyota Sequoia
  By wishicouldrecommend - September 9 - 10:00 am

  would love to recommend the sequoia, but cant. with less than 10,000 miles of easy driving, ours is back in the shop a 3rd time for a broken AC. there is a technical service bulletin on the AC problems, so it is an acknowledged problem. first, the compressor seized causing $1,700 worth of warranty repairs. now, the AC mostly doesnt work. service department doesnt know whats wrong. they seem to be guessing. for $40,000, and being a toyota, this experience has been a true disappointment. the only other person i know with a sequoia had the same problems. what are the chances? well, it tells me that this must be a fairly widespread problem.

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  Dont buy a Totota Tundra!!! - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By ll liveoak - September 4 - 5:40 pm

  Do not make the same mistake that I made! My pickup has been in the shop for 3 months of the 10 months that I have owned it. At present Toyota is replacing the airbag sensors and the 6 speed transmission. Also, I now understand that the tailgate will need to be replaced due to design errors. Toyota has never built a full size pickup before and it may be years before they get it right. Dont take the chance like I did or you may fegret it. Also, they do not hold their value because Toyota is now discounting them to get rid of them. Leonard Liveoak

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  Toyota Misses The Mark - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By TK - September 1 - 6:17 am

  I was prepared to sell my 2005 TRD Tacoma for a new 2016 TRD Pre-runner Sport until I drove one. The new engine is supposedly from a Lexus. Gives Lexus a bad name. Actually the engine is probably fine, but in the interest of CAFE mileage requirements Toyota has crushed the spirit of the previous model Tacoma. The drivers seat bottom cushion isnt as long, sits flatter, seems thinner and harder, thereby offering far less thigh support, appearing as though the change was to reduce weight. Push the pedal for rapid acceleration and you get a 25 yrs. ago bad case of turbo lag while the computer appears to be giving you time to decide whether you really want to jeopardize your attempt at breaking your previous mileage record. In like kind, it is geared for mileage and therefore downshifts at the slightest throttle advance. I like mileage, but this is a pickup truck. There are way to defeat some of this, but then Im pushing this 3.5L engine most of the time in an attempt to get what I got from my previous 4L version. There are some nice techy items if you want your medium size truck to feel more like your, I dont know, Lexus. When I asked whether Toyota was fixing some of this on the soon to be released 2017 I got the, "Toyota puts a lot of engineering, money and thought into their designs and then sticks with them". Hmm, a tone of "Wed agree with you if we werent senior sales staff". So I bought the newest version of Tacoma similar to my 2005, a 2015, only to find that rather than have improved power and torque over 10 yrs. of refinement, my "visually identical" 4L engine now had 236 HP instead of 245 HP, and 266 ft.lb torque instead of 282 ft.lb, but perhaps 1-2 mpg improved mileage. Im for mileage, but many companies appear to have figured out how to achieve both. I have not yet determined where the power and torque went other than likely remapping at Toyota, where they lock you out from youthful and less youthful free thoughts of tailoring your truck to fit your needs. Wait, for only $6,000 or a little more you can buy and install a supercharger from TRD for your 4L engine, which confirms that the engine can handle a lot more power. Toyota appears to understand what a quality truck is, just not yet the true spirit of a truck owner/driver. At this point I remembered the rest of my conversation with the sales guys and former car leader Bob Lutz. The days of our most satisfying autos are already behind us. Just wait another few years as CAFE pushes the cars and truck to autonomous pods with no heart and soul. As Bob Lutz said, the industry as we knew it will be dead and gone in 20 years (I say 15 yrs) and replaced with Uber-style, give me my tablet so I can order a ride. But why? That debated but likely true global warming thing is forcing us to protect the world from us and us from ourselves. So, if you believe any of this, buy your last vehicle youre likely to enjoy very soon, some critical spare parts, and nurse it until you can longer remember where it was you wanted to go or how to get home from there. Oh, and hope the govt doesnt impart penalties to encourage you to turn it in to your local recycling plant. Just had a vision of camo tarp covered, lifted, 6.X L diesel rock crushers hidden in the forest.

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  Dissapointment - 2011 Toyota Sienna
  By tip4u - August 31 - 12:50 am

  I am not mechanical at all .So this review is driver experience only .After driving 37,000kms and a year in ,the 2011 Sienna is uncomfortable in the drivers seat .Cheap seats. The design of the tracks that the middle row runs on, is horrible and the seats are so heavy to remove .I am 6ft and 190 lbs 40 yrs old and find it hard to remove the middle row .When you remove the middle row and fold the rear seats becareful not to damage the rails when you put your cargo in . The exterior paint is soft and the windshield is rough when the wipers pass over it on a showery day .Looks good on the outside .Lots of cargo area . The eight passenger will not be happy.Drives nicely and pick up is good

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  Too Many Problems - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By kit3375 - August 29 - 2:00 am

  This car has been nothing but a problem since the second year of owenrship. The alternator has been replaced twice. Strut mounts replaced. (still makes awful noise) Axle had to be replaced. Leaks transmission fulid. Rotors replaced. Tires last no longer than a year. Had to disconnect alarm system because every time it rained the alarm would go off and we couldnt get it off. Its costing more to repair this car than what we paid for it. Dont ever buy CAMRY!!!!!!!

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  Corolla - 2008 Toyota Corolla
  By Bobby - August 28 - 8:36 pm

  Good gas mileage and reliability. Will never buy again unless gas is $10 a gallon, due to the fact that the interior quality is terrible, cloth seats rake in the smells, engine power is downright pathetic. Have not driven in signicant snow, but I do not look forward to it since the tires spin out from a stop in the rain. Handling is decent, but body roll is terrible and uncomortable. Good suspension, loud engine but only decently loud from the interior. Good sound system. Good car only for those who care nothing about power and all about gas, as in slow highway drivers. Would much rather have a more luxurious car with decent mpgs and power.

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  You wont like the lugging - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Eric Chartrand - August 27 - 9:27 pm

  You know that feeling you get when driving a car/truck with a manual transmission and you shift too early. Thats what this truck does constantly. To try and maximize mpg, Toyota designed it to shift into a higher gear early which causes the rpms to drop to the low 1000s and results in that lugging/stuttering feeling. I have over 6000 miles on my truck now, this sole issue drives me crazy. It is something to be aware of during your test drive. You will notice it when maintaining speed only; not when accelerating. I notice it most when going 40-50mph. On my 5K scheduled maintenance, I told the service mechanic and they told me that is normal for all automatic tacomas. He said that he hears these complaints several times a week from owners. I will say that I love everything else about the truck. If they could fix this one problem, i would be so happy.

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  Nav lockout disappointing - 2010 Toyota RAV4
  By jacksonholerski - August 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought this vehicle after months of researching it and other vehicles. I cant believe I never came across anyone talking about the navigation system which does not allow you to use it when the vehicle is moving! I couldnt understand why the nav would only work sometimes and then on a road trip 2 days ago I finally stopped at an out of state dealer that told me why. It is so dangerous to stop to use the navigation system! I never would have bought either the car or the car with nav already in it. I feel cheated and betrayed and likely sell this car and demand a rebate from Toyota.

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  only owned it for a month - 2013 Toyota Tacoma
  By happy163 - August 25 - 11:05 pm

  I traded in my BMW for this truck and what a difference. I know I cant compare apples to oranges but basic things that were lacking in a 2013 model really irritated me. For instance I drove from California to the NW and on the way encountered cold weather, the side mirrors would fog up and there werent any defrosters to clear this up. Also, the gas mileage was awful. This truck doesnt have a very strong engine. The standard sound system was ok but could be improved. The gearing on the manual transmission was very hard to shift. i guess it would be good as a hauling vehicle for short trips but other than that definitely not a daily commuter.

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  06 Tacoma 4X4 - 2006 Toyota Tacoma
  By DJ - August 25 - 6:00 am

  Second truck issued, first was replaced using the lemon law. Current truck has clutch and 4x4 disengagement problems. I wished Toyota would have kept the Tacoma as a smaller truck... this would have helped with the gas mileage. Im currently getting 21 hwy / 18 city.