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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  Mediocre - 2010 Toyota 4Runner
  By Joseph - September 29 - 2:43 pm

  Have had for 2 months and about 8k miles. Ok at best.. I too felt really great the first weeks but the flaws are beginning to reveal themselves. Notwithstanding the issues toyota is dealing with right now I have found the quality of this vehicle lacking in several areas. It is decent basic transportation but not much more.

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  an older model - 2004 Toyota Echo
  By emery - September 26 - 10:00 am

  Shaky steering wheel was really bad but dealer finally fixed it, mostly, tho it still does shake. Wipers were bad when new and just got worse. Do not clean the windshield.

• 

  poor - 2003 Toyota Camry
  By Cindi - September 26 - 10:00 am

  brake problems starting at 8000 miles, car in shoe more then at home. replacing brakes every 8000 miles per Toyota is normal.

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  Ughhhh - 2008 Toyota Corolla
  By akristakat1982 - September 24 - 10:00 am

  I bought my Corolla brand new and have had issues since the first month I had it. My tire pressure light goes off every time theres a slight change in temperature, even though the PSI is what its supposed to be. I was told by the service dept. that it was a faulty sensor, and they didnt know if it would be covered by warranty. Then there has been the recalls, which happens with any manufacturer. However, today I brought my car in for my 30k mi. service and they discovered my water pump was leaking (covered by warranty) and my drivetrain belt needed to be replaced. I bought a new car, and specifically a Toyota, to avoid having constant issues while I was paying on it.

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  2nd RAV4 Purchase - 2011 Toyota RAV4
  By Dereck - September 24 - 10:00 am

  Repeat buyer 2nd RAV4 purchase, 1st was a 2003 model. Narrowed down the choices to a Honda CRV, Chevy Equinox, and the RAV4. Quickly eliminated the Chevy because of reported maintenance issue. (note the Chevys interior styling, ride comfort and noise was superior to the Honda and Toyota) RAV4 won out over the Honda because it is a more comfortable, and factory/dealer incentives were very attractive.

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  Engine Issues - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By mcgeem1 - September 22 - 12:56 pm

  It is embarassing to drive this car on cold mornings. When it is below 40 degrees out, the motor sounds like there is no oil in it. It taps so loud that people look to see what the clatter is. Toyota corporate claims that this is normal but they will not put it in writing. This vehicle drives like a luxury car. The motor is peppy. The handling is responsive. The moon roof squeaks a lot. the dealer allegedly replaced something but the visible components still had wear marks after the alleged replacement. I think they greased it. it was quiet for about five months. There is also a loud cracking sound from the front end that the dealer has not been able to find (under warranty)

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  Mixed review - 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid
  By S S - September 20 - 4:33 am

  Having been a Toyota owner now since the late 90s I unfortunately have to say that things have been going down hill as far as my experience with Toyota and this Avalon. I have had more little issues come with this car than the total of all my other Toyotas. So Ill start with the issues. 1) The tires, Bridgestone Turanzas are by far the worst tires Ive ever had. I finally got rid of them at 17k. Increasingly noisy, poor traction, very harsh ride, like stones. I test drove an Avalon with the Michelins on it and they were much better. My car was located and I had no idea these poor quality tires existed until driving this care for a few weeks. I replaced them with Pirelli P7s and they are much better tires on this car. 2) The headliner started falling down around the rear of the sunroof. The dealer attempted the first fix from Toyota and succeeded in getting fingerprints all over the headliner. This is not to be confused with the headliners falling down near the rear window on the 2013s, this is another issue. The second time I took it back Toyota had come up with another fix and it worked, and the dealer succeeded in getting finger prints all over the headliner and complained about having to clean them off because the tech had used gloves and he couldnt have done it? Well at least that defect if finally fixed. 3) The chrome trim at the bottom of the rear passenger drivers side window started lifting up. You can push it down, but it comes back up if you raise the window. The dealer said theyd call when they get the replacement, havent heard in over a month. Ill need to remind them. 4) The vinyl on the armrest is cracking on a corner. Toyota uses vinyl all over on these leather interiors FYI. The cracking is occurring on a sharp wrap around surface where you dont even touch it. The vinyl material surface is flaking off. Others on the TN website are reporting the same issue but much worse in some cases. Toyota did replace the armrest under warranty. 5) The radio just dies in AM or FM mode. You can move from station to station (as if in mute) but no sound. If you stop the car and re-start its fine. And of course the dealer is unable to help since it only does it once in a while. So thats my list of issues at 20,000 miles. The negatives you will want to make sure you are OK with on these cars 1) Harsh ride, better tires help but Toyota seems to think people want a car that rides harsh and handles so-so instead of a car that rides nice and handles so-so. 2) The seats are pretty firm and as time goes on you feel like you are riding on the seat frames. Poor design for comfort. 3) The power lumbar is very poor, the adjustment is very limited and its hard to find a comfortable position. My 2012 Camry was much better. 4) The NAV unit is absolutely horrible. Unfortunately Toyota sticks you with this NAV and mediocre stereo. The NAV updates are near $200 and only available once a year. If you ask the dealer, they dont seem to know much about it. I use my iPhone most of the time its much more intuitive, roads are updated constantly, and the GUI is much simpler. 5) The Entune firmware is like something from the early 2000s. Its horribly slow, and the Bluetooth setup needs to be re-paired every now and then since it gets messed up. Toyota has really fallen behind with this firmware, the apps are ancient and my iPhone blows it away, yet my iPhone cant interface with the display. There is all these harassing screen warnings that I eventually figured out to disable for the most part, but I now rarely use it since its so dated compared to phone apps. Most people I know with Toyotas rarely use their NAVs or Entune, if ever. So the likes 1) MPG, MPG, MPG incredible. For a full size car its hard to believe you can get 40-45mpg with a little finessing and attention to mpg increasing techniques. 2) The drivetrain is great. The Toyota Hybrid Drive System is flawless so far and the transitions between Electric and ICE drive is hard to notice. The ECVT transmission has no shift points and is smooth as butter. The drive power delivery is quiet and smooth. 3) I like the brakes, they have a balanced amout of effort stopping power. 4) Steering is precise and well balanced as far as effort and road feel for a car this size. The steering wheel design is also great. Very comfortable. 5) The exterior is attractive IMO as is the interior. Great aesthetic design again IMO. So the bottom line is the 2014 Toyota Avalon Hybrid Touring is a very nice looking car inside and out with an excellent proven Hybrid drive train that delivers excellent MPG for a car this size. Where it falls down is the harsh ride, firm seat bottoms, poor interior quality material (vinyl), and some pesky quality fails at 20k.

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  Toyota is Reliable Despite Quality Issue - 1998 Toyota Camry
  By AlmostTRDCamry - September 15 - 10:00 am

  I have owned this Camry for over 5 years. It has served as the most reliable vehicle despite 3 major defects that you wouldnt expect in a Toyota (verified online). 1)Oxygen Sensor 2)Engine Gel 3)ISC Valve Fortunately, these arent expensive repairs, but persist despite recommended maintenance in the handbook. Despite not being able to start the car reliably, the car will run. Buy again? Not this one, it mustve been the worst generation. If you dont like body roll, upgrade the tires to 16" Kumho Ecstas, this is a major handling upgrade. Major pet peeve, this car rides low and scrapes steep driveways.

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  Unacceptable Comfort - 2004 Toyota Tacoma
  By Ernie - September 14 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle, is probably the most uncomfortable vehicle I have ever owned, and my other vehicle is a Toyota Camry, no matter in what position I set it in, it is just not at all comfortable, I realize that this particular review will be ignored (Because of the negative feedback)but I sure wished I had my Dodge Ram back!.

• 

  OIL ISSUES ON THIS CAR - 2001 Toyota Celica
  By kimgtk - September 13 - 12:08 pm

  I bought this car off a used car dealer. I had it 30 days. NO engine light ever came on, but the oil was dry and the engine is blown because of it. I checked on recalls and even though this seems to be a common problem (on the boards) there are not any recalls. I checked with the seller and they said I bought it as is, which I did. I am stuck with a loan for this car and the engine is blown. Im very dissapointed and upset. I would never buy this car .....ever!