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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  Fun Machine - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By Prashanth - January 12 - 12:26 pm

  We bought a Limited v6, 2WD with third row seat. Now that we have been driving it for a week, we love it. Its really zippy, drives and maneuvers like our sedan. The v6 option is really great. The interior is comfortable, the dash design could have been better. Overall a great buy. The negative, we had a very tough time finding one with third row seat. Very few in the market, we had to pick our third choice of color. The options were pathetic. If you pick third row seat you get nothing else. Overall this was a major disappointment.

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  Pleased with the Camry - 2009 Toyota Camry
  By Karen - January 12 - 4:43 am

  First Toyota Camry purchase. XLE 6 cyl, 3.5 has many features. Average miles: approx. 27 MPG highway miles. Great pickup & fast on the highway.

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  Camry XLE Opinion - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By TangoKid999 - January 12 - 2:36 am

  The Camry XLE V6 is an excellent car, probably one of the most reliable cars on the road today. We have had 0 defects and have spent $0 on repairs in the first 30,000 miles.

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  First Impressions - 2013 Toyota Venza
  By tduke - January 11 - 8:21 am

  Just took delivery of a 2013 Venza FWD Limited. Cross shopped this vehicle with the Honda Crosstour and considered the Ford Edge. I liked the exterior stying and relative quiet and performance. Reliability remains to be seen but hope its better than my previous GM product. Im hoping gas mileage is 23 mpg or better as most of my driving is on the highway at cruising speeds.

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  Salesman should of mentioned more - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By JC Santa Fe - January 11 - 5:13 am

  This is my first Toyota after owning a Honda Civic. I am a good sized man and I am comfortable in the Corolla, which is important.

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  Good car for Canadian teenager - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By Derek1269 - January 10 - 10:00 am

  Great car it has over 190,000klm and still runs great. Never a doubt that it will breakdown needs a little more strength for highway travel with 5 occupants along with better suspension. Reliability is what makes this car great at my dealership a man owns a camry with over 600,000klms and he "drives the hell out of it" the exterior will go before the engine

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  over priced - 2001 Toyota Sequoia
  By bdouglaw - January 10 - 10:00 am

  I like everything about the Seqouia but the retail price.

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  My truck is going to run forever - 1999 Toyota Tacoma
  By toys99 - January 9 - 4:36 pm

  I currently have 131000 miles on my truck all I have done is oil changes. Truck runs like a top. Yeah, the seats are not good, but hey its a truck.

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  Good Economy Car - 2007 Toyota Yaris
  By nightfrog65 - January 9 - 6:34 am

  This was my 1st new car bought in 2007, and it hasnt let me down in the 6 years Ive driven it. Its a basic economy car, so I went in not expecting leather heated seats, GPS, and backup cameras. Plus, it gets good gas mileage, so there is much less money to spend on fuel compare to many vehicles on the road today. Its not hybrid, so no $10K battery replacement costs nor electronics needed to manage the dual electric/gas powertrain system. The only downsides I can report are lack of standard tachometer and arm rest. I bought an aftermarket arm rest online, and that helped on long trips.

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  Best van Ive ever purchased! - 2006 Toyota Sienna
  By mmcnamara - January 9 - 1:21 am

  This van has been a fantastic vehicle for almost seven years, ferrying our family from the Atlantic to the Pacific without fail. The 3.3 seems stronger than the 215 hp rating, and the mileage is consistently 20 mpg in town, and 26 mpg regularly on the highway. In 114K miles, Ive done 2 front brake jobs, 3 sets of tires, 1 timing belt service, 2 top-offs of the A/C system for a slow leak,and a shock that was replaced under warranty at 38K - thats it. In thirty years of owning vehicles, both domestic and imported, the Sienna has been the most trouble-free of all of them.