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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  Reliability Problems - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Jim - November 26 - 10:06 am

  Bought new; since then 3 windshields, 3 sets of rear and 2 sets of front brakes, 3 transmission transfer cases, and both sets of rear wheel bearings. Everything except the engine seems to be under specified. The Toyota dealer tells me to sell it as it was made on Monday! My 97 Avalon required only $40 worth of unscheduled maintenance at 130K miles. Whats happened to Toyota quality?

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  Worse car Ive ever owned - 2005 Toyota Prius
  By Rangita - November 25 - 9:23 am

  I just sold mine at carmax. My Prius started to fall apart after two years and 55000 miles on it. The engine is great but the body part is the worst one you can have. Mine was loaded with full options because I was thinking its going to be our family car but I started to have problems after 18 months of use. Im glad to get rid of it.

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  Disappointed - 2005 Toyota Tundra
  By camper_5 - November 16 - 12:20 pm

  Owned a 2005 Toyota Tundra, 4WD crew cab for 3 years now. Drives alright. Ergonomics of layout of controls is not great. Large blind spots on either side. Tows my 28 ft. trailer on level land alright but the least hill and the V8 really struggles. Good 4 wheeling truck. Not enough power and torque, I dont think I will buy one again.

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  Transmission Problems - 2005 Toyota Camry
  By JC @ Franklin, Tn - November 14 - 9:50 pm

  The 5-speed transmission on the V6 is dangerous. When you pull into from traffic and accelerate there is too long a lag time before the car begins to move and then it takes too long to get up to speed. The transmission kickdown to pass can take 1.5 to 2 secs before it kicks in. Almost had a wreck because of it.

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  Only so-so - 2006 Toyota Avalon
  By Mary Short - November 12 - 2:20 pm

  I would like this car more if it were built better and the seats were more comfortable. Ive had several problems with the transmission and the electrical system. Ive had it at the dealer three times since buying. Plus, the seats are too hard.

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  Can embarras some coupes. - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By Winston Ferolin - November 10 - 5:50 am

  The RAV 4 V6 is a pocket rocket. Its power is so tempting to use everytime. I can stand my own even against some coupes.

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  Not what they used to be... - 2003 Toyota Tundra
  By RickThompson2 - November 9 - 5:46 pm

  I bought my truck brand new in march of 02. I heard good things in the past about toyota but soon found they couldnt handle the load of a worktruck like an american pickup. Paid 26,500 for my SR5 4x4 V8.. bad decision. While traveling though new mexico at 4800 miles my axle wentt bad in the rear, started to whine and went out, had to be towed.. at 28000 my transfer case wouldnt shift into 4x4 and started to grind, left me stranded in the mud looking like a fool, it was defective, my stereo soon went out, along with my passenger window.. im no complainer so i overlooked all those ridiculous problems, then at 42k my brakes failed and at 75k my tranny was slipping like ive never seen.

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  Ill be happier when I sell it - 2008 Toyota Avalon
  By Brett - October 28 - 2:41 am

  Some pros are that there is a tremendous amount of interior space, especially in the back seat and the gas mileage is excellent for such a roomy car that has plenty of power. Cons are the steering/suspension make it seem like you are driving a 1970s Buick - float, float, wallow, float some more. My car has both the headlight and dash cracking issue that the previous owners never got repaired under the recalls. Plus, there are the typical Toyota annoyances - there is no retained accessory power, so your radio goes off and your windows dont work as soon as you shut off the key, you cant lock the car until all the doors are shut, secondary controls are unlit at night and impossible to see without bending all sorts of ways, the doors will relock if you dont open them in time, etc. Maybe I just got too used to the thinking behind GM engineering, but I really appreciate the little things included in my Chevy that this Toyota does have, even though it stickered for $10,000 more than my Chevy when new. Overall, this Avalon is acceptable if you have few other options but I will be getting rid it within the next year and buying another GM car.

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  Very Disappointing At This Point! - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By Greg - October 25 - 5:34 am

  Our new Toyota Highlander with the XLE package has been in the shop even before we received our license plates! We did have 5 1/2 weeks of "new car happiness". Then, while out of town, the tailgate would no longer close (automatically or manually). Then the automatic open/close completely ceased working as well. It is designed so you can manually move the tailgate up and down, but with the latch in locked position and refusing to open, we could no longer secure the door closed. I removed the access panel for the latch and tried to open it, unsuccessfully After calling and speaking with service departments at two dealerships and to a Toyota phone rep, we were still unable to resolve closing the tailgate. In fairness, the service departments did several steps of troubleshooting with me over the phone. But to no avail, - during our 140 mile trip back home, I secured the tailgate with a rope connected to the locked latch. I visited the dealership after returning home. They said the latch has malfunctioned. They also could not open it. The electronics for the auto opening & closing tailgate and the struts (lifters) may also need replacing. They ordered a new latch and said they would replace one thing at a time and troubleshoot until resolved. No time estimate was given since they couldnt tell how many components would need replacing. I asked about a loaner vehicle, while the work was to be done. The dealership said that they dont have loaners, but they do have rentals. They said they were unwilling to "loan" me a rental, because theyd have to bill Toyota for the rental fee. Hows that for taking care of your customers!!

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  Think twice before you buy one - 1997 Toyota Camry
  By I Hate Camry - October 20 - 10:00 am

  Prior to purchase my Camry, I heard many good things about it, was I wrong? 136 Hp for the size of this car is a joke. My 93 Nissan Altima has 156 Hp. It screamed, when I needed to accelerate. 3 Months after I bought, it needed a front and back brake system. 1 month later, strut mounts and @ 90K the struts needed to be replaced. Dealer said struts last 90K. I have a 93 Nissan Altima w/ 150K everything is still original. @ 92K the electrical system started acting funny. It kept draining my battery. Thanks to Sears, they replaced battery twice under warranty. If you think this is a good, reliable car, my answer is: You have never seen and driven a good car.