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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  my corolla s - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By perry - January 9 - 10:06 am

  Its a nice car. I bought the White S model. Performance is a bit on the weak side for get up and go. Very nice interior and nicely detailed. Electric steering a bit touchy on highway and hard to make the car go straight after without touching the wheel. You can plug in the iPod into the auxiliary jack. So far its turning a few heads as there is a 7 week wait for delivery and not many on the road yet. So far 444 km and 1st fill was 48.00 at 132 a litre so its not too bad on fuel. I like the computer that tells you how many miles you can still travel on your fuel, this is a nice roomy commuter car with some class.

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  Gary W - 2004 Toyota Prius
  By gswolfe9 - January 9 - 10:00 am

  Toyota has another winner! This vehicle is surprisingly lively for a 1.5L engine. handling is that of a much heavier car; very solid. A little limited on cargo space but still able to transport a wheel chair. Ideal for around town driving and excellent milage on hiway.

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  TOYOTA KICKS ASS AGAIN - 2004 Toyota Tacoma
  By mustang921 - January 9 - 10:00 am

  Bought my truck in May of 2004....researched and test drove it for about 2 weeks. could not be happier with it. toyota is the king of building a reliable vechicle. the prerunner looks great, has great handling and all the mumbo jumbo of a crappy ride is CRAP. it has an awesome ride for a truck and u cannot top the offroad capability....espsecially with the TRD package which includes the blistein shocks for a more stiffer ride.the interior looks excellent as well..i have the radient red color so the tan cloth looks good. the transmission shifts sooo smoothly and the V6 pumps out almost 200 horses so it does have great power for its size. you cant beat the quality of a toyota truck

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  Great Minivan - 2005 Toyota Sienna
  By MD Jim - January 9 - 10:00 am

  This minivan has everything you could want, while being a very quiet and smooth ride. The LE model I purchased is quieter than the new and improved Honda Odyssey Touring Edition we test drove. I am really impressed by the engineering, ergonomics, and overall functionality. I cant wait to take it on future family vacations.

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  Great minivan w/HF package paid $35,900 - 2004 Toyota Sienna
  By MMK - January 9 - 10:00 am

  We just had our first baby - now six months old. Have VW Passat wagon but even it fills up quickly when we travel (stroller, crib, suitcases, coolor, kitchen sink - you get the idea!). Anyway, we just needed more space and ride quality. The wife was anti- minivan at first but changed after test driving. We checked them all out. My criteria was quiet, smooth ride, and reliability. Sienna beat all others hands down, in our opinion. We also considered Lexus RX330 but was just too small and a bit too expensive (but a totally cool car). The Sienna is a Lexus with a Toyota label. The ride is smooth and quiet. Gas mileage started out bad but now (after 1500 miles) we get 25 mpg hwy.

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  Static Noise from Radio Speakers !!! - 2004 Toyota Camry
  By aventura1 - January 9 - 10:00 am

  Very good vehicle. We had a 1992 Camry until we bought this 2004 model. Reliability is a given with Camrys...

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  i think the best car - 2005 Toyota Corolla
  By christos1 - January 9 - 10:00 am

  i believe this is the best car in the market for the price.

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  heated seats? - 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid
  By pabrocb - January 9 - 12:43 am

  I retired early. When I worked I drove 100 miles a day. We put an additional 10K miles on this car in a year. I think everyone in the family takes it to save gas. Other car is a BMW 330 convertible, my last car was a Passat Wagon all wheel drive.

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  Another Home Run - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By DrMike - January 8 - 10:20 pm

  My first SUV was narrowed down to Infiniti FX35, Nissan Murano and Subaru Tribeca. Although the other 3 were out of my league pricewise was settling down to going with Pontiac Torrent, but with poor GM reliabilty on 3.4 engine and huge Red flag on it now built in China and that companies lack of customer support was simply overwhelmed when I drove the new RAV4. A very pleasant surprise and although more expensive than in 2005, well worth the extra bucks. Build quality is exceptional as well as ride and a peppy 3.5 Ltr V6 that has ooomph. I felt however that options were very limited and to get a sunroof had to go with Limited, oh well cant have everything.

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  Our 2nd Rav 4, we take another! - 2002 Toyota RAV4
  By Randy - January 8 - 9:30 pm

  We already own a 1998 Rav 4 with 168000 miles and not a single trip to the repair shop. We purchased the 2002 Rav 4 for a 2nd vehicle and would recommend the Rav4 to anyone interested in purchasing a small, economical and fun to drive vehicle. I hope Toyota makes this model for 20 more years. I drove our 1998 Rav4 through 11 inches of snow on unplowed roads last January and passed many vehicles that were larger and stuck.