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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  Recall for sludge - 1998 Toyota Avalon
  By vicky - November 19 - 2:16 pm

  At around 113000 miles their is a oil gel/sludge in the engine below the valves. At 131340 miles there was dried oil in the form of coffee grinds in the internal oil screen that filters the oil inside the oil pan cover. WHEN OIL LIGHT comes on at 131340 miles HAVE IT TOWED to your closest dealer or you will be paying for a new engine. Make sure you tell the Service Manager NO ONE IS TO DRIVE IT or let it run at idle. Or you will have major internal engine damage. I was not notified by the manufacture that there was a recall for sludge ... so if it is smoking that could be the sign that it has an oil gel problem and it is covered by the manufacture. At 131300 miles changed front springs.

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  Happy with my 2010 Camry SE V6 - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By SH Jones - November 17 - 9:33 pm

  I have enjoyed my 2010 Camry SE V6 since purchasing it new in late 2009. Have experienced no problems so far (recall related or otherwise) and enjoy excellent customer service at Nalley Toyota in Roswell. This vehicle offers great versatility, design and features for the money. Also think its a big plus this car is made by US workers. Perfect for business use or as a family cruiser.

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  Early thoughts on 2012 Sienna - 2012 Toyota Sienna
  By dwkreutzer - November 17 - 10:23 am

  Since this is a first-week review, take it with a grain of salt. So far, it is excellent. We traded in an 8-year-old Sedona, so the impress-me hurdle is pretty low. Nevertheless, the Sienna is impressive even though we purchased the base model V6 with the only options being floor mats (why arent they standard?) and towing prep. Im 62" and found that all the seats (driver, second row, and third row) were able to accomodate me comfortably. I just returned from an 800-mile trip and couldnt get over how smooth and comfortable the ride/drive was. Averaged over 25 mpg. Powerful engine, great feeling brakes, and good-for-minivan steering. Felt very solid and stable.

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  A Rav4 Cant Start - 2007 Toyota RAV4
  By ToyotaNoMore - November 17 - 6:03 am

  I have owned many Toyota (4Runner, Camry) - this is the third one and the last one - quality control has been an issue for my Rav4. There were quite a lot squeeze noise on the plastic part in the interior even when its brand new. Spent some time to fix them. Now second year - the vehicle wont be able to start every 5 to 7 days. Its not battery for sure. It could be security system, starter, spark -- dealers (yes, I tried two Toyota dealers) wont fix it because they cant duplicate the error so they cant fix it. Oh, by the way, the audio system display started to not show anything, or strange Japanese characters. If you press the panel really hard - it fixes the problem.

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  Toyota RAV4 L - 2000 Toyota RAV4
  By Jonni928 - November 16 - 8:46 pm

  An overall wonderful small SUV. The build quality is rock solid. My experience with reliability has been excellent, I have never owned a vehicle so reliable. The engine and transmission work wonderfully, and the engine is suprisingly powerful for a 2.0 L.

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  Learning to Slow Down - 2004 Toyota Prius
  By Vindicator - November 15 - 5:50 pm

  The car has never failed to please - except with the HVAC system and interface - which is clearly not up to the challenges of upstate NY in the winter. Stock tires leave a lot to be deired in traction and handling -get four snow tires from tirerack. Actual mileage has averaged out to 41.8 MPG. Trust me - your driving habits will change to accomodate the car. It appreciates speeds of =< 62 and is happiest with a commute lasting at least 20 minutes, particularly when the weather is colder than 40. It takes that long for the battery stack to come up to temp and effectively contribute to moving the car.

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  Transmision - 2000 Toyota Camry
  By T.K. - November 15 - 10:56 am

  I purchased this car used in 2004 because of its reputation. Its been very reliable, only wearable parts needed to be replaced. Although when I first got it, I was spending a small fortune trying to keep the check engine off, just learned to live with it (they really need to fix their sensors). For 5 years it has been a good daily commuter, until last week when the transmission went out, which will cost $3000 to replace. Its a lot of money for a car with 135K. I was planing on driving this car for at least another 50K, most cars now a days will run at least 150K.

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  I own an XLE AWD hybrid, just rented this one - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By stevefromtheburbs - November 15 - 2:29 am

  Faced with the TSA backlogs and nonsense at the airport, I decided to drive back from Atlanta, to Philly, using a one way rental. It was a 2016 RAV4, FWD, XLE. I own an XLE hybrid version, so I knew it would be comfortable as I love my owned one. Well, what was supposed to be a 13 hour drive, turned into an 18 hour drive. All in one day, leaving the airport rental lot at 5am, arriving at Philly airport at 11pm. We stopped by our house to drop off our bags before going to the airport, adding 1 hour. But, the point of the story is that after 18 hours on the road with this car, I will tell you I have never been more comfortable on a long car ride - and this was the longest Ive been on in a one day trip. Yes, the paint on the hood does chip easily, my rental had lots of them from lots of highway miles. On my own car, I added a bug/stone deflector, and it helps. But the hybrid is made in Japan, and the paint is a higher quality. I know, I had the 2015 LIMITED that I traded in on the XLE hybrid. The 2015 had lots of chips on the hood and around the door frames. The 2016 hybrid does not. So, a great car, love it alot, and if the paint chips bother you, get the hybrid while they are still made in Japan. Nothing bad to say about my rental, and would highly recommend for anyone who wants a great SUV/CUV without any drama/problems/etc. The paint thing was frustrating, but the bug deflector seemed to help alot.

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  mrtopsride - 2004 Toyota Camry Solara
  By shawn ducreay - November 14 - 1:16 pm

  First of all, owning the new bodystyle solara has been a quite big difference than the other mid-size cars Im typically use to. Its built stronger and rides much better than other cars in its price range, but the horsepower needs much improvements for its price. The car is beautiful once you add the right rims to it, but otherwise boring looking without them. The car furthermore caters to an older (30-40) traditional type driver verses a younger more enthusiatic sports tuned driver. On a whole, the car is very nice to drive and has a lot of room to offer for a family of five to fit comfortably without any cramping in the back.

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  Super Reliable Transportation - 1999 Toyota Corolla
  By Laptev - November 14 - 2:00 am

  Ive owned my 99 Corolla LE for 4 years now and am now thinking of trading it in. This car has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned. Even on -10 degree days it starts up exactly like it was 75 degrees in July - instantly. My biggest complaint is that the car feels like it gets tossed around by bumps a little too easily. But this is probably a result of being a small car more than anything else.