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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  Fragile, very fragile. - 2008 Toyota Tundra
  By Tom R. - September 30 - 5:00 am

  First the good news, this truck with the 5.7L engine gets very good MPG, hwy 21, city 15 unloaded. Unfortunately, that’s where the good news ends, I purchased this truck to tow my 5800 lbs travel trailer to and from the NC Mountains during the spring, summer and falls months, I got the 5.7L, SR5, extended cab with the tow package. On our first trip to Boon, NC we experienced the well documented reverberation and bouncing that comes with just the slightest change in road conditions…..and we only traveled the interstates and four lane highways. The second thing we noticed and it also is well documented in this forum, it the shifting between 5th and 6th gear on straight road. It dents easily.

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  Not worth the trouble - 2006 Toyota Corolla
  By Janet - September 25 - 3:36 pm

  Less than a year and 9000 km after I purchased my 2006 Corolla, my steering pump is broken and it is undriveable. The dealership says the part wont arrive for another month. Its Toyotas policy not to provide a rental car or any transportation for that matter until after 10 days that the part is on backorder. I am stuck without a car for 10 days. There was also another 06 Corolla in for the same problem. I was happy with my 1994 Corolla and not happy with my 2006. Toyota made no effort to salvage our relationship. Saturn and GM both say they provide transportation the same day if they expect a part not to arrive for a month.

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  Problems, problems, problems - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By Harold - September 22 - 2:00 am

  Had the car just 4 months. Been back to the dealer 4 times to get the alarm to stop going off! Dealer at first, didnt believe me. Said I was pushing buttons on the fob. Then it happened to them. Cant drive and leave the car anywhere. Horn goes off all on its own. Driving neighbors crazy. Dealer does not know what to do

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  Dont buy a 1999 Camery - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By Suckered by toyota - September 18 - 2:00 am

  I bought a certified used 1999 Camery XLS 6 months ago. So far Ive had to replace the brakes, fuel injectors, and a value spring. This car has been in the shop 6 times trying to get theses problems fix. After $1,800 in repairs Im going to try and get rid of this car.

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  Toyota is Slipping - 2008 Toyota RAV4
  By voicedude - September 17 - 7:59 am

  I bought this car for the engine, and it remains the best feature of the car. But I have had ongoing problems with the transmission, and many others have, too. This is only true with the 5-speed transmission on the V6 (not the 4-cyl.) The now infamous "whining transmission" noise that has been well documented on the owners forums (search transmission noise on RAV4 World and others) is something you will want to consider when youre buying this vehicle used. Also the poor response from Toyota in fixing the problem under warranty has completely soured me on the ownership experience, so I wouldnt be able to recommend this car to anyone. Go with Honda.

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  Cant wait to get another Tahoe - 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser
  By Gary - September 15 - 2:10 pm

  Ive had the car 6 months and I still cant get comfortable driving. The seat has no lumbar support. Changing lanes is always an adventure. The blind spots to the side and rear are enormous. I put some blind spot mirrors on and they help a bit, but even after driving for 30 years I still find it a challenge to change lanes. The mileage is mediocre, and considering it requires premium fuel, its no cheaper to run than a much larger and more comfortable Tahoe which uses regular, even though the Tahoe mileage is less. I had a leased Tahoe which is turned in to purchase, rather than lease, the FJ. It was a BAD decision. The Tahoe is the best vehicle I ever had and I hope to purchase another ASAP

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  I want my 99 camry back - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Whattodonow? - September 5 - 4:40 pm

  This was the car of my dreams the new royal blue, it was awesome. Until one day I was trying to excel into oncoming traffic on I-40 the throttle hangs and I almost get hit. I took it in to the dealer, they did not know what to do about it and said they would not know until Sept. This was in June? So what am I suppose to do until then? In the meantime, it happens 3 more times. finally by sept a fix comes out to reprogram the computer and erace your driving patterns. Worked for a little while but it started again. This has been the most disappointing car I have ever had. My tires wear out in less than 20,000 and always on the back first.

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  First Foriegn Automobile - 2008 Toyota Corolla
  By David Loper - September 5 - 2:26 am

  I was of the opinion that I would never buy another American automobile again, because of repairs, when I purchased my 2008 Toyota Corolla. The Corolla has changed my mind back to buying American. The Corolla gives a rough ride and, within 24,000 miles, has given me several problems. The problems are: poor handling in the ice and snow, loose steering, front brake assembly recall, constant rear brake adjustments, wipers that dont cycle properly, power windows that cycle properly, tires that need constant filling, squeaky frame when under load, and loose gasoline filler tube.

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  Good Car With Terrible Infotainment - 2018 Toyota Camry
  By Scott - September 3 - 9:52 pm

  I like the handling and performance of the car. The car is roomy for a mid-size and quite comfortable. The safety features are also very good. Unfortunately, the infotainment system is awful. Toyota has decided to develop its own system called Entune 3.0 rather than offering Android Auto and Apple Carplay. Obviously, Toyota is not a technology company. If I had it to do over again, I would not purchase a new Toyota until Android Auto and Apple Carplay are supported. I also have a 2017 VW with Android Auto and the difference is like night and day. Entune appears to be several years behind. Android Auto is MUCH easier to use and wil support many more apps. Problems so far with Entune 3.0: 1) Entune 3.0 doesnt seem to auto-start. I have to manually start Entune on my phone before it will connect to the car. This has to be done every time I get in the car and quickly becomes very frustrating. Android Auto will start automatically either by recognizing when the phone connects to the cars bluetooth or when the phone is plugged in to the cars USB port. 2) Entune doesnt support nearly as many apps as Android Auto. Specifically, it doesnt support the following apps, all fully supported by Android Auto: Google Maps, Waze, Google Play Music, Amazon Music, Audible, Tunein Radio, as well as several messaging, audio book, and podcast apps. 3) Entune comes bundled with Scout for GPS navigation. Scout is not nearly as capable as either Google Maps or Waze. Initial routes take a long time then rerouting because of traffic or a missed turn frequenly fails. Also, the U.S. version of Scout doesnt support Canadian maps. I live in upstate NY and drive to Canada quite frequently. Both Waze and Google Maps seamlessly support driving in Canada. Toyota really needs to get its act together because Entune is just unacceptable. Maybe a good temporary solution would be to enable running Android Auto and Apple Carplay under Entune 3.0 until an update can be offered to current and future Toyota owners that supports Android Auto and Apple Carplay natively.

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  I WANTED TO LIKE IT, BUT JUST TOO SLOW - 2017 Toyota Highlander
  By cliff barber - September 3 - 2:04 pm

  not much power for passing (sluggish)