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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  Excellent truck with a few fatal flaws - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Jeff - July 21 - 9:47 pm

  So wanted to buy this truck. Like the looks, interior and hope of excellent reliability. Rented it for a day and took it on a long trip. Within an hour my backside was sore and after 2 hours I could feel my right foot going a little numb. Im in excellent health so its not that. My wifes CRV has hard seats too and Im fine in that car. The seats in the Tacoma are so hard and adjustability is minimal as many have noted. And after two hours I realized that the force needed to keep the accelerator down is significantly greater than my other truck or any of the many cars I drive at work. Long trips are very fatiguing. Ruined the truck for me. the Colorado is nice but every GM truck Ive owned has had so many issues that Im not sure I can go there.

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  Disappointing change - 1995 Toyota Corolla
  By Ellen - July 21 - 12:56 pm

  I have now owned several Toyota Corollas with this being my fifth. I purchased this 1995 model from my mother in law in 2001 when it only had about 10,000 km. Previously my Corollas were 5 speed so this is my first automatic. I was pleased with the car for the first couple of years but Ive just recently had a large transmission job completed due to leaking seals. My mechanic told me this has been common to this year and model and Im very disappointed that Toyota did not recall these vehicles and pay to have the transmissions fixed. I am also very annoyed at ongoing engine noise which occurs upon acceleration. The soft idle turns to a tank sound.

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  Inconveniences - 2015 Toyota Camry
  By Amy - July 19 - 6:55 pm

  This is my fourth Camry and I am not really happy with it. Toyota took out the simple convenient compartments for storage that were very helpful out of the car. Didnt even have a 1000 miles on my new car and had to replace the stereo system, works a little better but still sounds horrible. The adjustments for the radio like the bass , and treble really dont work and the volume basically has to be between 20 and 30 to hear over road noise. You go to surround sound and there still is very little difference. So, needless to say the stereo system sucks. Also, they put LED headlights on the car and cant stand them. Needed special night driving glasses made because I get migraine from the reflection off signs and vehicles. On coming traffic always thinks you have your brights on and they continuously flash there brights at you. Dont have fog lights anymore that you can turn on or off by yourself either. They stay on all the time when you are night driving. Hate that the LED lights have a horizons cut off point. Bridgestone cheap tires too. With 8000 miles on my car, I am very upset with the changes to the Camry so far.

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  Disappointed - 2008 Toyota Highlander Hybrid
  By searching15 - July 19 - 6:15 am

  We bought our HH new in 2008. We have replaced the 12v battery 3 times, replaced tires twice, and now have the car at the dealership for the 5th visit related to fueling issues - mainly that I can no longer fuel my HH. The car has been in for recalls 5 times, and the customer service at 5 dealerships has been seriously lacking if not all together absent. Definitely a lemon, and we have owned 3 other Toyotas without reliability issues, but the experience with this vehicle has left us disappointed and we will certainly not be purchasing another Toyota.

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  Now Bigger Squintier with Less Head and Leg Room - 2015 Toyota RAV4
  By Jeff Harris - July 18 - 10:03 pm

  I took my beloved 2006 RAV in for its 120,000 mile maintenance. and drove a new 2015 Rav 4 for the day. I first noticed unfortunate design changes while attempting to get in the car. The seat was higher. The roof lower, and the steering wheel moved less. Anyone over 6 feet tall will not be comfortable getting in and out of the drivers seat of the 15 Rav 4. Thats a shame because the ample headroom and easy entry was one of the reasons I bought the 06 Rav 4. Visibility from the drivers seat , which wasnt ideal in my 2006 Rav4, was even further from ideal in the 15. The ribbon windows in my 06 model have become mere slits in the 15. No backup camera is a risky thing in the Rav 4; I had one installed after reportedly backing into objects hidden from view. The 15 has even less view of what is behind it. Clearly, tiny fashionistas with an obsession with squinty windows and headlights have taken control of design and the car suffers from it. The only improvement I detected was a decrease in road noise.

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  MPG heavily dependent on velocity - 2014 Toyota Prius c
  By skh3 - July 18 - 6:21 am

  I bought my Prius C a couple years ago. It is a generally well-built car, but it is pretty slow to accelerate and is rather loud when the accelerator is pressed. Perhaps most importantly, it MPG is heavily dependent on the speed at which you travel. I mainly drive on the highway and if I drive 75-80 mph, I noticed that I only averaged about 40 mpg whereas if I drove 55-60 mph, I seem to have gotten over 50 mph. I dont know how the reviewer on this site stated that he is getting 64 mpg. He must be driving REALLY conservatively on the hwy.

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  Poor Towing Truck - 2008 Toyota Tundra
  By Keith - July 17 - 6:50 pm

  This truck has too much plastic for the money. It does look good. The TRD Package truck has towing issues. My truck cant seems to find the right gear to tow my 5500 trailer. It wont go it 5th gear in auto mode but can be shifted to 5th gear manually and stays there. The dealership doesnt have a clue and says no problem with truck. The field rep says I see the issue but theres nothing that can be changed out to fix it. The company headquarters says no problem exists and file for a 3rd party ruling to determine if they have to buy it back. I WILL NEVER BUY ANOTHER TOYOTA TRUCK. P.S. I have talked to other TRD package owners and some have the same issue.

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  Needs a little design rework - 2012 Toyota Prius
  By solarweis - July 17 - 4:29 am

  Its not a bad little car, we call it our "road rat", I use it as a commuter car mainly on the highway. Ive expressed concerns with the steering wheel not being straight while going down a straight road, about it pulling and having to hold pressure on the steering wheel to keep it going straight, Toyota says the car is fine. I dont agree, I dont want to exercise the entire time Im in the car driving. It wears out the edge of the left tire, it took a while, but both front and rear exhibit the same problem, due to tire rotations. New tires and alignment indicate the rear Toe is out of spec, but its not adjustable. The engine is noisy when your trying to speed up, it roars, so strange.

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  Not what I expected - 2007 Toyota Tundra
  By Trucker72 - July 15 - 9:33 pm

  Well Ive owned them all. I own a construction company and needed a truck that has a high towing capacity and horsepower rating. Ive put 21,500 miles on the 5.7L and has not proved to be what I expected. I am very hard on trucks but am adamant about service every 3k miles, and fuel filter every 12k. At 6800 miles the valve train started making noise so I took it in to discover my truck had leaked over a quart of oil in a 4 month period. My engine was totally overhauled. I was hauling a 9k trailer up the grapevine and my tranny overheated and would not shift.. had to wait till it cooled down.. weak.. Now brakes are shuddering. Toyota and quality dont go together anymore. Will be my last.

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  Poor gas mileage - 2007 Toyota Camry
  By Bruce - July 13 - 7:10 am

  This is my 3rd Toyota and I have always been pleased with the cars and performance. I am disappointed with this vehicle. The transmission is jerky and the gas mileage is terrible. I have never gotten better than 19 mpg. The car has been maintained very well and driven conservatively. The dealer cannot find anything wrong. I would not have purchased this vehicle if I was aware of the actual poor mileage.