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:

• 

  Happy In Alpharetta, GA - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By Francis J. Danko - September 30 - 8:30 am

  There are 445 miles between our home in Georgia and 2nd home in Florida. That trip can take any were from 7 hours to 12 hours depending on traffic, road construction, etc...! We are so pleased with the 2002 (base model) Highlander that we bought the same model in April 2005. Our older daughter needed to replace the 10 year old car she was driving and seems very happy with the 2002 Highlander we gave her. Toyota, thank you. The Danko Family.

• 

  feels like rx300 but half the price - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By trigunner - September 30 - 1:46 am

  Reliable, so comfortable interior, feels like Im driving the lexus rx300 very good gas mileage, ever since I bought this suv I have never had problems. I highly highly recommend this as a great buy.

• 

  worst experience with Toyota Customer Service - 2014 Toyota Corolla
  By Gaurav - September 30 - 12:28 am

  I have been a Toyota owner for the last five years. My family has owned multiple Toyota cars in the past years, hence, the reason why my family decided to purchase a Toyota vehicle. Since the ownership of my Toyota Corolla, which was bought brand new, I have had multiple issues with the vehicle, i.e., temperature gauge had gone bad two-years after purchasing the vehicle, drivers window stuck in down position, and the vehicle began to shake vigorously at around 40,000 miles and then again at 78,000 miles (when my children under the age of 5 were present during both incidents). I have been getting the vehicle serviced and maintained on time from a Toyota authorized service dealership. I have been completely unsatisfied with the level of care and commitment Toyota has provided. For a company that strives on "innovation, quality and reliability," Toyota has failedto comply with their standards and level of concern. I had registered a complaint with the Toyota Customer Experience Center, who disregard my complaint and faulted me atthe vehicle’s condition. The Executives that I had dealt with repeatedly continued to say that the engine failing is not Toyotas problem, even though I am able to prove that my maintenance was done on a timely basis. The Customer Care team members are rude and beyond help, with no sense of professionalism or mannerism. I have an $8,000.00 expense at the cost of Toyota’s faults and oversight. I am appalled to learn that Toyota knew about such faulty engines and issues but chose not take any action to fix such vehicles, given the fact they claim they have the most reliable cars – I think that is an understatement. Now, I will think twice before going back to a Toyota and never recommend anyone to purchase a vehicle from Toyota until they are able to accept responsibly and value their vehicles and customers.

• 

  Not bad but having VSC issues at 100K - 2003 Toyota Sequoia
  By Jim - September 29 - 10:36 pm

  Just turned 100K for 2003 sequoia and pretty good truck. Have had a few recent issues with the VSC light and needed sensor replacements as well as timing belt at 90K for about $1500 but other then that, pretty reliable. I have four kids (two in college) and we use for trips back and forth. I hope to drive and put 250K miles...

• 

  Best Car I Ever Owned - 1998 Toyota Corolla
  By Donna - September 29 - 7:36 pm

  I am amazed that I still have the original muffler and pipes on this car! I have it serviced regularly and never had any "surprise" problems with it. Its got over 90,000 miles, is fuel efficient and I love it because its dependable, not because its "fun to drive". Maybe Ill upgrade to the Camry next time but Im sure happy with my Corolla!

• 

  Camry, great commuter, not much else - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By Su lee - September 29 - 7:26 pm

  Great commuter, but not much else. Surprised and disappointed at the blue book value of the car. Lower resale value than our older civic with manual Windows.

• 

  Owning my first toyota - 2002 Toyota Camry
  By suzees - September 29 - 4:06 pm

  I had my 02 Camry for 3 1/2 years. It was a great car -- the ride of it was my favorite. It did have issues with a creaky steering wheel; apparently an issue with most of the 02 camrys. It also developed a rattling noise in the dash on the passenger side. Other than that, it was a very fine, quality built car.

• 

  Love my Tacoma...BUT... - 2011 Toyota Tacoma
  By tonyd924 - September 29 - 9:23 am

  This is my 3rd Tacoma and I love the ride and the overall build quality BUT the engine noises drive me absolutely crazy! The best description I can give is that the engine sounds like a wind-up toy. The noises seem to be an exhaust leak of some kind (most noticeable during acceleration) along with a loud valve-tapping sound coming from both the top and bottom areas of the engine (most noticeable at idle). I believe the exhaust sound may be a known faulty manifold problem (?) but Im not sure about what seems to be the valve-tapping sounds. If anyone has any input whatsoever to the problem and/or fixes, PLEASE post a reply. Im praying the dealer will be able to find and fix the problems

• 

  HO-HUM - 2005 Toyota Sienna
  By Mike K - September 29 - 3:00 am

  I have owned this van for two months. I find the driver seat lumbar to be very uncomfortable even fully deflated. It doesnt compare in comfort to my BMW X5 seat. It is also a real gas hog. We are averaging about 14.5 mpg; I think toyota lies on their mpg ratings on the sales sticker. If the fuel consumption is going to be this low it should be a better performer. The dynamic laser cruise control can be a pain when it hits the brakes because of reflection from trucks in adjacent lanes not attempting to move into your lane. I usually run the cruise in "old fashioned" mode. The little curved mirror used to see the passengers is nearly useless.

• 

  Absolutely the BEST MPG! - 2008 Toyota Yaris
  By Aviator - September 29 - 1:33 am

  In 75 to 85 mph on the freeway and a/c on I consistently get 41 to 43+ mpg!! And this is an auto transmission. The very best was two weeks ago in Yellowstone National park. We fueled up in Jackson Hole WY and drove to Moran junction and entered the park and later that night arrived to West Yellowstone Montana. Our speed was between 30 and 50 mph and our mileage was 60.11 mpg!! No a/c, lower speed obviously contributed to the mpg. Three other vehicles in our party and we double checked all of the figures. Before you doubt, please know that I am a pilot and do know how to calculate mpg and a whole lot more. If you want reliability and mpg, go buy the car. You will not regret!