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:

• 

  Pay for what you get - 2006 Toyota Tacoma
  By seeker - September 29 - 1:26 am

  Yes the Tacoma is expensive, but you pay for what you get this day in age. The option you get with the TRD package are mind blowing. And you get the reliability of a Toyota. Need I say more. Stop researching and buy it!!!

• 

  Best Car Yet - 2008 Toyota Yaris
  By dsutt - September 28 - 11:43 pm

  I am very please with my Yaris. It is a manual tranny, and like others have said, get the manual if you want to make the car fun to drive. Mileage is awesome. I get 47 MPG in the warm season. It drops to about 41 in the winter. I do not baby the car to get that MPG. I accelerate to keep up with others, and usually drive +7 to 10 MPH over the limit. The brakes are solid, the electronic steering is solid, the suspension does not roll when taking corners at 30 MPH! The radio sounds great, the lights are very bright...I cant really find a fault with the car. The one thing that could be better are the front seats. My lower back tends to sink into the backrest too far.

• 

  Best vehicle we have had. - 2006 Toyota RAV4
  By Donna - September 28 - 9:10 pm

  Love the car. Gets us through the snow. Gas mileage is better than we could expect for being called a "truck". Stay with the higher rated Ethanol gas (manual states tested). We have on occasion had to fill up with the regular brands. Expensive!! Had a 1995 Altima before. It got us 100km more on ethanol. This vehicle gets us 100kms more than the Altima on a fill-up. (Both same size of tank.) Averaged 32 mpg on a trip that had freeway and city driving. Original tires were 17 inch all seasons. Very stiff ride. Felt all the bumps in the road. When needing snow tires, we called around and found out you could put on 16 inch tires. Saved us a lot of money, and, have a smoother ride.

• 

  Only one thing going for it, really - 2011 Toyota Camry
  By ruby3zdy - September 28 - 8:45 pm

  Ive driven Honda Accords since 1990. I bought this 2011 Camry LXE used at 36,000 miles. The Camrys drivers seat is hard (compared to the Honda). I had to get a chair pillow for it. The display is hard to read unless youre 16 yrs old & dont wear glasses. The left wide mirror is in a bad place, blocks view of traffic on the left. The NAV/rearview camera/radio unit, which the dealer installed, is practically unusable. The sound quality is inferior.

• 

  06 SLE Vert... - 2006 Toyota Camry Solara
  By Bubba - September 28 - 7:33 pm

  I got mine just before the hurricane and have only 100+ mile on it. Everything works, its tight and fun to drive. The Arctic Pearl White paint with tan top is a nice combination, and people have stopped to admire the car. The only problem that I have experience is in rear visability with the top up... very bad do to the front slope of the car and the head rests which cannot be removed. One would hope that this could be resolved in some way in future models. Im coming out of a 2000 Avalon and the Solara has all the bells and whistles, and seem almost as large a car. A Lexus in Toyota badging. It was a toss up between this or a 350 Z. The Solara just makes more sence and I love it

• 

  Fun, Reliable Car - 2002 Toyota Camry Solara
  By Kansas - September 28 - 6:13 am

  I bought my Solara SLE new in July, 2002. Very reliable - Ive put 70,000+ miles on it but have had NO mechanical problems whatsoever. Handles well - especially on curves. Average about 26- 27 MPG on highway. Handles very well in up to 6" of snow. V-6 has a lot of power. Overall fun car to drive!

• 

  Disappointed - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By Mike - September 28 - 3:32 am

  First let me start off by saying Im a Tacoma fan. Ive owned 4 total and Im 39 yrs of age.I sold me last one in preparation to purchase the all new resign. The exterior looks are impressive but for me thats all Toyota got right. The engine and mpgs are horrible. Acceleration and top end speed were mind boggling bad. the engine sounds absolutely horrible when accelerating. The new v6 Atkinson reminded me of a 4 cylinder sound coming from an old Ford Escort, Horrid!! The interior while looking kinda cool, feels like a plastic poop box.. Knock on top of the dash and hear the cheap plastic, lift the middle consol and move it from side to side and feel the thin weak plastic about to break. The "soft touch materials" above the glove box and door panels feel like bad 80s material and the seats look like something from a dodge neon. Toyota took a great truck and made it a cheap week disappointing pc of crap.. Why anyone would purchase this over the Tundra is beyond me.. I hate American made vehicles and even I would consider the canyon or Colorado over this. Toyota you should be ashamed!!!

• 

  Sequoia - 2005 Toyota Sequoia
  By cowboy - September 28 - 2:16 am

  Like it overall. the jury is still out on the transmission. I question the shift patterns. But the dealer says theres not a problem. But overall it is all i expected my first SUV to be.

• 

  2009 Toyota Corolla LE - 2009 Toyota Corolla
  By thaip - September 28 - 1:36 am

  It is a great car for driving to work and local shopping. The mileage is incredible, I am averaging between 35 to 38 so far, including local and highway. The car has decent horsepower but the interior is looking a little cheap. Overall, it is a great car and I cant complain!

• 

  A car with life time gas coupon 50% off - 2004 Toyota Prius
  By Allen - September 27 - 7:53 pm

  Just bought @104K for $8K, like new condition. Not a comfortable car like my 98 Lexus LS400, but I understand the compromise in order to achieve optimal MPG: stiff suspension, low roll resistance tire. My goal is to save money with 50+ MPG for 130 mile daily commute. I cant justify buying a new one for 3.5X price to save ONLY $1800/year on gas at $3/gallon. Performance better than I expected. Technology is truly impressive I am confident to drive it for another 5 years to 300K miles, if the battery OK. Heard many Prius at 200K miles, battery still fine.