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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  Just Aint Got It!! - 2001 Toyota Tacoma
  By old_jr - March 20 - 11:23 pm

  Very disappointing truck. V6 has no power. Engine is noisy; cold idle at 2000 rpm sounds like engine is preparing for takeoff. Shifting from 1st to 2nd provides a nice "clunk"; otherwise it just "whines". Feels like universal joint is shot when lifting foot from accelerator - very jerky!

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  97 t100 sr5 5 speed - 1997 Toyota T100
  By bruce777 - March 20 - 6:06 pm

  i bought a 97 t100 sr5 2wd 5 speed about a month ago it has 195000 as of now. i have put 5k on it myself. I really love this truck its small enough to go anywhere but big enough to tow and haul. the engine runs really well. i have had to put some money in to it though, and let me tell you these parts arent cheap and thats if you can find them. autozone only carries about half of what you need including wheel bearings and a number of other things that should be supplied. I am having real problems with my 5 speed trans. front input shaft bearing is going bad witch is going to be a 1000 for a rebuilt one. clutch pedal broke though firewall had to make my own bracket to stop anymore damage. drained rearend today and it was full of water. these trucks where cheaply made but there are some great ones out there just beware of the bad ones.

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  Bad Rear A/C line, low quality tire, and bad rear most mirror molding - 2008 Toyota Sienna
  By nk_17 - March 18 - 12:42 am

  Bought Toyota Sienna 2008. Today is July 6, 2012. About ~4.25 year and 39000 miles, and facing following problems already: 1) Rear A/C line leaks. Dealer said it was due to rust after leak test. Then I request to see myself and saw oily residue on rear passenger side tire area. No rust at all. Dealer said, originally, line will have to be replaced. Then I think he had a slip of tounge and said leaky o-ring. Whatever it is. The cost to repair is $900. I went ahead with the repair since dealer (Elmhurst Toyota, IL -chicago area) scared me that it could damage the compressor if oil keep leaking. 2) both sides vent window molding falling $85 each to repair 3) original tires lasted only 30k.

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  Hate the Auto Transmission - 2016 Toyota Tacoma
  By SCRUFFY - March 16 - 6:33 pm

  OK, I love the truck, handling, features, engine, wish it were a bit smaller actually(like the older models), but because of the size it does tow things well. I HATE my automatic transmission. Perhaps from the engineers point of view it is supposed to downshift two gears and rev up to 3000 rpm, but as an operator who has driven mostly manual trannies this is mentally exhausting. I would be happy if there was a way to put it in 6th or 5th or even 4th if you need that, and make it stay there. Just like a manual transmission. Let the engine pull a little. If I am stupid enough to let it pull too much thats my problem. I live in an area with small gentle hills and the constant shifting is insane. Also the locking torque converter decouples too quickly. Now perhaps with the new Atkinson Cycle engine it cant handle loads as efficiently so it bumps the rpm,idk. But its annoying. I would recommend an automatic transmission similar to what Hyundai uses. In the manual mode if you have it in 6th gear it will stay in that gear until the vehicles slows below 40 mph, then downshifts to 5th. It does this in all gears until you come to a stop. Then it is in 1st. As you accelerate you have to do your own shifting. But on small hills it will hold its gear or you can make the decision to downshift and normally the torque converter doesnt decouple either. It acts as if it is a manual transmission. So why didnt I just get the manual? Because the final gear ratios are not as good. If the manual had the same overall ratios I would have stayed with that. As to why they gear them that way I dont know. This thing has plenty of power so it cant be that. Maybe they dont think Americans can shift or handle a clutch very well. A manual should be more efficient in both power and economy but because of the ratios it is not as good in highway mpg. HATE THIS TRANSMISSION!!!!!!!!!!NOT HAPPY Update 1-30-17 Put some Goodyear "FierceAttitude 265/75/16 on it. Rides a little stiff and noisier but not as bad as I expected. Awesome in the snow. Love the 4 wheel drive and the limited slip rear end. Some people are complaining about not enough power. I disagree. With this new Atkinson cycle engine the power is there but at a higher rpm. Not real happy with the gas mileage. Used to have an 86 4-Runner and it would get 24-27 . Just cant do that with this bigger vehicle. I still DO NOT like the Auto Tran. The other day it shifted 17 times accelerating up to 65 mph up a small incline/hill.....REALLY? I would LOVE to be able to manually control my gears. Get rid of the S-mode and make it a manual override. Maybe if you are racing the S mode is important....Maybe. But for a working type truck it is truly worthless IMO. I want economy and I want power when I want it not when the Tranny senses something. Tranny cant see the hills and doesnt know what my brain is anticipating. Hope that helps guys

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  Toyota dependability - 2000 Toyota Corolla
  By Modameister - March 13 - 9:56 pm

  I have had this car for a little over 4 years. I bought it when it had just over 50k miles on it. Now, it has almost 120k miles. I plan on running it for another 100 or 200k. Its a good little car and will probably be around for my kids to drive when they are old enough in another 16 years. My only issues with it are its not very roomy, Im 68" and dont fit very well, but I fit in here as well as I do in most cars, even bigger cars. The drivers side handle has broken, the ceiling fabric has developed a rip in the rear by the rear window from the drivers side windows being open. The drivers inside handle is broken and the window doesnt roll up. I only get just over 30 mpg. It was 36.

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  OK truck, but pretty small once you get down to it - 2017 Toyota Tacoma
  By PowerDawg - March 12 - 9:16 am

  To be honest, I was not in the market for a mid-size truck when I started shopping for a new vehicle, but after a ton of research, the Taco offered the best "bang for the buck" so to speak. My 2007 Avalanche was stolen, so I was forced into the new vehicle market. That Avalanche was the best truck I ever owned hands down, so I was pretty biased going to the various dealer lots. After driving the new GMs, and Fords and in seeing their cost, I opted to go to a used car lot. They had a 2015 Tacoma TRD PRO that I test drove and I felt really good in the truck. Since the cost of the 2015 was only $4k cheaper than what a 2017 brand new one was,(gotta love how these hold value) I went for the new. After 4 months of ownership, I thought Id throw this review out. First out, the truck is really a good truck. It does the daily commuter routine really well, and the V6 has the oomph to get out in front of traffic when you are merging if you really get on the gas pedal. The off road capability is incredible and really impressed me on some back country fire roads on my occasional fishing trips. I havent used it yet, but I really do like the piece of mind the "Crawl Control" gives me. The gas mileage is as advertised, but Im a bit of a lead foot, so you may even beat the estimated if you are light on the gas pedal. All the "technology" features are user friendly and intuitive. The real problem I have with this truck is the size. Im a pretty big guy, 61" 240, so the truck with me, the wife, kid and dog makes for a pretty cramped feeling that I never got with the full size truck. If you are coming from a full size to this class of vehicle, definitely work with the dealer to see if you can test it out over a weekend so you fully grasp the space you are going to lose. My other big issue is the carpet is a pain to clean dog hair out of. For some reason it acts like velcro when you try to vacuum it up, but that isnt that huge of an issue because duct tape works wonders for this task. It just takes a lot longer to clean out than my old vehicle did, so again, Im biased. My third gripe is the seats. Ive tried every setting they have and I cant get that comfortable, its almost like Im between settings - either my back is too upright or Im too laid back. Also, not being able to lower the seat brings me to bump my head on the roof on bumpy terrain. This is annoying but not overly so. Toyota really needs to have a power seat function. For the money, you cant beat this trucks functionality and of course they hold their value really well. The amount of accessories you can get from both Toyota and 3rd parties is incredible, and they add even more functionality to a very capable and functional truck. Overall Im happy with my purchase.

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  reliable but ... - 1999 Toyota Camry
  By young - March 9 - 2:40 am

  It is a reliable car, I guess, since I havent had any problem so far except that recently it is making some spueaking noise from one of the front suspension. However, the seats are extremely uncomfortable for its reputation(the best selling car?). In addition, the handling is far from precise. That makes its cornering highly dangerous sometimes. It gives no fun to drive. It is just a normal family car for people seaking no fun.

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  This Truck Smells!!! - 2003 Toyota 4Runner
  By aimalah - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I used to own a 99 4-Runner and it was the best truck I ever had. I traded that one in for the 2003 and what a mistake! The car smells like rotton eggs when I step on the gas. They claimn its the gas in the 2003 vehicles. I doubt it. My husband drives a 2003 Mercedes and he has no smell. I tried the Lemon Law and Arbitration. No luck and now I am stuck. Would never buy another Toyota again. I should have kept my 99 4- Runner. Best truck in the world.

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  Toyota Certified Means Nothing - 2000 Toyota Camry
  By remerson - March 8 - 2:00 am

  I recently purchased a Toyota Certified 2000 Camry. $300 worth of car trouble later, I am afraid to drive it anywhere. I cant figure out what they certifiy. I couldnt have been my car. Though the ride in more smooth then a corolla, seating in the back is still terrible.

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  Passenger seat Adjustment - 2010 Toyota Camry
  By JPhilip - March 3 - 8:40 pm

  I bought a new 2010 Camry LE. It comes with power seat for driver side. Its very difficult for a passenger side traveler to sit in the car. It does not have an adjustable height. If youre not a big person you feel like sitting in a half way folded seat.