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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  The Age of the Sequoia - 2005 Toyota Sequoia
  By Richard Golden - May 18 - 5:46 am

  This is one magnificent vehicle to own! The interior is comfortable and large, the overall size of this monster is magnificent, and it hold 8 most comfortably. This is one fine vehicle for the price, and has the Toyota quality that makes it so much superior to the rest. A fine example of how a large SUV can also drive like a car and not like a truck. A smooth ride!

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  Beyond my expectations - 2011 Toyota Prius
  By luvtoyota10 - May 17 - 7:56 pm

  I rented a prius because I wondered how it was, my moms friend has one and likes it so I tried it out. This car is amazing! The gas mileage is fantastic. I can fit inside of the car with 3 other people! This car handles well, better than my Venza. The steering has a decent weight to it. The car is like a computer, I loved the display and with the back up camera with the nav, parking is a piece of cake. On the highway this car was quieter than my Venza, It also had great pick up in power mode on the highway. I knew the car had a CVT so I was not suprised by the sound of the engine not shifting. The seats were comfy too. The shifter was cool too. IT felt like a real car.

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  Cant go wrong with 49.5 miles per gal - 2006 Toyota Prius
  By Ray - May 17 - 5:43 am

  We sold our 2001 BMW 330i for the Prius without thinking a second thought. The build quality is great, especially love the blue tooth hand free phone and voice activated GPS. Another nice thing is the MP3 DVD player, I burn 200 MP3 songs in one disk easily as oppose to the BMW that I have to burn separate CDs that can only hold around 15-20 sounds per disk.Trunk space is amazing in this car. We went to airport with 4 people travelling oversee and 2 lungages per person. Fit everything in the trunk.

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  Faithful,Reliable, and Powerful - 2005 Toyota Highlander
  By luvtoyota10 - May 17 - 12:28 am

  This highlander is my grandmothers i own a toyota venza she got this car before I got my venza, that was when I had a 2000 Toyota 4runner and This car was perfect for her. It has a nice ride, I loved the sterring feel, and it is roomy. I drove this car down to Indianapolis and it was great only thing wrong was the wind noise. Overall, This is a fine Crossover.

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  Proud to Join Avalon Family! - 2007 Toyota Avalon
  By T.W. - May 16 - 4:56 pm

  Three weeks into our 07 Avalon and could not be happier! Smooth, silent, and getting great gas mileage (32+)! Seats the family (2 boys and 2 dogs) easily. Trips are nice and love the luxury! Probably will never own anything else.

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  Best hatchback on the market. - 2011 Toyota Prius
  By gregprius - May 16 - 2:46 pm

  This is by far the best car of its type on the market. It has a great ride, great handling, lots of room and helps reduce polution. Why would anyone pay the same amount of money and get a car with far less milage? Adds that say a non hybreed gets 40 MPG are lying. Real world drving milage is way less for a non hybreed. The Prius gets great milage even around town!

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  Toyota Tundra TRD Rock Warrior! - 2011 Toyota Tundra
  By mowerman2011 - May 16 - 10:56 am

  I am a proud owner of a beastly 5.7 rock warrior trd tundra. Currenly own a lawn service business and it work like a hoss that it is. I love the 4X4 on a switch on the go. I went from a ford v6 4.2 litter and that got really bad gas mileage versus this monster of a truck. If your looking at the ford raptor and comparing to this well its a no brainer... buy the tundra! The tundra is more affordable and it will out last the ford raptor. Hope this helps.

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  Beats Honda Crv - 2016 Toyota RAV4
  By Chuck DeLaney - May 16 - 8:31 am

  Had been driving large crossovers for many years. Kids and grandkids grown or moved away. Knew that Toyota and Honda both have great reliability ratings, so drove both. For my wife and I, Toyota beat Honda in most all categories, except possibly gas mileage. Honda seats very uncomfortable, lots of wind noise and a very rough ride. Settled on Toyota Rav4 over Honda CRV. Little worried about new softex seating material in Toyota, did some research and everything was positive. Found that Mercedes us almost same (Different named) material in their cars. So far, everything is going great, my wife has more high tech equipment on this car than in her much higher dollar crossover. Havent had the car long enough yet to comment on mileage, etc. Will update after 6 mos. Seriously doubt if there will be anything negative to report.

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  Great car for the money - 2006 Toyota Matrix
  By Jockeyfox - May 16 - 7:40 am

  I traded in a large truck for the Matrix. I travel 100 miles a day and wanted a fuel efficient vehicle. This car filled the bill. If I set my cruise on 65, it can get 35-36 mpg, average 33. I thought I would miss the trucks cargo capacity, but so far, it has been fantastic. I cant believe how much I can get in it. The only problem I have had is with the paint. The car is white and there are about 8 chips on the front and hood already with only 20,000 miles. Other than the paint, I really love this car, especially when gas is $3.00 a gallon.

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  Working classs Lexus - 2009 Toyota Venza
  By ArtF - May 16 - 5:10 am

  Sleek design on the outside and very roomy on the inside. Im one of those got attracted to that "what is it" statement and it really stands out to that category. I used it everyday for work and its very easy to maneuver and parking is a breeze with its smooth steering. Since owning the car, my family loves to go on long driving coz its just fun to drive.