Toyota vs. Everyone Else: How is Toyota Different From Its Competitors?

If there’s one thing we know about cars, it’s that Americans love them. Well, year after year, people are polled to see if they have one favorite car manufacturer, and it’s once again Toyota.

While other brands use the word “dependability” in their ads, car enthusiasts know that only a few brands really live up to the claim. Let’s compare some vehicles and learn why people rave about their Toyotas and finally settle the score on Honda vs. Toyota!

Nissan vs. Toyota

Can we be perfectly honest with you? Nissan has been declining in quality since they were bought out in the 2000s, and the quality of their cars shows this well. They’ve been using cheaper parts, which leads to more wear and tear on your vehicle.

On the other hand, Toyota only gets better as they go, which was sort of the mission statement of Kiichiro Toyoda or “Mr. Toyota.” From the beginning, the plan was always to learn from mistakes and keep improving upon them to make the most reliable cars on the market.

A great way to judge the quality of a car is to look at its resale value. The difference in price between a 2010 to 2015 Nissan Altima vs. a Toyota Camry is substantial. Toyota used cars resell for thousands even with 200,000 miles on them, whereas Nissans are often junked by that point.

Subaru vs. Toyota

If we were comparing these two manufacturers in the mid-2000s, then we’d say Toyota but that Subarus are undoubtedly better for handling harsh weather and road conditions. This is because all Subaru vehicles (except racing ones) use an advanced all-wheel-drive (AWD) system that was far ahead of its time.

However, now Toyota has caught up on that front. If you buy a Rav4 or any other SUV/pickup truck from Toyota made since 2012, you can expect the same level of dependability in the snow, but with the same Toyota dependability that drives for hundreds of thousands of miles without anything breaking.

Some of the new Subaru models may have a sportier feel than their Toyota equivalents, and their PZEV technology makes them significantly cleaner. Partial-zero emissions vehicles remove over 90% of carbon from the fuel before emitting it into the air, which is a major advantage. However, as a car, Subaru can’t compare to Toyota.

Subaru has had plenty of trouble with their boxer engines and CVTs, which are difficult and expensive to service! You may even have trouble finding a mechanic qualified to work on Subarus, which isn’t the case for Toyotas. Routine maintenance like changing the spark plugs or transmission fluid is a far more involved job on these vehicles than it is on Toyotas of any model or year.

Also, the parts in the CVT and engine don’t last as long. Toyota uses a timing chain that lasts for hundreds of thousands of miles, meaning you’ll never have to replace it. The belts in Subaru transmissions and engines don’t last nearly as long.

Honda vs. Toyota

It would be easy to argue that these two car manufacturers are the best in the business. They make the most reliable vehicles on the road without close seconds. However, Toyota is still superior, and we have the facts to back it up.

Toyotas and Hondas are both known to last forever, but not all Hondas. Any car you pick up with a Toyota logo is bound to last over 300,000 miles with proper maintenance, and a lot more if the owner’s manual is followed exactly. Honda Civics, Accords, and a few others might have that same reputation, but they’ve had trouble with their bigger vehicles in the past.

Well, not Toyota. When they finally introduced their full-sized pickup truck, the Toyota Tundra, it was so successful that one Louisiana man drove his for over a million miles. Toyota had to fight to buy it back from him to showcase it in their museum, but the man was adamant about keeping it for another million miles!

On the other hand, the Ridgeline, Odyssey, and some of Honda’s larger vehicles haven’t done quite as well. To be fair, a million miles is tough to beat.

Shop Toyota Lease Deals Today

The truth is that, out of any car brand on the market, Toyotas are the easiest to sell. They have the strongest reputation for reliability without a close competitor in their way. They aren’t even worth comparing to the three largest American brands.

Luckily for you, if you’re shopping for a new car, there are Toyota specials going on all year round at your local Toyota dealership! You can lease a new one or buy a used one and it will still run the same!

However, it’s important to have a car-shopping strategy before buying used and new cars. Depending on your needs, there are a lot of important aspects to consider other than seating, color, and fuel economy. If you have to repair the car before 100,000 miles, then saving money at the pump won’t make much of a difference.

You want a car that’s reliable, fits your budget, and that’s safe on the road. If you’re on a tight budget, then that spells a used Toyota. From there, you just have to look at the selection and pick the style that meets your needs!

Drive One Today

Now that we’ve finally settled the score on Honda vs. Toyota, you can see why the latest Toyota models fly off the shelf every year. We’re fortunate enough that we don’t have to spin the truth at all to convince customers to buy one of our cars because people know that Toyotas have been built properly since the 1930s.

If you’re looking to take one on the road for yourself, then feel free to contact us and come down to the shop for more information!