Cars Americans Keep the Longest

This full-size SUV was introduced by Toyota in the 2001 model year and was derived from the company’s Tundra pickup. The Sequoia was the first full-sized SUV from a Japanese marque to be sold in North America, and was intended to compete with the Ford Expedition. It underwent a minor facelift for the 2005 model year and a full revamping for the 2008 model year.

Introduced in the 1984 model year, the 4Runner was originally a compact SUV. For the 1995 model year, it was redesigned with a new body shell and chassis as a mid-size SUV. The redesign expanded interior space and lengthened the chassis. For the 2003 model year, the mid-size semi-luxury SUV with off-road capabilities underwent additional design changes and added a V8 engine as an option.

A compact crossover SUV, the Forester was introduced to the American market in the 1998 model year. The vehicle, which looked similar to a station wagon, was styled more like a car than most SUVs but had a higher stance and all-wheel drive. In the 2003 model year, Subaru revamped the auto, saving weight with such features as an aluminum hood. In the 2009 model year, the car was redesigned to embrace more features of an SUV as opposed to a station wagon.

Honda introduced the Pilot, a crossover SUV, in the 2003 model year. The Pilot, which was primarily intended for the North American market, offered three rows of seating and was Honda’s largest SUV. In 2009, the Pilot underwent a redesign, making it larger, with a length of 190.9 inches, a width of 78.5 inches and a height of 71.0 inches.

The Honda CR-V, a compact crossover SUV, was first sold in the North American market in the 1997 model year. It used the Honda Civic platform with an SUV body design. For the 2002 model year, the CR-V underwent a full redesign. It was named Car and Driver magazine’s Best Small SUV for 2002 and 2003. For the 2007 model year, the vehicle was redesigned again, with one notable change being a rear liftgate instead of a side-opening tailgate.

Toyota Tundras have been on the road in the United States since the 2000 model year. Assembled in Princeton, Indiana, it was the first full-size pickup from a Japanese manufacturer to be built in North America. A V6 engine was the base for the Tundra but a V8 was available. For the 2007 model year, a larger Tundra featured towing capacity of up to 10,000 pounds, and a payload capacity of more than 2,000 pounds.

The only minivan on the list, the Toyota Sienna was introduced in the 1998 model year. Originally, it was smaller than the minivans of competitors. But in the 2004 model year, the size was increased. For the redesign, chief engineer Yuji Yokoya and his family drove the previous model more than 50,000 miles throughout North America to find design flaws.

Toyota introduced the Tacoma pickup in the 1995 model year. A compact pickup, it was assembled in the United States and Mexico. For the 2005 model year, the Tacoma was redesigned as a mid-size pickup. The new Tacoma was available in 18 different configurations, that included three cab configurations, four transmissions, two engines, and two bed lengths.

A mid-size crossover SUV, the Toyota Highlander is built on the Camry platform. Introduced in the 2001 model year, it had front-wheel drive but offered a four-wheel drive option. For the 2006 model year, Toyota began offering a hybrid version of the Highlander.

A hybrid electric automobile, the Prius has been available in the United States since the 2001 model year. When Toyota introduced the vehicle in Japan in 1997, it was the world’s first mass-produced gasoline-electric hybrid car. After it was offered in the United States, it gained attention in pop culture, often mentioned on the TV sitcom “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” which starred Julia Louis-Dreyfus. Toyota redesigned the Prius for the 2004 model year, making it a compact liftback larger than the Corolla but smaller than the Camry.