Overview & Reviews

Lexus has earned a well-deserved reputation for turning out utterly refined luxury vehicles. The hallmarks of this brand are a quiet, well-crafted cabin, a plush ride and commendable performance from powerful, nearly silent engines.

Lexus began out of a desire by parent company Toyota to create a world-class luxury car brand. Groundwork for Lexus was laid in the mid-1980s, when the company began tapping U.S. focus groups in an attempt to define design concepts best suited for American consumers. Hundreds of prototypes were built and tested on Germany's autobahn and on U.S. roads.

In early 1989, the company unveiled its first two models (which would debut for the 1990 model year) -- the entry-level ES 250 sedan and the flagship LS 400 sedan. The LS 400 was lauded by both journalists and consumers alike for offering a stellar luxury-car experience, with a remarkably silent cabin, superb build quality and a refined V8 engine. At the same time, the LS was priced considerably lower than smaller, lesser-equipped, six-cylinder European rival luxury sedans.

By the early 1990s, the Lexus brand was expanded to other markets, including the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia. More models were added to the lineup, including the SC 300 and SC 400 coupes and the brand's first luxury performance sedan, the GS 300. By decade's end, the company had added SUVs (in the form of the LX 450/LX 470 and RX 300) and had sold more than a million vehicles in the U.S.

The first decade of the 2000s saw Lexus proving itself a trend setter with the launch of many hybrid-powered versions of its vehicles such as the RX 400h and the GS 450h. And by 2011, Lexus even introduced a world-class supercar, the LFA.

In the years since its inception, the Lexus brand has distinguished itself time and again in quality and reliability surveys. The brand's vehicles may not offer as much passion as some Teutonic rivals, but for drivers interested in vehicles that emphasize quality, dependability and comfort, the Lexus marque is hard to beat.

User Reviews:

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  Good But not the best - 2016 Lexus ES 350
  By Jin - December 21 - 1:16 am

  Been driving about a month now. Changing from Audi A6 07 model, ES gives me more comfort and convenience yet I cant give it five stars since it has a bit unsturdy lower body in the highway driving. Also it has lot of IT stuffs, mobile connections etc. However the User interface is not really user friendly. For instance, its hard to control the navigation. Theres no Navi button anywhere in the panel. In order to go to Nav, at lease two or three steps you need to use fake mouse that ES provides. And its map is really crappy. Voice recognition needs a lot of improvement compared to other German cars. The default speakers are acceptable, but some AM radio stations (although it has HD radio option) sound almost inaudible. The manually folding side mirrors are design fault in the big sized car like ES. Its gas tank is such small that allows to go upto 350 miles with full tank. I know I sound a bit harsh but these are my impression of 2016 ES350.

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  A beautiful machine! - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Alex - December 20 - 8:10 pm

  We bought this car used in March of 2008 (Certified though), and we have had absolutely no mechanical problems with it (minus one tire that had an improper seal, easily fixed)! One of the best cars weve owned! We used to be a Honda/Volvo family, but my husband acquired my stepmothers 2002 RX300 in 2005, and since then, we have fallen in love with the brand. A reliable, QUIET car! Only improvement would be better mileage around town, were getting about 17.5, which is still good for a V6! Kudos, Lexus!

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  I should have bought something else - 2007 Lexus LS 460
  By Callie - December 17 - 8:20 pm

  This is a great vehicle, but with one real problem and a few minor problems. A couple of months after owning the car both my wife and I started to notice that the front seats were becoming less comfortable. It feels like there is a bar across the back of the seat and down the middle. Theres no way I could drive the car for some hours. My Lexus dealer says this is normal stretching. Very limited access to the navigation system while moving is a pain. There is an annoying tick from the engine compartment at idle which the dealer says is normal. Wind noise is present at above 45 MPH.

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  Avoid the run-flats - 2004 Lexus SC 430
  By cameron durrant - December 17 - 2:00 am

  You will pay more to get run-flat tires. You will get scared when cornering or traveling over uneven toads with these tires. This will change to a feeling of being both terified to drive faster than 30 MPH, expscially in the wet, and annoyance that you will then have to pay even more to change these tires to something like Michelin Pilots which do hold the road. You will be irritated that Lexus chooses to ignore customers who suggest the run-flats do not hold the road. Happy driving, or happy sliding, if you have the run-flats and cant afford to pay more to change them.

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  More than I needed - but dependable - 2002 Lexus LX 470
  By Justin - December 7 - 5:00 am

  Bought the car 4 years ago because we thought we would be going into the woods and hauling. Well we never did either, although we live in Chicago so its nice in the snow. Everything about the car is great, the ride, interior, dependability, lost cost of ownership, except for gas. So my biggest complaint is MPG. I get 13-15 in suburban driving and 15-16 on the highway. For this size car there other options that get 20+ MPG such as the Honda passport. No serious mechanical issues, in fact no minor mechanical issues except a leaky CV boot, which is good since I bought it used. Height/level adjustment is nice but unnecessary unless you are towing. I recommend for people towing/traveling.

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  Think about it before you buy this car - 2008 Lexus ES 350
  By mike - December 5 - 3:13 am

  If you are a driver, this is not your car. Transmission control is poorly designed, hurts economy and has safety issues as it coasts. Too quick to downshift on slight inclines. Driver has no control! Handling feel is not too bad. Pushed hard, exhibits roll. Front drive in any car has handling problems. This car is powerful and has torque steer that can take the car in dangerous directions if pushed hard from a dead stop. Be prepared if hard acceleration is planned or required. Inside lighting is extremely poor. Design goof again. Paint may be thin and prone to scratches. Do not have the dealer service. Charges are 4x what you can by at a service shop.

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  Nice Luxury SUV - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By TXGAL - December 3 - 3:06 am

  I have owned my RX for one month now. I have had no mechanical issues at all. The car rides very smooth on the road. You cannot even hear it running when inside the car. Mileage is not that great but then I already knew that when I did my research. Big change to go from a key start function to an electronic key fob and you just press the Engine Start button. Neat feature - just took some time to get use to. I purchased the Luxury package in Silver (Tungsten Pearl) with the wood grain wheel. Very happy with my car. Just a few plastic pieces on outside like the shark fin part and the bumpers. Didnt expect so much plastic for the price of the car.

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  Go Lexus! - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By bobsmith99 - December 1 - 3:16 am

  I bought this Lexus and was SO pleased. I got it as a certified pre owned. It is a great quality car. As usual, Lexus and Toyota are ahead of the game. I strongly recommend this car!

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  ES 300- - 1999 Lexus ES 300
  By Saaammy - November 27 - 2:00 am

  I bought my 1999 black ES 300 in November 2001. The car is a certified used Lexus, so that it has the exact same warranty as a new vehicle. The ride is very nice and the car looks great.

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  Benzinger - 2003 Lexus GS 300
  By cebenzinger - November 21 - 2:00 am

  The car rides beautifully and handles well through curves as well. It has excellent wet weather handling. I would have liked some additional features, including radio controls on the steering wheel, something standard on our Toyota Sienna @ $10K less.