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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  Lexus or over-priced Camry? - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By cosmok - July 1 - 4:00 am

  Smooth, strong engine. Transmission sluggish. Nice fit & finish. Competent ride, marginal handling and braking, very light steering. Speedometer error, reads high, about 10-12%, true fuel mileage is less than indicated. Significant tire noise on rough surface roads is not "Lexus quiet." Paint is very soft, it chips and scratches easily. Not comfortable for most people over 6 tall, especially the driver seat, marginal headroom. The more you look at the interior the cheaper it appears such as door panels, carpet, glove box, dash. Dealer and Lexus support not impressive. Read the Privacy Policy, Lexus may share your personal info including SSN with anyone. Sold the car after 9 mo.

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  Unhappy owner - 2007 Lexus LS 460
  By jon - June 26 - 4:13 am

  This is the third LS I have owned. I have had 2 LS 430s and loved them. I just purchased the LS 460 and am so disappointed. I am getting about 10.8 miles in city driving and I dont drive hard or fast. The wind noise is terrible at highway speeds. Have had electrical problems. Car has been a nightmare.

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  4 Months and Its Gone - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By volvo4life2 - June 15 - 2:05 pm

  I traded my GMC Yukon for my RX330 to be very disappointed. I was very excited to hop on the "Lexus Reliability" boat and got a 2004 with only 60k miles on it. Within the first week of owning it the check engine light came on, shortly followed by the passenger air bag going out, needing all new power steering fluid (which had to go back to the dealer twice to actually get done correctly) and my transmission fluid was a mess. All of that I could forgive, its a used car, things happen. But the thing that I couldnt forgive... There was a hole in the frame of the car somewhere that leaked when it rained. It filled the floorboards up with water and soaked through the foam, and the carpets.

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  RX300 2001 Problems Transmissions - 2001 Lexus RX 300
  By Berny - June 13 - 10:00 am

  Gentlemen, 2001 RX 300 has a company defect. The transmissions are failing; I have replace the transmission twice so far at 120,000 miles. I believe this to be a factory problem with the entire model for several years 1999 through 2002. I wish Lexus would step up to the plate and fix these vehicles transmissions. $2500 to $6,000 EACH REPAIR!

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  RX 300 - 1999 Lexus RX 300
  By Disappointed - June 7 - 6:56 pm

  Paid cash for this beautiful car in the summer 2.5 years ago. I have since put so much money into repairs that I dont know what to do. Ive put less than 12,000 miles on it in 2.5 years and spent thousands. First - O2 sensors (TWO) at once, then electrical, which NO one but Lexus will touch and will probably run me thousands at 90 an hour. I suddenly had no control over heat, radio, - anything on the console. Now, as of today it is parked because of yet another problem. Seems like horrible mix of gas - O2 sensors again??? I cant even limp it to the dealer this time. Second owner. Now I know why he got rid of it.

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  IS 300 - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By leadfoot - June 7 - 10:00 am

  This car is an awesome thing to drive...havent had this much fun for a while. Although I genuinely cannot stand the material used for the interior, I think the performance more than made up for it. More linear acceleration would be nice though.

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  Traded ours - 2007 Lexus GX 470
  By Jane - April 25 - 12:43 pm

  I have always purchased BMWs, but decided to get a Lexus for a change. I just traded it in and went back to BMWs. The SUV is very well made, but is awful to drive. We actually felt unsafe in ours.

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  Not What I Thought - 2002 Lexus SC 430
  By sorry4me - April 11 - 10:36 pm

  I must be an idiot !! My girl convinced me to buy this car. I was perfectly content with my Gorgeous 50th anniversarry Corvette. From the day I bought this so called "certified" car I have had nothing but problems. Thank god its still under warranty !! Then my dad said something very true...the SC430 is nothing more that a jazzed up Toyota!! Remember that when you buy this overpriced wanna be sports car. You would expect that they put some thought into the suspension. My Ford F-150 rides smoother than this. Today I brought it in yet again because it keeps eating batteries. Three visits and they cant figure out what the problem is - they are talking about replacing the harness now.

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  LS 430 - 2006 Lexus LS 430
  By Jeff Centers - March 27 - 4:43 am

  I just traded an S55 AMG in for this Lexus. There are many pros and cons to this car but it could definitely use more horsepower, more high speed capabilities, and features geared to the driver and front passenger rather than just to the rear passengers. Really how many of us have a chauffeur. I do enjoy driving the car but admit I was a bit spoiled by my German auto performance and its being geared to make driving fun for the driver.

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  GX IS NOT smaller version of LX - 2004 Lexus GX 470
  By C. Moore - March 7 - 2:40 am

  consistent issue with transmission slippage which dealer has been unable to eliminate. dealer refuses to acknowledge issue. tailgate is hideous. ride is like that of a tractor. LOVED my LX. no similar feelings for the GX.