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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  noisy car - 2016 Lexus RX 350
  By Raymond S. - May 10 - 7:56 am

  Car has an annoying drone noise when starting up and driving. Was told it was the exhaust and Lexus was designing a new system which when available would be installed. Have not been notified yet after 4 months. Intend to check with dealer to see what is happening. My guess is that if they are serious, the new system will be on the 2017 models and will then be available to be replaced on the 2016 cars for the people who complain.

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  06 GS 300 - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By Lenny - May 10 - 6:23 am

  Fun to drive, excellent handling, very good gas mileage on Hwy. All the buttons are a little confusing, symbols are not very clear or explanatory.

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  Money Well Spent - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By cnd - May 9 - 10:46 pm

  Weve owned our RX350 for 3 weeks now. Its everything we expected in a Toyota product. Excellent handling, smooth and quiet ride, superior build quality.

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  Built for comfort AND speed - 2008 Lexus ES 350
  By Dave - May 9 - 3:06 pm

  This is my second Lexus; traded in my 2001 ES 300, which I also loved. But this is a totally different car; plush, powerful, yet still quiet and reliable. Im impressed with the fit and finish of the dash and controls, and love the Bluetooth compatibility. This may just be my all-time favorite car (except for the 66 MGB that drove me to the poorhouse when I was young). Plenty of power, yet smooth as silk.

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  Sticky catalytic converter - 2008 Lexus ES 350
  By Pattyk - May 9 - 9:26 am

  Leased this car new. Has a good ride, not as quiet inside as I would have expected, dealership says its the wind shear from the side mirrors! When I have to accelerate a bit hard, the catalytic converter smells really bad. I had this problem with my 2005 es300 too. Does anybody else experience this? Also the drivers side seat belt buckle digs into the back of the seat and marks up the leather when you get in the car. The heated seats dont get very warm as other cars I have drove with this feature. The bluetooth does not always work properly. The front tires wore out at 10K and I did have them rotated by the dealer. The paint scratches very easily. Major torque pull could have accident.

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  Purchased ES 350 9/06 - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By mjdcpa - May 8 - 8:46 pm

  After owning an Acura 3.0 CL for the past 10 years, this car is an obvious improvement. I drove the BMW 3 and 5 series and Mercedes and I feel the Lexus is a better ride with superior interior features. Car rides very smooth and is overall quiet. I am very picky with interior noise and upon quick acceleration, the dash creaks, but not enough to warrant huge concern. Quality of the interior with the navigation system is unbelievably cool. Pretty easy to operate and the chick voice on the navigation system is not nearly as annoying as a wife giving you driving instructions. It is much more accurate than I believed it would be. It is fun to drive and all controls are within reach.

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  Awesome car - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By Jenny - May 8 - 10:13 am

  Ive never been so excited about owning a new car but this car is just AWESOME. Its very comfortable, it has great interior features, and it looks much better than the old ES. The navigation system is just fantastic. Im very satisfied with this purchase.

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  Great Purchase. - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By Neil - May 8 - 10:00 am

  Ive had this car for over 5 years and 80,000 miles and have yet to experience 1 real problem.

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  Best Luxury Car - 2008 Lexus LS 460
  By George - May 8 - 3:00 am

  This is my sixth Lexus vehicle and the best of all with the Executive Package. It is a solidly well built and quiet vehicle with absolute comfort and interior design, especially in the rear compartment which almost resembles the cabin of a private jet. Despite its 4300 lb weight, I get about 20 mpg around town and 30 mpg highway, depending upon traffic conditions. Its power is impressive as well as its 8 speed transmission which is seamlessly smooth. One minor drawback is the roughness of downshifting at 30 mph. Handling is good for the most part, except for some slight pitching on turns which is to be expected due to its size. Overall this car has everything one could ever want.

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  Im impressed ! - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Dave Robb - May 7 - 5:36 am

  Im in my middle 50s and this is absolutely the nicest car I have ever owned. The performance is lack luster but that is not why I bought this car. The ride feels like Im riding in my living room easy chair. Ive only had the car for a month but have 4500 miles on it. Ive just returned from a five day, 3000 mile round trip and this car performed flawlessly. Im almost ready for my 5K service and the ONLY problem Ive experienced is some intermitant XM Radio reception. I do not have the hesitation complaint seen frequently on this site. My last new purchase had been a 2000 model GM product and my 5K punch list had 18 items.