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 - a dependable automobile - 2003 Lexus LS 430
  By gaz - February 28 - 10:00 am

  The Lexus LS430 is a very dependable and economical vehicle to operate. Although not as eye pleasing as my former Lexus LS 400, the ride is much more exciting and more similar to the Mercedes. I have owned and operated this vehicle approximately 1.5 years without any problems. My only complaint is the LS400 doesnt look that different from the Toyota Avalon which is less than half the price.

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  08 LS460 - somewhat dissapointing - 2008 Lexus LS 460
  By jeffstephan - February 14 - 10:01 am

  have 65,000 miles on one. Levinson amplifier went out at 60K. Found a repair shop in NJ to fix it for $700. It is 3000 if you go to dealer. Navigation is slow to put in addresses. Cannot change address while driving. Hard to jump start car as battery is very close to firewall with plastic molding above it that needs to be removed. Drivers side window switch went bad at 45,000 miles. Found a used one on ebay for $125 and fixed myself. Paint scratches very easy like others have mentioned. Sound of speakers is excellent. Decent mpg for V8. very comfortable on long drives and safe. Suspension sags into corners when driving spirited.

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  Rough shifting 1st-2nd gear - 2004 Lexus ES 330
  By LAP500 - February 9 - 2:00 am

  Drove the demo, fell in love, but wish now that I had test driven the actual car I purchased. Frequent hesitation then lurching occurs at first to second gear changes. Feels like the transmission is trying to figure out what to do. Didnt experience this in the demo. Took the car in to the shop. Believe the service department made some software tweaks. Now feels like the problem is worse. Gives me a very unsafe feeling when pulling out into traffic. Have scheduled another service visit. Lexus has been very responsive so far; hope they will come up with a solution. If not for the shifting problem, I would rate the vehicle an overall 9.0

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  good car, design flaws - 2005 Lexus LS 430
  By spam - February 9 - 1:46 am

  This is my 2nd ls430 in a row. There is too much wind noise and the dealership, although accomodating (they even replaced the wind shield) could not find the problem. They took out the occilating front vents (great feature), the message recorder and the emergency sat link. All missed very much. The seats are less comfortable. This is my first "ultra luxury" package, and my last.

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  Lexus engine - 2001 Lexus RX 300
  By Eric Rodriguez - February 6 - 12:22 pm

  I purchased my 2001 Lexus about 9 months ago with 180,000 miles now I have 208,000 miles. I havent had any issues the last owner was a family friend that took care of the maintenance very well. My question is what is the average life of the engine how much more miles can I get out of it? I been taking care of the maintenance on car since got it.

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  Eye Catcher - 2001 Lexus IS 300
  By SHK - January 26 - 2:00 am

  I bought the IS 300 to replace 2001 Mustang GT which had so many problems, interior and exterior. Initial crush with interior and exterior design still stays with me. It draws everyones attention wherever I go. The car has one of a kind design, superior fit/finish and quality in all aspects.

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  Too firm, too hard, UGH! - 2014 Lexus ES 350
  By patcic - January 19 - 7:43 am

  When I took this model for a test drive, all of the roads around the dealership were smooth asphalt and of course, the car road fine - big mistake. I negotiated a great deal on a close out, brand new 2014. I quickly became very disappointed with the comfort and ride of this car. You would think a Lexus would be the pinnacle of comfort but not this car. They did a model change in 2013 and made the car "sporty". Now you feel every bump & crack and hear a lot of tire noise on the highway. I feel fatigued after driving it. If you want a taught, sporty car where you "feel" the road then this might be the car for you. I switched to 2015 Impala 1LZ and am in heaven! What comfort!

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  GX 470: great unless you hold the wheel - 2003 Lexus GX 470
  By Lee Seidler - January 16 - 10:00 am

  The GX 470 is easily the best driving, best handling SUV we have owned. However, there is a vibration in the steering wheel (even noted in the NY Times of 7/6/03. Also loud wind noise drowns out classical music at 60MPH. Interior is great, GPS finds places you could never drive to yourself.

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  ES350 Paint Issue - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By zaff6 - January 10 - 5:06 pm

  Have an 2007 ES350 that has a paint chipping and rust issue on the hood of the vehicle. Originally from Florida and now in New York. One winter and the hood has large paint chips and rust. The rest of the vehicle is fine. The dealer and Lexus tried to repair with bottled touch up paint but it raised the paint around the damaged area making it look worse. Lexus closed the book on this and said we are on our own to repair. Very disappointed with the attempt to repair. Paint and rust warranty is basically none.

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  Ellies Lexus - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Bebop - January 10 - 10:00 am

  The worst car buying experience Ive ever had. Lexus Mission Viejo was unprofessional, unorganized and very disappointing. They lost my car & it took 3 trips back & forth until was exceptable I think the vehicle is great - nice ride, great interior, good features. I am very disappointed in my gas mileage - it has never acheived the estimated milage as advertised