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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  Very disappointed - 2015 Lexus RX 350
  By dpolizotto - February 19 - 12:53 am

  Very hard ride when you hit bumps you get jolted When you hit a pot hole even slowly jolt sent up your back NAV system screen has too much info on it unsafe Backup camera has no assist lines on it and as soon as it rains gets coated with drops making it difficult to see Voice recognition system gives wrong info half the time Local gas mileage terrible approx 12 mpg average mpg 17.5 Noisy ride For a luxury vehicle really disappointing

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  I love my Car - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By IS300owner - February 13 - 2:00 am

  It was the handling that sold me on this car.

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  Annoying but feels good... - 2001 Lexus LS 430
  By scott 40 - February 13 - 2:00 am

  Guess what? Im 40, eschewed the Beamer and Q and went for the safe bet..the LS 430. I love the car, but has been beset with annoying problems...orange peel paint on roof (fiexed by dealer), shuddering steering wheel retraction mechanism (replaced by dealer), annoying tick tick sound in the dash and door are (allegedly fixed, but I can still hear it; the car is soo damn quiet) and I too have noticed the frigging tires are almost worn at 17K miles! I have obviously been disappointed in Lexus "quality" and chose not to buy my wife the new GX470. Sorry guys, Acura MDX wins the SUV race. I do however love the way the car drives and accelerates.

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  First time Lexus and Hybrid Owner - former "German-Only" car buyer - 2013 Lexus ES 300h
  By g007 - February 12 - 5:14 pm

  I was in the market for a vehicle that had a roomy back seat and good fuel economy and AWD or front-wheel drive for driving in snow. I had a VW CC and looked at the Passat Diesel and Audi A8L. Ive owned only German vehicles because I like how they drive (Mercedes GL320, Porsche Boxter, VW Touareg, CC, and GTI). The new 2013 Lexus ES300 caught my eye because of the 40 inch rear leg room, and 40 mpg in city and highway. Plus, it uses regular fuel. My German cars required premium fuel and diesel is not always convenient. I never cared for the Lexus styling as I thought it was rather bland. However, the new horizontal dash resembles the BMW styling and is much more stylish than the VW.

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  Lexus ES330, a solid, comfortable car - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By ron - February 9 - 4:53 pm

  This is a first-rate car, with wonderful interior accommodations and design, with more than adequate performance, and with an exterior design that will stand up in time. My only complaint is that a musty odor comes out of the dashboard vents.

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  Surprised at low resale - 2010 Lexus RX 450h
  By Steph G - February 8 - 12:17 pm

  We have taken very good care of our 2010 Lexus RX450H the past 3 years (second owner). Low miles, no accidents, garaged....ect. We have been looking at the value of our 450H on Edmunds and Kellys.....shock that we are already under loan value. And we put down several thousand at purchase to cover the gap. Very disappointed. And this Hybrid never met its promised mpgs either.

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  I hope the new ones ride better. - 2011 Lexus RX 350
  By jamiedaniel - February 2 - 1:50 pm

  I got my RX in Feb this year with 9,000 miles on it. Now I think I know why the original owner traded it. The suspension is way too stiff, and noisy. You feel every bump and the rear suspension lets you know with loud booms. This thing rides like a Mercedes ML. Thats not good. Also, with all the bouncing around, the back seat emits all kinds of noise. Keeping it folded down seems to help. I dont want a car so soft it wallows and has tons of body roll, but this is just ridiculous. Other than that, Im ok with the rest of the car. The leather and other materials feel good. Its fairly quiet. Im getting 23mpg on premium.

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  Disappointment - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By jose maria campos - January 29 - 10:46 am

  There so many unexpected repairs on the car. Lexus have a good reputation to be very reliable. But didnt expect to have several unscheduled, unexpected repairs. I am so lucky to have purchased a extended warranty. I would suggest to get an extended warranty to all future buyers. Try to look for a warranty that would be good for 200,000 miles. I am very, very disappointed in purchasing this car. I am not sure if I would purchase another Lexus, especially this is my first time to purchase one. I am not sure how Lexus, a high-end automobile company, could sell such a defective vehicle with less than 100,000 miles with a repair list that is too long to list in this box.

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  Sport seats are miserable if you are 38" waist - 2016 Lexus RX 450h
  By Mark A. - January 27 - 11:21 pm

  Love the car. Hate the front seats. The bolster on either side is rigid and relatively high (pointed) compared to other bolsters so a big person sits "ON" the bolster instead of between the bolster. These high rigid bolsters press against the sciatic nerve making it very uncomfortable after about 20 minutes. Small people dont seem to have a problem. There is no way around it, even with cushions that ultimately defeat the value of the AC/Heated seats. Lexus customer (no) service told me if they have enough comments they will consider a design change in future vehicles but as for now, nothing they can/will do.

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  New Lex RX 350 - 2007 Lexus RX 350
  By ESL1227 - January 27 - 2:20 pm

  All in all Im satisfied with it, 2nd Lexus Ive owned, I cant decide whether I like it better than my 93 LS 400 though. The vehicle is so smooth that it kind of takes away from the driving experience. That and the blindspots are my only complaint. Also, the standard stereo is mediocre at best for a vehicle of this caliber. Definitely opt for the Mark Levinson system if possible. The exterior is classy and modern, the interior is gorgeous and ridiculously comfortable, and again it drives so smooth its pretty much not "fun" to drive. Thats good for some people I suppose.