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 Rx 300 - 2003 Lexus RX 300
  By edrosen@shaw.ca - July 27 - 2:00 am

  Vehicle is very comfortable to ride in, almost car like, in ride and handling. Reliability and quality are excellent.

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  Smooth and Classy - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By cypress - July 26 - 8:56 pm

  From the moment I left the dealer I have been thrilled with my Lexus GS 300. It has classic yet new lines, and drives very smoothly. The look to me, the color and everything about it exude class. I am once again thrilled to own a new Lexus.

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  Solid family SUV - 2014 Lexus RX 350
  By anonymous70 - July 25 - 11:42 am

  This vehicle is excellent. My wife loves her RX 350 and even though its not as fun to drive as my Jaguar I can say with complete sincerity that if I had to choose between the two the Lexus would win every time. Handles well. Quiet. Extremely comfortable seats and ride. Id highly recommend this SUV to anyone with a family. There is plenty of room for the kids in the back.

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  Love the car - 2005 Lexus SC 430
  By SCDriver - July 24 - 8:16 pm

  I traded in my 911 for this car. While I miss the responsiveness of the 911, I wont miss the hassles with ownership, repair costs, etc. The SC430 is a pleasure to dive. The build quality is outstanding. I have the top down all the time unless its raining or sunny and over 90 degrees.

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  Great SUV - 2003 Lexus GX 470
  By lex-on - July 22 - 10:00 am

  When you unlock the car the lighting seems to softly glow to on. It is very welcoming. The seats are very comfortable and it was easy to get them into the right setting quickly. The Nav must be the best on the market.Loaded with features and all of them are easy to operate. The Mark Levinson system sounds amazing. Controlling it from the steering wheel makes it very easy to use. Cruising at 70-75 the engine is very quite with an MPG of around 19.

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  Lexus GS-300 - 2003 Lexus GS 300
  By midmac - July 22 - 10:00 am

  Bought the Lexus after looking at Infiniti G35 and Mercedes. It is a great car. We travel from Texas to the West and East coasts annualy. The car cruises all day effortlessly at 70 plus. The build quality is superb and the dealer service experience is excellent.

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  Stunning Car-Truck - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By PatrickF - July 22 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle has everything. It drives like a sports car, partly due to its 18" performance tires. It has more than enough power. It looks stunning. It is black with black leather interior with wood on the steering wheel and console. The new lines give it a sleaker appearance than the RX300, and not boxy like most cars of similar size. As you might expect from any Lexus, it has many other amenities including the 8 speaker stereo with 6- CD changer, auto-tinting rear view mirror, and heated front seats. On top of all that you get the top-of-the-line Lexus service. Great car/truck.

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  Great SUV - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Flint 330 - July 22 - 10:00 am

  First Lexus vehicle I have owned and I am very impressed. I had an Acura before and I cant believe that the luxury is so much better. The styling inside and out is great and it is comfortable to drive.

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  Best Car Ive Ever Owned - 1996 Lexus ES 300
  By Johnboy - July 22 - 5:13 am

  I purchased my 96 ES as it was coming off a 3-year lease (with 35k miles on it) in early 99... 11 years and 70,000 miles later, it still purrs like the well-oiled machine it was intended to be. Ive always used premium unleaded gas in the car, and change the oil every 4,000 miles or so -- both of which are critical in extending the engines life. Except for replacement of an alternator and an antenna motor, regularly scheduled maintenance is the only other work thats been performed. In my 45 years of driving American, European and Japanese cars, nothing matches the satisfaction of owning a Lexus. This baby is only worth about $5,000 now, but what could replace it for that price? Nothing.

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  Smoooth operator - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By lowrider4 - July 20 - 9:06 pm

  Smoooth best describes the GS 300 AWD. Have owned a number of mid-sized sedans including BMW 5 series, and Audi A6 2.7t, the Lexus is considerably quieter with a smoother ride, but gives up a bit of ultimate handling if you like to shave a 10th of a second off your time turning into the local shopping center. On the highway, its hard to beat with a natural (and potentially ticket collecting) cruising speed of 75 to 80 mph while returning 26 mpg. Overall, if you are not driving at 10/10ths all the time, its a great compromise between ride and handling, not to mention Lexus reliability and build quality.