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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  Best SUV - 2006 Lexus GX 470
  By Brian - July 8 - 8:46 pm

  I now have 3,000 miles on the vehicle and it exceeds my expectations. I use it when I go skiing, it replaced a Honda Pilot which was not satisfactory in the mountains in winter. My wife loves the Lexus. I have owned a Land Rover Discovery and the Lexus is vastly superior. Also the gas mileage is better than my Land Rover.

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  One Great Car - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By McKeen - July 8 - 6:33 pm

  Didnt like the interior/dash of the M35 or 530. Liked the handling, exterior and interior appearance of the A6, but from the first drive of the GS300 my wife and I loved the performance, ride and quietness. We had a 2004 S80 T6 before, great acceleration and low end torque but too on/off. GS300 is a very comfortable car to drive, smooth seamless shifting and braking. Had a slight tracking problem but dealership and Lexus rep. jumped on the problem quickly and resolved it with minimal inconvenience to me. Fuel economy is unbelievable for a 245hp vehicle. Highway gives 38 mpg (Imperial)@75mph, mixed driving is 30 mpg (Imperial).

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  Love it - 2011 Lexus RX 350
  By G.Sohi - July 8 - 10:00 am

  My First Lexus , I have this Suv for almost a month, I absolutely love it. Very quite, pure luxury, Love the Navigation with mouse, Bluetooth, the style and the performance.

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  My New Lexus - 2008 Lexus ES 350
  By Holly - July 7 - 1:50 pm

  I love this car. It is quiet, comfortable, responsive, and the added value of service at a Lexus dealer instead of a Toyota is pretty great. I highly recommend this one!

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  Lexus Hybrid SUV - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By Ann - July 6 - 3:03 pm

  I love Lexus vehicles and when I heard they were building an SUV I put money down to get one of the first. I love it but only have 1000 miles on it so far. At this point my mileage avg. approx 22 mpg in the city and hwy. I have done a combination of driving. It has gotten better as I have driven it. But I havent seen it reach the 30 mpg yet. Other than that, I still have all the luxury and power I need. It gets better mileage than the 05 GS 430 I was driving that got 16 mpg, plus I have more space. I do love dealing with Lexus, they make it very easy to do business with them. So far, my family has purchased 9 different Lexuses.

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  Riding in Style! - 2016 Lexus RX 350
  By BGEvans - July 6 - 10:32 am

  I LOVE this car. I had a 2010 RX which was the first of the third generation and I totally loved it. Before buying the 2016 RX I contemplated a BMW or a Mercedes, but I just had to stay with the Lexus quality, style, service and overall feel. The new RX has so many features that my previous car didnt have. It drives great, comfortable, and looks so trendy. That is important for this almost 60 year old business professional! As long as I can afford them, Ill have to stay with the Lexus brand!

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  GS 300 AWD is Ultimate - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By LexusOwner - July 5 - 9:16 pm

  Over the past 2 months, I looked at all of the competition and boy am I glad I decided on the Lexus GS 300 AWD. This car is excellent with a luxurious ride and sporty feel. Mine is loaded with every option Navigation (easy to use after a couple of times), ML Sound System, Sirius, adaptive headlights (these work great on dark curvy roads!), backup camera, heated/ventilated seats. The value in this car is incredibleconsidering all these features i any of the other cars would be $10-15K more and those cars would not be as reliable (Lexus is the best here!). This car is impressive, roomy, and really fun to drive.

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  Couldnt ask for more, true Lexus quality - 2004 Lexus GX 470
  By vety1223 - July 4 - 10:46 am

  This is an all-around fantastic car! Its amazingly smooth, even over large bumps, pot holes and medians. The navigation is very user-friendly, I learned it in less than a day. We bought ours with 50,000 miles on it. I would never blink at purchasing a high-milage Lexus (not that 50K is high), they run forever. We havent had any problems with ours, except for replacing the drive shaft (a problem they are aware of with these cars which is covered by the manufacturer, totally no cost to us).

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  My First Lexus, I Had No Idea - 1997 Lexus LS 400
  By rickster81 - July 4 - 2:00 am

  I wasnt really looking at the LS400 when searching for another used car after a major car accident where my 97 Camry was crushed. But after one test drive, I knew the LS400 was it. Being only 29 years old, my wife still chides me that Im driving an old man car. But the fact of the matter is, the LS400 is a feature rich luxury machine that was affordable for me and at the same time offered some prestige with a long list of standard features. I hope to drive this car up to 250K miles and then ill be another Lexus... why pay for a Benz when you get all that luxury and comfort in a Lexus for half the price?

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  Luxury Utility Vehicle (LUV) - 2004 Lexus LX 470
  By piccolo - July 4 - 2:00 am

  This vehicle is just superb. The exterior and interior designs are excellent. Comfortable seats with enough leg and head space for tall individuals. Acceleration is amazing for an SUV, better than some sedans. Fun and easy to drive. Excellent audio and navigation systems. This is my first Lexus, and I think now that Lexus is the top car maker.