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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  Perfect Crusier for Marketing - 2000 Lexus LS 400
  By Roadwarrior2000 - June 23 - 10:36 pm

  This car rides and drives like a dream it was supposed to be, a 2nd car to keep the miles down on my lease vehicle a 2007 Murano Suv. I find however it is so comfortable I am driving this a lot. Power and performance, it handles very well for a large sedan. An excellent value, you can now buy one of these for less than a new Toyota Yaris. Reliabilty is the best do normal maintance and it will last 500k miles !

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  Perfect for my needs - 2007 Lexus RX 350
  By bynhld - June 23 - 9:56 pm

  My kids are grown and out of the house, and the RX 350 is perfect for my wife and me. We live in a hilly area in the Northeast and this vehicle is terrific in the snow. City mileage is 19, probably because of the hills, but the highway mileage is 27 to 29. I use regular gas and I dont see any dropoff in performance compared to the premium Ive tried. Handles like a dream.

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  Best Car Ive ever owned - 2001 Lexus LS 430
  By Great Car - June 23 - 1:50 am

  I love driving this car, the only thing that improved the car was putting Michelin tires on it. In the 4 years Ive had it, not once has it been in the shop. It is a bit hard on tires, but for the ride and preformance, its worth it. Probably the worse thing about the car, is its looks, but the inside is perfect, great ride, lots of power.

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  Another Home Run - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By steve ziegler - June 22 - 2:06 pm

  Great handling, comfort, acceleration, appearance and quality. Improved gas mileage. This my 3rd GS and just gets better and better.

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  LITTLE Lexus ...with loads of attitude - 2003 Lexus IS 300
  By farhaan - June 22 - 10:00 am

  the car is smooth..no problems so far with my car dealership is the best in town..helps a lot.Drives smoother than a bmw or an audi ..i own a 2003 bmw 325i but IS is lot better than it because of it luxuriousnes and ride

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  Great Purchase - 2004 Lexus GX 470
  By DSW - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Weve owned ours for a couple of weeks, and ultimately decided between the GX and the Acura MDX. The price difference was about $6000 and our decision was based upon the fact that the Lexus was more than $6000 better in every way. IMHO, the MDX just didnt come close to justifying its price tag. The Lexus interior is beyond compare. The leather is first rate, and everything is where it should be. The exterior styling is unqique, particularly because the GX does not look simply like a pickup truck with a camper shell. The thrid row seat and second row work well together and its not difficult to take the third row out. Ride is not hard like MDX.

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  Two Thumbs UP! - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Mr. Tea - June 22 - 10:00 am

  Excellent refined ride and feel. The Crystal White and Ivory rich leather is 1st class! Many improvements over the RX 300. Only minus is the standard 135 watt stereo system. Needs more power. The RX 300 had 210 watts and sounds a bit better. The Mark Levinson system should be standard on the Premium plus pkg.

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  Still Going - Best Car Ever Built - 2001 Lexus LS 430
  By lexusls430 - June 21 - 4:12 pm

  Its 2012 and my 2001 LS430 is still running strong. For all who have the Levinson system, its great until the speaker rattles. Dont buy a new one, you can have it re-coned for $40.00 rather than $400.00 for a new one. Ive done that twice and replaced an o2 sensor. Aside from regular maintenance those are the only issues Ive ever really had. I have a buddy who racked up 280k on his and still going. Im now at 160k and have no plans for a new car. Before this, I was a euro lux driver. Ill never go back.

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  A second look at the Lex - 2008 Lexus RX 350
  By DadMan - June 21 - 6:06 am

  Im updating a review I posted in April. Things have happened since then. The RX was involved in a moderate collision ($2500 in damages to the lower front end) but was able to drive away from the accident. I cant say that for the other vehicle. The Lex is indeed a safe ride. That aside, the only thing I miss about my 05 Solara convertible is the stereo, oh and the convertible part. At the first service interval, I had the dealership install a hitch receiver so I can use a bike rack. Not cheap but worth it, just like the car itself. The only thing that has failed is the express-close feature on the moon roof. The shop was able to reset it.

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  my favorite car - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By dajetman - June 20 - 12:46 pm

  it is the most comfortable car i have ever had. i dont like the darkened rearview mirror that must be manually turned off. I love the navigation systemwhich is basixcally an expensive oy, but it has come in handy. i only have 5000 miles so i dont know about reliability, etc, but it sure is a great car. cant wait for the hybrid to come out.