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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  2000 Lexus RX 300 4WD - 2000 Lexus RX 300
  By Tim - January 17 - 11:50 pm

  Not too impressed by this car. Has lots of problems. Sensors go all the time, the ignition coils go a lot and they cost $95 a piece (6 of them will cost you close to $600 not including labor costs), if the check engine light comes on (which comes on all the time) the car will usually not shift into overdrive, the back spark plugs are almost impossible to change because the manifold is in the way and many many more. I thought Toyotas were reliable but I was wrong. I wont buy a Lexus or Toyota again.

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  Great Value for a Luxury SUV - 2005 Lexus GX 470
  By kellerman - January 17 - 9:13 pm

  I live in the mountains and work in real estate. My driving habits are much more demanding than the typical buyer. I use the vehicle regularly in wintry conditions and also off road. In both capacities, the vehicle is extremely capable and gives the driver lots of confidence. The SUV is very luxurious and has much better build quality than its American competitors. Nav, Bluetooth, rear-view camera, and DVD all work well. I get around 16 MPG, but that is better than other heavy SUVs that get around 12-13 MPG in this area.

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  GX 460 Trumps - 2010 Lexus GX 460
  By Lucas - January 17 - 4:26 pm

  I was in the market for about 3 months, I looked at the Escalade, rovers, bmws and the whole gamut of luxury SUV and then i returned back to Lexus. I had an ES 350 that was wrecked by a bad driver so I set out to find what I needed and wanted. After driving all the option I fell in love with the Lexus GX 460. When i sat in the GX I said out loud, "this is it" only to seal the deal with a test drive. You might get another car that has more bling or another feature that you might want but you will never find a car that can take on the GX 460 in its entirety. This car drives like a sports car in sport mode with the tap shift and drives like a cloud when on comfort mode. I never looked back.

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  Rough Ride - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By ROUGH RIDE - January 17 - 1:43 am

  Bought Aug 2009 already having dissatisfaction. Hoping to have smooth ride, but its not. Wind noise on the frwy & gas mileage is not what they claim only 16.2MPG on the city. My nieces rx 330 2004 has a better & quiet ride thats why we got one for ourselves. Try at least 2 SUV before buying.

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  Love the Car, Hate the Stereo - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By MLBDenver - January 16 - 11:03 pm

  My RX is an incredibly comfortable, safe ride that turns heads. From hauling bikes and dogs to making the daily commute, my Lexus delivers.

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  New Ride - 2018 Lexus ES 350
  By gkmnj2 - January 16 - 1:51 am

  Navigation very mixed. Hard to set and control. Dumb routes sometimes. Miss interprets voice commands frequently. Using own phone probably better.

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  I love this car - 2002 Lexus LS 430
  By mchristiansen - January 14 - 9:35 am

  I must admit, Ive only owned it for 5 days, but Im so excited about it. We owned a 96 Cadillac Deville, which we traded in when we bought the Lexus. It was a great old car....comfortable, roomy, and built like a tank. Even though Im nearing being an old lady, I wanted something more up to date...including some more recent technology that wasnt available in the cadillac.

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  Much more than a Camry! - 2004 Lexus ES 330
  By mnelson - January 14 - 2:00 am

  By far the quietest vehicle Ive ever owned. Its a womans car and the wife loves it, yet I enjoy driving it too. The 3.3L engine is very powerful yet silent, and theres no torque steer at all, which was a pleasant surprise.

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  My current love - 2005 Lexus SC 430
  By ED - January 12 - 8:00 pm

  Ive been driving for 60 years, have had at least 20 different cars and the same no of different makes. This is the best..

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  10 of 10 - 1998 Lexus LS 400
  By cabo - January 12 - 10:00 am

  like consumer reports said when they first rated this car....they had to raise their standards as they had never tested a car this good