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 RX300 - 2000 Lexus RX 300
  By scott R - June 22 - 5:40 am

  Common problem with this model is transmission failure at 90k - 130k. Well, mine failed at 144,000k. This is a low end Lexus and would not recommend this vehicle to anyone.

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  Disappointed mpg - 2010 Lexus RX 450h
  By gored - March 21 - 3:26 pm

  I am very disappointed in our fuel economy. After 8500 miles we average 25.5 mpg. Suburban/rural Ohio mom running a 5 teen family. No special driving of any sort. Quite a bit different from the 29 combined mpg we were represented with. Not worth it.

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  2002 - 2002 Lexus ES 300
  By Texas83 - March 7 - 10:00 am

  The transmission on this thing is a piece of junk. I cant believe that Lexus would put out something so poorly tested. Its so sad, because I like everything else about the car. It has many great features, but the reliability of the transmission is terrible, even dangerous. Lexus has promised over and over again that they will fix it, but so many promises have turned into so many lies.

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  google engine sludge rx300 - 2002 Lexus RX 300
  By Paul W Miller - March 4 - 5:28 pm

  Bought as fifth owner with 136K miles. Perhaps a risky move but the engine crapped out on the first 300 trip. After looking at the horror stories Id never consider a RX300 again unless the previous owner maintenance could be verified beyond a shadow of a doubt, too risky.

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  Avoid at all Costs - 2005 Lexus LS 430
  By lexuslemon - February 26 - 11:16 am

  I have always owned Lexus cars, but the newer models have gotten so unnecessarily complex that they are prone to VERY expensive failures. I could go on and on, but take for example the most recent failure of the Navigation unit. At only 28k pampered miles, the screen just up and dies. Now, not only does this screen control the GPs, but it also controls the climate control/defrost, rear view camera, Stereo including radio/CD changer. So this one gadget failing has rendered the car undriveable (no defrost.) To get it replaced is 6k....SIX thousand dollars (and not covered by warranty even though the car only has 30k miles!!) This is BAD engineering plain and simple.

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  You were better before - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By MinnesotaGal - February 23 - 2:00 am

  Lexus should have left well enough alone. I have owned a 99 and a 01 RX300, and they were both much better than the 04 RX330. The transmission is sluggish, dismal power, gas mileage at about 18mi/gal even though 80% of my driving is highway. It rides like a big slug -- even though the engine is bigger, the increased body size and weight consumes the extra power. Plus, the engine is loud. Im disappointed!

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  3 years experience - disappointing - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By kc - February 16 - 6:10 pm

  Ladies SUV; my wife was attracted to it by appearance; acceleration OK but tires (all 4 of them) wore out sooner than youd expect. Trims fell off even though parked in garage most of the time. Transmission jerks even when air conditioner is off. Dealer couldnt do anything and explained as normal - give me a break. Several recalls already.

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  Poor Quality From Canada - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By KC001 - January 19 - 9:43 am

  When we ordered our 2010 RX we were assured it would come from Japan, all of our previous 5 Lexus were Japan built. When the Canada manufactured RX arrived, dealer was surprised but we took the car. First thing that happened was at about 100 miles the front bumper popped off right at the headlights. Sure it was loose at delivery. Returned to dealer and they wanted to charge to repair the damage. Of course that did not fly and they fixed it no charge. Now at 2000 miles bumper is completely loose again just from normal driving. Also waiting on Lexus Customer Service to respond. In addition to above hood, door and car body are not aligned, build quality poor. Be sure your VIN starts with J.

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  Not worth the money - 1999 Lexus LX 470
  By cmorr - January 4 - 3:30 pm

  Purchased as 2nd owner with 50,000 miles, have had it since 2003 now has 110,000 miles on it the moulding on doors was replaced twice because of wind noise still noisy. Radio bad-cd quite working about 1 year ago went to cassette and now it dosent work and the antenna failed all with less than 110,000 easy miles on it. Our upkeep is around 3500 every 9-12 months the leather interior is cracking and is going to cost about 800 to replace. Worst car (for the money spent) that I have ever had. We have a 1992 honda accord with 300,000 miles that I drive.

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  eh. - 2001 Lexus IS 300
  By tonytan12 - December 23 - 2:00 am

  its not anything like any bmw ever. The acceleration isnt that great for the 3000ccs of displacement. And for getting that bad of gas mileage, it should be faster. It does handle good, and the design is nice, but if you have the money, go with the bmw.