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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  Buy this Lexus! - 1997 Lexus ES 300
  By MRH - June 20 - 10:00 am

  Best vehicle ever owned! Drives wonderfully; beautiful attention to detail & high resale value--- cant go wrong with it! Recommend it over any other car in its price range!

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  One great car - 2003 Lexus ES 300
  By corneadoc - June 20 - 10:00 am

  Very comfortable car. The Mark Levinson sound system is incredible. I used to use Mapquest for trips but now rely on the Nav system in the car. A little sluggish to respond, at times. Very high quality.

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  Closest thing to a motorcycle no wind - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By OD - June 20 - 8:53 am

  Very tightly built 4 door sports car. Amazing engine sound over 4000 RPM. Very strong engine performance at high RPM. Very smooth gearbox at normal driving. 1500 RPM at 60 MPH. Fun to use puddles usable even in D and amazingly effective 8 gear shifting. Extreme snappy in M. Drifts easily and naturally without special effort even with VDIM on. Hard to use navigation with Mark Levinson sounding poor compared to Bose and navigation on M45 on Infiniti. Very good seats including passenger. Rear OK, but only accommodate 4. Ride is VERY tight bordering on harsh so not for use on rough roads. 15 MPG city, 20 MPG light foot hwy.

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  Am I the only one who finds the grill scary? - 2016 Lexus RX 350
  By mmart - June 20 - 5:59 am

  I heard all the great compliments on many levels, but seriously. This car looks angry. I would never buy it. Side and back are fine, but that grill is ridiculous.

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  Wow - 2000 Lexus LX 470
  By william45 - June 18 - 5:40 pm

  After owning a Tahoe, Expedition and Denali I finally bought a 2000 Lexus LX470 with 90,000 miles. It was the only one I could find in my price range. I have only had it a month but it is easily the nicest vehicle I have ever owned. It has more buttons than a NASA spacecraft, but I think I finally have most of them figured out. It is not as quick as my Denali was, but as far as build quality, ride, comfort, and looks, its hard to beat. Im hoping that it can go another 90,000 if I take care of it.

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  4 Months and Its Gone - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By volvo4life2 - June 15 - 2:05 pm

  I traded my GMC Yukon for my RX330 to be very disappointed. I was very excited to hop on the "Lexus Reliability" boat and got a 2004 with only 60k miles on it. Within the first week of owning it the check engine light came on, shortly followed by the passenger air bag going out, needing all new power steering fluid (which had to go back to the dealer twice to actually get done correctly) and my transmission fluid was a mess. All of that I could forgive, its a used car, things happen. But the thing that I couldnt forgive... There was a hole in the frame of the car somewhere that leaked when it rained. It filled the floorboards up with water and soaked through the foam, and the carpets.

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  I LOVE THIS CAR - 2003 Lexus SC 430
  By Happy in SF - June 15 - 10:00 am

  This is the best car on the market in my book. I was initially looking for a small sedan (BMW 530i or Lexus GS model). Instead, ended up going home with this model 2 weeks later. I love it. Its perfect as long as there are only 2 riders. I have my top down whenever possible--this is made easy by the fact that it only takes a button to drop the top.

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  MAGNIFICANT - 2004 Lexus SC 430
  By TAXLAWYER - June 15 - 10:00 am

  THIS IS MY 2ND SC....SIMPLY THE BEST!!!!

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  Lexus RX 330 - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By jstone - June 15 - 12:10 am

  Have had too many repairs. Radiator, crankshaft pulley, noise around the air conditioner line, all had to be repaired. I thought a Lexus would run forever with no problems if properly maintained. Very disappointed in this. Visibility is somewhat limited because of design. Disappointed and thinking about looking for something else. I thought this would be a car to last me 20 years.

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  Wonderful piece of machinery - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By Richard - June 14 - 11:16 am

  Had 2004 RX 330... Have MB Mclass 350, and 1998 MB 300 Turbodiesel. The 2010 RX is put together with meticulous craftsmanship.. everything fits perfectly, not one complaint in the first 1000 miles. Shocks are a little stiff with somewhat bumpy ride on New York City streets... but on smooth highway fantastic. Nav is very sophisticated... no lag in signal pickup. Excellent Bluetooth. Disconcerting small digital clock not in direct sight, and gets lost in sunlight. Very easy fold down rear seats. Steering is precise... could not spin Bridgestones (235-60/18) on wet road... have to see traction on snow Dash clear and concise, Nav screen clear and sharp. Fog light indicator light good addition.