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:

• 

  2011 GX460 - Amazingly Inferior Sound System - 2010 Lexus GX 460
  By samga2011 - March 11 - 7:08 am

  I listen to music occasionally, but do have a taste to distinguish between something that just makes sound vs something that sounds good. We just bought a new 2011 GX460, and unfortunately did not test the audio system using a standard quality recorded song before buying like my iPod or standard audio CD. Both my old sub 40k cars had fantastic music system compared to this. For the price we pay for this car, its amazing Lexus manages to get away with providing a third grade audio system. The sytem sounds horribly hollow or bassy at best, no matter how much you adjust the treble/mid/bass controls. I have complained to the dealer and they said they will give it a shot. Stay Tuned...

• 

  Lexus Platinum Service/Until you need it - 2007 Lexus ES 350
  By Lexus Transmission - March 9 - 5:30 am

  Transmission was bad off showroom floor. It was my wifes car and I never drove it and would not believe her Lexus transmission was bad until we took it in for service at 3000+ miles. Transmission jump in first almost caused my wife to rear end car in stop & go traffic. The transmission had to be replaced requiring entire motor & front end to be dropped out from underneath. Not a happy camper!

• 

  Poor performance - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By johntemp - March 6 - 10:33 am

  We bought this brand new and kept it only 7 months. In buying it my wife did not understand her desire for a car that actually went when you pressed the gas. After trying to get constant hesitations programmed out of the controller for our car we gave up and sold this nice but totally poor performance car for a BMW X5 which blows the Lexus away.

• 

  Very Happy - 2004 Lexus LX 470
  By HDW - March 6 - 10:00 am

  Cant tell you how happy I have been with my LX. The dealer makes sure your car buying experience and service is a pleasure. On the few occasions I have had to have something repaired they have always been fast and eager to please. Driving the LX is also a pleasure. The quiet and smooth ride in amazing for a SUV of this size.

• 

  Lexus RX330 - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Nancy Gamier - March 6 - 10:00 am

  This vehicle is very comfortable especially if you are in your vehicle alot-which I am. Im on the road doing sales and the smoothness of the ride is unbelievable, even in the backseat. I had my husband go with me on all my test drives so I could sit in the backseat and see how smooth the vehicle drove. When I have to go anywhere with other sales staff, I always offer to drive. Just a side note-before I leased this vehicle I test drove 14 other SUVs. The handling on this is exceptional as is the steering radius. The back up camera is a great option as far as safety to have.

• 

  Great car sans the rattles - 2009 Lexus ES 350
  By jeff205 - March 3 - 12:16 am

  This is my second ES. The prior was an ES 330. The car is quiet in terms of road noise. Performance is great unless you are used to driving a high performance BMW. I;s easy to look down and see you are cruising at 80 thinking you are driving at 60. Interior materials are all high quality. I only have 2 complaints. First the sound system is sub-par for this class of vehicle. Second there is as persistant rattle in the sun-roof area that the dealer cannot seem to fix. There are also other bump related rattles that seem to develop during the first 20k miles.

• 

  hybrid - 2006 Lexus RX 400H
  By bcm1112 - March 1 - 3:33 am

  this hybrid drives very nice, but the actual fuel mileage isnt what the sticker says prior to purchasing.

• 

  Love the car - 2005 Lexus LS 430
  By rhpcpa - February 20 - 4:20 am

  Owned my 2005 LS 430 for three months and find myself loving it more everyday. I actually went to the dealership to buy a new GS 300 but I drove the LS 430 and I was so impressed that I purchased it.

• 

  Beware wind and road noise - 2007 Lexus LS 460
  By MrTl - February 19 - 10:16 am

  Dont make the same mistake I did. The LS 460 is noisy. New drivers might not notice it but there should be no wind noise. I am in the process of having the two front side windows replaced. There is a significant problem with wind and road noise with this model. After one window was fixed which did correct the wind noise, of course there is now a noise in the door. Lexus needs to fix the windows. In addition this engine is more noisy than the ones in the past

• 

  Drive Train - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By Micky Corsetti - February 13 - 10:00 am

  I was making a turn going approx 10 miles an hour when a retaining clip on the right front axle broke resulting in the car not being able to move except to roll to a stop. The car had to be towed to a Lexus dealership. They said there was also a bolt missing in the bearing carrier. Now I am afraid to drive worrying that it will happen again. I took it back to the dealership I purchased it from to see if they would give me my money back so I could purchase another car, but they would only give me 75% of my purchase price. I left the dealership very disappointed,with my car. What would have happened if this happened on the freeway?