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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  None Like it! - 2000 Lexus LX 470
  By speculator - July 4 - 10:00 am

  We test drove just about all available large size SUVs and never found one that can compete with the ride, looks, and quality.

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  Finally, the car Ive been looking for - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Brad Gould - July 3 - 2:33 pm

  This is the first car that after owning for a while I havent found anything that I dislike. This oddly enough is also the first car Ive bought without driving first.

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  ES330 2005 - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Coach II - July 3 - 12:26 pm

  Great driving experience, handling is outstanding.2005 design is sleek and just a fun reliable car to drive.

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  mid life - 2005 Lexus SC 430
  By Peter - July 3 - 8:00 am

  I have had my SC 430 since 2002.This car is the best blend of pure elegence and performance. While it wont out corner a 9-11, You wont feel every dead bug on the road. A car for someone who wants to be pampered. The SC 430 is more comfortable than my ES 300. The Mark Levinson sound system is better than my in home Sony system. You will love this car! One thing: it, simply stated, stinks in the snow. With the top up there is a lot of trunk space. With it down, well, thats what the "back seats" are for. It eats gas but if thats a big deal to you, you shouldnt be looking at a 300 hp vehicle.

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  great car!!! - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By EURIEBABY - July 2 - 2:56 pm

  I didnt expect to get 16 mpg on the street on this kind of sports car, but I am getting that. great handling, cornering and braking. This IS-F is just breath-taking. When that mid range intake kicks in, it is monster. Very comfortable seats.

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  Great SUV... our 2nd one - 2008 Lexus RX 350
  By LexusMann - July 1 - 12:30 pm

  To sum it up, this is our second RX. Our first was the 2004 RX 330. However, my wife always liked the Bamboo Pearl color, so when the timing was right, we purchased a 2008 RX 350 in that color. Overall, the vehicles are the same. But I will say the changes made from 2004 to 2008 were needed; performance is better, tighter, and overall a real pleasure. The vehicle is now 3 months old and my wife constantly reminds me of how much she LOVES her new car.

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  another lexus joy - 2004 Lexus GS 300
  By mamasita - June 30 - 1:20 pm

  i have owned the rx300, the new es300, the is300 sportcross. i loved the reliability of all of them. i did not care for the es styling. i loved the is 300 sport cross for city living. but the gs 300 is the best.. combo of luxury, space, safety, and lexus quality. ac is perfect. and it drives like a dream

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  Bimmerman blown away by LS - 2008 Lexus LS 460
  By mkgupta - June 29 - 4:23 pm

  I have owned a BMW 3 series, 540i, MB SL 500 and a Porsche 911 C4S. The LS is no Porsche of course but it is the "Porsche" of luxury sedans in my opinion. The ride, power, and luxury are at the top and the reliability is a good feeling to have. The performance is very good for a large sedan, not as good as the 750, but pretty close. For the money, the LS 460 L is by far the best purchase I could have made in this segment. unbelievable car, go and get your own yow wont regret it.

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  One great Lexus - 2016 Lexus GX 460
  By Gene Avera - June 29 - 2:09 pm

  You cannot go wrong buying the Lexus GX 460 premium

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  Stick-Shift Lexus IS300 - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By habersk - June 27 - 2:00 am

  I am thrilled with the car. I researched for a year before my purchase and am still happy with my decision. I was very dissatisfied with my experience at the Dealer however. There werent alot of stick-shifts around my area and they used it to their advantage. In addition, I was displeased to learn that Lexus dealers use the same shady bargaining tactics as other lower end dealers. They used deceiving tactics such as changing around the numbers to try to confuse me and purposely miscalculating things. I am an engineer and didnt fall for the tricks as easily as someone less experienced in math could have, but it was pretty disappointing either way.