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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  Fun, Fun, Fun on the Autobahn..... - 2003 Lexus IS 300
  By BigTex - August 12 - 10:00 am

  Seat of pants handling, power on the freeway, supportive seats and plenty of driver room for this 6 footer.

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  The Pleasure of Its Company - 2003 Lexus SC 430
  By David Becker - August 12 - 10:00 am

  Flawless. Wonderful handling and acceleration coupled with the most elegant in design and execution, both interior and exterior. Unusually quiet with the top down, and strikingly so with top up. This car is a real pleasure to drive and enjoy. This car is significantly superior to my former BMW M3 convertible with far better reliability and dealer support.

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  love my lexus - 2004 Lexus SC 430
  By Big Dog Daddy - August 9 - 10:00 am

  I love the handling of it I owened a 1993 corvette b4 this and I like the SC better. As far as people complaining about the room in the back ,This car is a 2 seater not a family car t6hey only put 4 seats for insurance purpose, Wake up and smell the roses people the car is great.Even with roof down in trunk I still have room for my wifes and my weekend bags.

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  Quality Without Compromise! - 2004 Lexus LS 430
  By Eric Sherman - August 9 - 10:00 am

  The car is so quiet, your ears feel like theyre plugged! You think the engine has died, until you look at the tach! I hit the gas hard while getting on the freeway yesterday and was over 80MPH in just a few seconds. The GPS Navigation/Mark Levinson Audio package is first class!

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  Great Car/Great deal - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Simi Ron - August 9 - 10:00 am

  I traded my 99 RX300 for a year end terrific deal on a RX330 AWD fully loaded. I cant say how happy I am with this car! Compared to the 99 the interior is a little smaller and there is less wood trim that looks so good. But ALL other features are better/nicer/tighter/sharper. I went from LA to Pismo beach this weekend on all the backroads I could find and this car handled so well and was very responsive. The 330 is the perfect combination of luxury and performance in a mid-size crossover SUV. I test drove the BMW X5 and X3 and neither of them compare to this car!

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  Smooth as silk - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By CMaria Inc - August 9 - 10:00 am

  After telling my husband, "Dont even take me to the Lexus dealership! I want an MDX!", I should have known Id eat those words! The ride is smoother, the features are how Acura based their MDX model, and it takes regular gas (I avg. 390-400 per tank)! My mom has an 03 MDX & she even concurs. Despite missing my Bose speakers, I love the car & wouldnt trade it for the MDX for anything. I lucked out & got an 04 used model before it even went on the lot (advice-check in with the used salesmen early in the AM as many of the 04s and even 03s are scooped up before the previous owner even officially hands over the keys). Preapproval never hurts, either.

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  I will never own anything but a Lexus. - 2005 Lexus GS 300
  By David DeAssis - August 8 - 7:20 am

  This is my first foreign car. I will never buy another brand of car again. As a former Lincoln owner, this car far exceeds my expectations of an automobile. The ride is great, I have never had to take my car in for what Lincoln always called "expected problems with new cars", all I have to do is regular maintenance. I highly recommend this car to anyone who doesnt want to lose all there investment when they drive off the lot. This vehicle will retain over 50% of its value after 5 years.

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  Great Car - 2003 Lexus ES 300
  By - August 5 - 2:00 am

  We have been looking at a mid-size car to replace our Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. We started looking at the Lexus ES300 after looking at a Toyota Avalon. The quality and value that you receive in this Lexus is second to none. The safety equipment is what primarily sold us on this car and then the build quality is what caught our eye. The dealer has been great to work with as well.

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  Sporty ride - 2016 Lexus NX 200t
  By Kim Farley - August 4 - 4:40 am

  Still love the car. Not quite used to the smallness of this vehicle since we bought several RX models over the years before buying this one. We love the technology and safety warning devices and find the vehicle very comfortable. We took a 3,000 mile road trip in this car and found it to be a wonderful ride.

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  Great Value for a Hybrid - 2010 Lexus HS 250H
  By jjanphil - August 3 - 8:03 pm

  Going into third month driving what I believe is the best value hybrid on the market. I have the base model, with driving split between city and highway. It excels in city driving, and, once up to speed on the highway, is terrific, with a very comfortable ride. The "PWR MODE" works well in getting up to speed on the highway. This car should be compared to other hybrids or cars which deliver good gas mileage; not against performance cars (although the HS is no slouch in that area). Comparing the quality and the features which come with the HS, it is easily the best of the new breed of energy efficient vehicles.