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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  been only 3 weeks - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By daniel - July 28 - 7:06 am

  and so far I LOVE this car. Granted its my first lexus ever... I feel like im doomed to buy lexus forever now. I really like the smooth ride, the fit and finish of the interior is very nice, and its surprisingly quite roomy inside. There are some minor complaints - inflexible option packages (not too many stand alone options), couldnt get the price lower than the msrp, where are the running boards?, where are the coin holders? Trash tray? And someone already mentioned this - this car is waaaaay too common. Mines the 4th in my cul-de-sac of 9 houses.

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  Much Better - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By Dr. S. - July 27 - 12:46 am

  I owned the 2007 RX 350. In this new one there is less wood but more tech. The remote mouse is great, navigation much improved, sound system improved. The bluetooth is improved. People can now actually hear me when driving on the highway. Actually all the tech is fun to use. I drive a lot of miles so I find the ride more smooth slightly and so I am less tired. The cool seats work better if you change the A/C mode to up and down instead of auto and reduce lumbar support. I just wish they had the luxury package available that includes thigh extenders. They should have also included door sensor in back door like the other Lexus cars. But the new button to lock the doors is cool.

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  LOVE MY LEXUS - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By DEBBIE - July 27 - 12:00 am

  BECAUSE OF THE LOCATION OF MY NEW HOME I GAVE UP THE SPORTS CAR AND BOUGHT THE SUV. AFTER MUCH RESEARCH ( I WAS LOOKING FOR A SMALL, DEPENDABLE, FUN TO DRIVE, AND MOST IMPORTANT, COMFORTABLE SUV)THE LEXUS RX330 KEPT COMING UP AS A REAL WINNER. UNFORTUNATELY THERE IS ONLY ONE DEALERSHIP IN NH (ONE I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND TO ANYONE). ALL IT TOOK WAS ONE TEST DRIVE TO CONVINCE ME THIS WAS THE VEHICLE FOR ME. IT DROVE LIKE A LUXURY SEDAN. CORNERING WAS COMFORTABLE AND SECURE, SEATS ARE GREAT, INTERIOR VERY ATTRACTIVE, IT RIDES QUIETLY, FEELS SMALL AND COMPACT YET HAS MORE THAN AMPLE ROOM. WINTER COMMUTING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE IS WORRY FREE WITH MY RX330.

• 

  First class SUV - Beats the others - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Gatman - July 26 - 10:00 am

  Love the new styling (gets lots of compliments), the build quality, the ride and most of the new features. While I wanted certain options like NAV system and Mark Levinson stereo, they only came with other options I didnt want or need. Heated seats in California? Rear seat DVD player for someone with no kids? Also looked at Mercedes (rode like a truck and not very reliable), BMW (great performance and actually more fun to drive, but also questionable reliability), and Acura MDX (it was nice and might have bought it but interior just looked a lot cheaper in comparison with RX 330).

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  Lexus ES 330 2005 model - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By new es330 - July 26 - 6:20 am

  Very quiet car. Good value for the money as I was surprised how much the dealer moved off the sticker price. The performance is the only thing at this point that has me slightly disappointed. It does not have the pick up one would expect.

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  Lexus equals excellence - 2014 Lexus ES 350
  By czimmaro - July 25 - 5:06 am

  I owned Cadillacs for most of the last forty years. Six months ago we leased a 2014 Lexus ES 350 and find it every bit as luxurious as the Cadillac and exceedingly superior in other areas such as fuel economy, useable trunk space, interior legroom in back seat, and overall value. The dealer, Lexus of the Palm Beaches , added to the enjoyment by not wasting my time and offering a fair deal in the first place with no hidden costs. This continued when I purchased an extended warrantee for a different make of car from the finance dept. of Lexus and once again received a great value with no wasted time.

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  Going Green - 2008 Lexus RX 400H
  By VA - July 24 - 11:46 am

  We enjoy driving our new RX 400h. However, we have not experienced the gas mileage we expected. We are averaging 22 mpg in the city and 26.5 on the highway. This is backward for a hybrid. This is after putting 2300 miles on the vehicle. We hope this gets addressed better by the service folks than we did by the sales folks.

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  whats not to like? - 2011 Lexus ES 350
  By mattkodak - July 24 - 1:12 am

  i recently traded in our 2002 es300 for the new 2011 es 350. We drove it to Disney World for a four day vacation. it was the only one we saw on the road and in orlando which made us feel different in this age of lookalike autos. Needless to say, we received many admiring looks when driving or parking the car. upon arrival at our hotel, the bell staff greeting us to carry our luggage and helping us out of the car, remarked how great the car looked inside and out. The three hour trip from our home to lake buena vista was smooth and quiet as we were used to in our lexus. our fuel economy was as advertised and the engine was breaking in smoothly.

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  what a wonderful surprise - 2010 Lexus ES 350
  By tb - July 23 - 10:10 am

  This car is a very smooth ride which I am not accustomed to. I thought my bmw rode well until I experienced the lex. Will always buy a lex. No other car for me. The only complaint is the stereo system is not as strong as the bmw. The driving experience is wonderful. BMW WHO????

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  A Beast! - 2009 Lexus IS F
  By afpharmacy - July 22 - 10:16 am

  Just traded my 08 GS 350 awd for something more fun. And this thing is fun! It wants to go fast. The ride is firm but is expected and the seats are very supportive. I drive about 40miles a day and this car keeps me awake. Im averaging 19mpg the same as my GS. Wanted something unique with reliability. Design is very subtle and most people are not sure what the "F" means. I usually dont get attached to cars but this one is special.