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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  6 months old and we hate it - 2004 Lexus LS 430
  By GER12 - August 2 - 2:00 am

  This is my wifes car and weve had it for about six months now and have put maybe 5,000 miles on it now, because we both cant drive it for long drives. We get motion sickness in the car for long trips, because the suspension is always rocking and the ride is ultra smooth becase of it but it rocks back and forth while your on the highway over the little ridges between where the highway was poured. Look at the 745i we love ours and the new A 8 looks nice and neighbor seems to like theirs.

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  eds review - 2004 Lexus LS 430
  By edf - August 2 - 2:00 am

  ls430 is--a great car-great dealer service only problem plain extrior design would highly recomend car

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  Weird Shifting Trans - 2004 Lexus ES 330
  By JGawry - August 2 - 2:00 am

  This car is smooth riding and comfortable, but the transmission is funky. If you accelerate quickly or slowly, it is fine. But, if you are in- between, or change your mind and let off the accelerator, the shifting gets confused and the transmission even slips occasionally. I would hope for a recall of some sort to fix this, once Lexus gets enough complaints.

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  Terrible for a Lexus -- cant wait to sell it. - 2017 Lexus RX 350
  By Unhappy Lexus Owner - August 1 - 6:37 pm

  I was coming out of an Acura MDX into the Lexus RX 350 Fsport. I am very disappointed in the vehicle and with Lexus. 1.) The cars with headsup display come with a windshield that causes headlights and streetlights to be duplicated (like being cross eyed). After taking pictures and getting a Lexus service tech to ride in the car in darker weather, they agreed there was a problem. At first Lexus (corporate) said it was defective glass and replaced the windshield. When the problem still existed they found an engineer that knew that there was different glass for cars with HUD. Their solution was to put the glass from non-HUD equipped vehicles into my car. This glass then made the HUD blurry and duplicated and rendered it useless. I eventually got my money back for the HUD since its now useless. During this experience, I found that using polarized glasses eliminated the problem. I shared with Lexus dealer and corporate and received the response "we trust our engineers to solve the problem." So I found a solution that costs about $100 -- a clear, polarized window film would solve the problem. Instead they want to break the factory seal on the windshield and put in a $1500 windshield rendering the HUD useless. 2.) I have less than 15K miles on the car and have rattles in the drivers door and the roof. Of course the dealer cannot reproduce the issue. 3.) Rear hatch struts werent lubricated correctly and squeal loudly. 4.) Entertainment software usability is very poor and not intuitive. It doesnt remember your last media setting and turns off when using bluetooth connections. 5.) Mouse is too sensitive and creates a safety issue to use when driving (even after adjustment). 6.) The overall fit and finish of the car feels cheap. When shutting doors it sounds like hollow metal slamming. Ive had lower end cars that dont sound like that. 7.) No remote start without a paid subscription. For a 2017 luxury car, how can this not be a standard feature? 8.) The Mark Levinson stereo is definitely not worth the money. It is NOT surround sound, not tuned to be balanced for different music types, and sounds like the rear speakers dont work. The base stereo sounded better. There are some nice features on this car, but it is significantly lacking overall quality in many areas putting it below low end car makers like Kia and Hyundai. The biggest issue is how Ive been treated by Corporate Lexus when dealing with the HUD windshield issue, but combined with everything else this car is a huge waste of money.

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  Fits me well - 2009 Lexus RX 350
  By gasser - August 1 - 6:33 pm

  My third RX. Ive only had this one for one week and 500 miles. Excellent build quality, beautiful paint and leather/wood interior. Great acceleration and smooth performance. Still has the soft suspension and a bit of body roll on turns which may not suit everyone. Front seats could use a longer cushion and more fore/aft travel. I value comfort and reliability over high speed performance and sports car like handling. The Lexus RX is, for me, the best vehicle on the market.

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  Exactly Fits The Bill - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By Darrenstl - July 31 - 10:00 am

  The car is a blast to drive, I love the 5 speed and the power to get around just about anything I want to. The styling is edgy enough to keep the Buick buyers away, and sedated enough to be take seriously. The back seat is perfect for carting around friends in luxury while I enjoy the trip.

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  LS 430 - 2002 Lexus LS 430
  By LexWis - July 31 - 10:00 am

  I have owned several S-Class Mercedes models. The LS 430 is their equal in every way--except for the substantial price savings. This is the finest luxury sedan sold in the U.S. Outstanding acceleration and great comfort are two of its greatest attributes. I am 64" tall and have plenty of leg and head room. I drove this car over 100 miles in one day and was not overly tired. If this car has a shortcoming, I havent found it yet.

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  Love this vehicle - 2007 Lexus RX 350
  By Kathy - July 30 - 4:40 pm

  I wanted to buy a Lexus SUV for 3 years. I loved the look and had never heard anything negative about them. Finally I was able to purchase one and it has not been a disappointment I recently drove mine on a 1000 mile vacation and loved every minute I drove it. It was quiet, responsive, and fuel efficient. Besides all of that it is beautiful to look at.

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  Disappointed - 2008 Lexus LX 570
  By disappointed - July 29 - 2:10 pm

  Drives ok not near as smooth as the LX 470. Seats are hard seems like you feel every bump in the road. Audio system doesnt sound as good as 470 and it has more speakers. As far as the redesign body it looks like a nice looking Toyota highlander. Why fix something thats not broken!!

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  Great family car - 2015 Lexus RX 450h
  By GoGo Tomago - July 29 - 10:34 am

  Ive had the car for about a year and a half. Really like the luxury and performance. Some of the cool features includes an auto setting for the windshield wipers that has it automatically engage when it rains (and if its raining harder, the wipers will go faster), lots of cupholders, seat adjustment options (forward, backwards, tilting, up and down, lumbar), the blue lights that go on to indicate that you are driving in eco mode for better fuel consumption/mpg. This is my first hybrid so in the beginning it was hard to know if the engine was on since there is no noise initially, but after about 5 seconds or so the noise will tell you its on. Its roomy and the second row fits two booster seats with enough room for an adult in the middle. One issue that I have is that the MPG only averages about 25 combined city/hwy rather than 30/28. But its better than my last compact SUV, a Honda CRV.