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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  Another Home Run - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Mike1948 - May 17 - 11:00 am

  This is my fifth Lexus, and as with my two prior ESs and two GSs, the results are the same, fantastic. I have found the car to ride beautifully, and the reliability to be what I expect out of Lexus. While the body style is not the most agressive, it still carries an air of luxury. I would once again recommend Lexus to any of my friends looking for a new car.

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  Return of the Lexi - 2015 Lexus RX 350
  By Fern - May 16 - 10:23 pm

  The RX is a soli, reliable, safe cushy car. Not a fun to drive as some cars, but soooo reliable and it takes regular gas! The only problem I have with the car is the voice command system. Due to the placement of the microphone, it just doesnt consistently recognize voice commands. I usually just use my phone which is sync to the car to to request phone numbers and by-pass the annoying voice recognition feature.

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  Underrated by the "experts" and wrong - 2008 Lexus IS F
  By IS_F guy - May 14 - 3:03 am

  3 months ago I decided it was time to consider a luxury sport car. My priorities are performance, technology and gadgets tied with reliability. The IS F: radical looks very much distinguishing itself as "this aint your Moms Lexus". Much better ergonomics, beefier engine and of course Lexus reliability. Done.

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  IS 300 is 3 years old - 2001 Lexus IS 300
  By 01isowner - May 13 - 10:00 am

  Bought my IS 300 3 years ago. Looks brand new. Drives like it did on day 1. Zero problems. I made a very good decision to purchase it.

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  Incredible performance - 2007 Lexus GS 450h
  By link - May 12 - 11:16 pm

  The performance of this car is mind-boggling. If you floor the gas while driving at 70 to 80 mph, you WILL get pushed back into your seat and blow by everything else on the road. If you are over 6 feet tall, you should definitely sit in a GS before purchasing, especially if you tend to sit straight in your seat. Im 6 1" and my head touches the roof. The trunk is definitely tiny, but I personally do not place large suitcases or any other significant cargo into the trunk on a daily basis, so this is a non-issue. For trips to Costco or the airport, we just use the other car, an SUV. The navigation voice recognition takes some practice, but otherwise the nav system itself is powerful

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  Simply said...a nice ride. - 1997 Lexus ES 300
  By Lmoore - May 12 - 2:36 pm

  I love this car. Since my purchase I have never had one problem. My Mom states the car drives better than her Caddy. At 8 years of age, this car performs as if I just drove it off the lot. The comfort, quite, smooth ride always making running errands a joy. On my next purchase, which I dont plan on for a few years...this baby will last another 100k easy...will without question be another Lexus! One more important point, the dealership was fantastic. No pressure sales, gave me my time and space. Was a pleasure to do business with them.

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  too many trips to dealer - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By wph1215ecu - May 11 - 11:57 pm

  bought this car used in 2008 &absolutly loved it. several recalls were handled and a few pretty large issues were fixed under my 50k mile warrenty, I had to get something else fixed under my extended warrenty under 100k mile. brake wear out faster than they should, sometimes hear a grinding. I continue to notice issue in the steering wheel where it seems to almost stick in a groove slightly pulling to the right when im cruising the highway btw 60-80mph. side mirrors motors went bad after 100k miles. notice a mildew smell in the a/c since i bought it. low tire pressure light is always on. sometimes my car shakes when i come to a stop like its about to shut off. now steering col & eng cyl bad

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  Your only choice - 2010 Lexus GX 460
  By KLAIR - May 11 - 3:53 pm

  I have had a GX 470 and sold it and special ordered a Premium GX 460 with every singel option available. I bought my GX on 4/29 with the software update and could not have asked for a better SUV.The fit and finish is superb and the GX is extremely quiet. I also drive a LS 460 and the sound system in the GX is very similar. I made a long distance trip to LA and back and got 22.5 mpg round trip at an average speed of 68 miles. the radar cruise control works excellent and HIDs are excellent. If you need a world class SUV with features and comfort look no more get the GX 460

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  Maui cruiser - 2006 Lexus SC 430
  By chrisinmaui - May 9 - 1:23 pm

  Unbelievable ride, grace and class. Run flat tires are silent even with the top down. I have never owned or driven anything like this. Looked at all other options but there is no equal for the money in elegance ride and overall feel. This car is made for running tropical moonlight nights with the top down. Top up it is not recognizable as a convertable. My only wish is gas mileage was a littee better, getting 19mpg @ 2000 on the odometer.

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  Great package - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By JTW - May 6 - 3:53 pm

  The car had all the features that many cars are still lacking these days. Only issue was the run-flat tires and optional spider wheels that caused problems following pot-hole hits. Gas mileage has been great and actually improved over time. Still a great looking car with exceptional paint quality.