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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  Front driver seat is bad - 2013 Lexus ES 300h
  By russell42 - February 5 - 6:10 am

  The front drivers seat hurts my leg and is uncondortable

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  honest review - 2001 Lexus RX 300
  By zatez - January 31 - 2:00 am

  drove toyotas for years always thought Lexus was overpriced toyota until I bought my sivlersport what a difference!! The ride quality,comfort,handling,and the way the dealership treats you blows out toyota and I reguard toyota as on of the best products out there. It takes all the qualitys of the BMW/MERCEDES/and all other luxury makes and either beats them or does almost as good very nice ride worth the money believe it or not!!

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  Whats with the paint? - 2016 Lexus RX 350
  By Tom Nagle - January 30 - 10:25 am

  After many other makes of SUVs, this is the first "luxury" SUV Ive owned/leased. There are many well thought out little things - mirror tilting, rear wiper hidden, door panels folding out, lights for easy entry, options on a whole host of things - radio, lighting, sound effects - all of which I enjoy and appreciate the designed thoughtfulness. However, the paint job is another matter. After 3,500 miles I have a half dozen paint pits , most in the front, but others on the side and back. I have a heavy coat of wax and have not been following any gravel trucks. Never had a vehicle do this and in such quantity particularly with so few miles.

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  2003 IS-300 review - 2003 Lexus IS 300
  By Todd - January 27 - 3:16 pm

  The car is outstanding - fun to drive, and absolutely reliable. Mine has a 5-speed transmission. Quality of everything is top-notch. My only complaints were the way the transmission shifted for about the first year - clutch was very difficult to engage smoothly, but it eventually broke in and is now fine. There has not been a single thing wrong with the car since the day I drove it out of the showroom.

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  an awesome car but awful GPs - 2016 Lexus NX 300h
  By mushroom - January 25 - 5:22 am

  Ive driven many different cars and i love this hybrid its comfortable and beautiful, the mpg is good (could be a bit better i thought for a hybrid) drives nice, quiet.. but for an expensive brand this company uses absolutely the worst GPS system!!! its so frustrating for someone like me who has no sense of direction and rely on my GPS full time. it does not tell you the correct time with traffic (which it should because i pay for satellite) and it doesnt re-route you if theres heavy traffic like all my other cars did, cant choose min toll, never re-route to a side roads plus when i know my roads and im on a straight line home it tries to put me back on the highway to go 3 miles further to get home its ridiculous!! this company needs to use a different GPS system, the MDX even cheap FORD has a better system!!

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  Nice car but not Lexus nice - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By sue - January 25 - 4:23 am

  This is my third RX (2004,2008,2010) and my least in love of the three. Like the HP, Nav, and dash design, but I think theyve seriously underestimated the Lexus buyer. Being a repeat buyer, its quite evident that theyve cut cost on the areas that make the Lexus a standout luxury car. The RX back seats are no were near the quality of previous RXs. Seats are no longer have that thick forming design. The side door designs have been stripped bear. No more leather like stitching and padding on interior doors. Doors look like what you get in an American made suv. And quality of carpeting has also been downgraded. And no longer a full spare tire. The outside does not match inside.

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  1st time Lexus Owner - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By NJ Owner - January 24 - 8:03 am

  Overall, a very nice car. Cost of operation is very good. Oil change charge is the same as a regular Toyota. Not like Mercedes or BMW where its $30 for the filter alone. MPG is 26. Good highway performance. More of a cushion ride, not a tight ride like BMW or Mercedes. Purchased pre-owned with 20K miles for $19K, with 6 months of original warranty. My only dislike is wind noise coming from moonroof. Great value!

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  One of the best cars ive ever owned. - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Len - January 23 - 9:00 pm

  This is a great SUV it has well thought out features, quiet, great powertrain and roomy inside. I wish it had XM or Sirius radio but i have to live with AM? FM CD.

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  2nd time around - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By Pete in Rome - January 23 - 8:53 am

  This is my second RX. First was the 300 and I have loved both. Top quality of build, no problems at all, and just the best overall quality around. I love the treatment at the dealer, and love that I just never have to go back! I am tempted to buy my third one in a row. That is the best compliment I can think of.

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  Quite Pleased - 2003 Lexus GX 470
  By 4 time lexus owner - January 20 - 10:00 am

  I am quite pleased with GX 470 I purchased in late July. My Blizzard Pearl GX has turned several heads. I havent seen this clor as of yet on the road or at any other local dealerships as of yet. However, I plan to trade in my 2003 for a 2004 because I just cant live with the after market installed DVD system. I will definately get the factory DVD this time. The current system doesnt take full advantage of the factory installed features like the Mark Levenson system or the factory installed system integration. The backup camera in the 2004 will be a blessing.