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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  Luxury ride - 2015 Lexus RX 350
  By Patti Donovan - April 7 - 12:31 am

  The RX350 is a sweet ride. It is quiet, smooth and comfortable. I love the parchment & black interior.

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  great car - 1999 Lexus ES 300
  By rich carguy - April 6 - 10:00 am

  great car, will buy again and again

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  Awesome 330! - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By adb3 - April 6 - 10:00 am

  After much study, pre-ordered the 330 six weeks prior to arrival because I was convinced it would be a winner. Received my Black-on-Black AWD NAV/VP at the end of March and its been happy driving ever since. Build quality, luxury, performance, features--just about a homerun in every category. As expected, the 330 upholds the Lexus tradition of top-notch reliability. Not one problem to report. The only problem is that once the word gets out-- the 330 will be as or more popular than the 300 it is replacing.

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  LOVE this car - 2006 Lexus GS 300
  By keef2 - April 2 - 6:20 am

  I have liked Infinitis, Acuras, Volvos. Those feel vibration harsh compared to my dark sapphire blue beauty. This GS300 is amazing in every way

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  Get Rid of that Barn Door!!! - 2003 Lexus GX 470
  By Looking for waves - April 1 - 10:00 am

  My wife loves the barn door, its her car, but come on Japan, you didnt research the barn door enough. It is completly unpractical for America/Americans - you should only offer it in other countries. I can give you 20 plus examples why it is a poor design. The salesman said it was for saftey, I just laughed and said it was the biggest line of BS a guy has ever said to my face. If you can get over the BARNDOOR, this car offer sooo much more than all the competitors, the MB looks like a minivan/mailvan, the BMW doesnt even compare (it does in my opinion have the best rear door, Bring back the tailgate!!!!!!!) and the Volvo is an underpowered joke.

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  Best Car I Ever Had - 2003 Lexus RX 300
  By Karpierz - April 1 - 10:00 am

  I have owned and operated many cars in my life time and found that this Lexus to be the most comfortable smooth riding and easy handling vehicle I have ever owned. Rides like a car, feels like a big SUV, plenty of room in rear for loading and unloading camping gear, groceries, etc.

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  Love - 2008 Lexus ES 350
  By Chuck - March 30 - 11:39 pm

  Have had-14 caddys,4 Lincolns and 7 Mercedes and this is the finest car I have ever owned!

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  Great 2007 GX 470 - 2007 Lexus GX 470
  By david - March 30 - 7:06 am

  This is an excellent vehicle!

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  Perfection - 1998 Lexus LS 400
  By map64 - March 30 - 5:22 am

  Bought a 1998LS 400 with 140K miles on it 4 months ago. I am amazed by the performance and reliability of a 15 year old car by the way it puts many of the new cars on the road to shame, particularly luxury sedans of the same age. The best compliment for this car happened when my 15 years said she wants one too because the ride is so smooth, quiet and fast (when needed)!!

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  Great Vehicle... - 2010 Lexus RX 350
  By Texas - March 28 - 11:26 am

  Due to my family size, over the years we have owned suburbans. Due to my wife no longer the soccer mom, we tried the BMW X5, Volvo XC90, GM Tahoe, and Mazda. Needless to say the Lexus RX350 was the class of the field...Great ride and features. Just eclipsed 1000 miles and we have enjoyed it. It has some many features that I dont know if we will ever utilize them, such as the back up camera. Im old school, I still turn around to back...I knew as soon as we went on the test drive that I was sold.