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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  The ES needs work - 2003 Lexus ES 300
  By slarson - October 13 - 10:00 am

  The 02-03 ES300s have a serious problem with the throttle/tranny computer. Ive read reviews saying the ES330 does not correct that problem. Lexus has acknowledged that customers have reported problems with the drive- by-wire system, Im one of those with major problems. Im not sure how they could make a car that does not go when you give it gas, but there are different driving situations where that happens. Most notable is when pulling into traffic out of a parking lot. If not starting from a dead stop, the computer causes a serious lag and does not kick the engine in for a second or two. Ill never buy a Lexus again if Lexus does not fix this

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  Great car, but still has some issues - 2008 Lexus LS 460
  By tommyguy - October 12 - 12:26 am

  After a year with this car, it has been very dependable. However, like with most other owners, the side wind noise drives me batty. And calls to Lexus say that it is a design problem, that nothing can be done about it, and the problem wont be addressed until about the 2011 model year. Bummer. Also, the complete lockout of nearly every navigation feature while in motion renders the system nearly useless. Dont waste the money on this. Buy a Garman instead.

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  Mobile money pit - 1999 Lexus RX 300
  By Foggy - October 11 - 10:00 am

  This is a terrible car. I bought a Lexus for the reliability, but spent a fortune on repairs. Air Compressor, Transmission, would be the 2 biggies. Check the lexus owner website about the complaints on this model. I was lucky that the tranny went out at 145,000. My Compressor went out at 59k. Transfer case died at 185k.

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  My 2004 GX - 2005 Lexus GX 470
  By GX4DAVE - October 10 - 10:23 pm

  The reviews are right. You wont miss the LX 470. The GX 470 is Toyotas best SUV in my mind. All the features and options I wanted at a reasonable price. I even found it fun and easy to install the rear spoiler myself. I would definitely buy one again.

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  Needs a better design. - 2010 Lexus HS 250H
  By JRS-CSC - October 9 - 6:56 pm

  Nice car but for my money, I wish I would have looked around. The car is a pleasure to drive but I would not call it a Lexus. Reminds me of a Corolla from the outside. When i first approached the car, I thought that it was a Corolla. The best part of the car seems to be the inside. There is NO WAY that this car is worth the $40K sticker that Lexus is asking for.

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  Frustrated by Lexus - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By Ray Wiese - October 9 - 12:03 pm

  Ive been wholeheartedly disappointed with the ownership experience. Dealer "acknowledges my problems" but states "Lexus has no technical fix". Problems are transmission surging when accelerating from a near stop (say, 5 mph) following speed humps or in stop/start traffic - caused by computer controlled throttle and wind noise from drivers mirror. Also, dash & door rattles that come and go depending upon outside temperature. From a brand ranked by many as being of high customer satisfactory rating, I personally have been wholeheartedly disappointed with the ownership experience. I truly want to love this care but remain frustrated with Lexus and Toyota. Expected more for the money.

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  a product that does what it says it will - 2005 Lexus SC 430
  By ab - October 9 - 7:13 am

  it wont every be your only car but it will always be your best car. it is more fun to drive than i could have expected and it does just what an 8 cylinder sports car in this class ought to do-lift you out of your socks flawlessly.

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  Best SUV for the money - 2006 Lexus RX 330
  By davduf - October 8 - 6:40 pm

  Consumer Reports and reading Edmunds owner reports were very helpful in making my decision to buy the RX. Hopefully, the Lexus will be reliable and pretty easy on the wallet. The Hybrid would be a fun toy but I couldnt make the math work. They make you take the NAV and back-up camera so the price is actually $6000 more than a regular well-equipped RX. ($41,171 MSRP in Socal)

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  Not that great! - 2005 Lexus RX 330
  By AT - October 8 - 4:10 pm

  The issues with my car: the rear door wouldnt open with the remote, the roof rack wouldnt move back and forth, the leather under the head rest was torn, the wiper mist was not working. They dont charge me for fixing these issues. But my understanding is that some of these issues are not supposed to be issues because they are supposed to get inspected before they certify it. So I guess you can not really believe the Lexus certification process. Also the rear door issue seems to be a recurring issue. It still wouldnt open some times after 3 attempts to fix this.

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  Most Impressive - 2010 Lexus GX 460
  By Impressive - October 7 - 9:30 pm

  Great vehicle caught up in the politcal games against foreign owned companies. Interesting how media underreports recent GM/Ford Recalls but over medias minor issue with a computer glitch that caused no damage or accidents.