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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  OWNER REVIEW - 2005 Lexus LS 430
  By ALLAN - November 10 - 3:50 am

  very comfortable user friendly handling good interior noise level very good

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  Please make a V8 4Runner again Toyota! - 2016 Lexus GX 460
  By Mike - November 8 - 9:14 am

  Let me start by saying we did NOT buy this because of the badge on the hood! I have read so many comments at the bottom of reviews for the GX that rip it shreds and proclaim it nothing more than a mall crawler, trophy wife truck and an outdated one at that. I will not disagree that in many instances those comments apply, but I applaud Toyota for offering a BOF SUV with a V8, I only wish I didnt have to buy a Lexus to get it. This vehicle is for my wife, and yes shes my trophy and yes she does a fair amount of mall crawling, BUT....we also regularly tow a travel trailer and arent afraid to traverse trails, cross small streams or other off road activities with bikes mounted on the roof, kids and dogs in the back. We actually NEED capability and USE it! I am a long time Toyota fan, having owned multiple Tacomas and Lexus LS400s when I was in sales and I cant say enough good about their quality and longevity. I sold my last LS400 with 267k on the odometer running strong! With a travel trailer, two kids and a dog the 03 Tacoma double cab V6 wasnt cutting it for tow duties any longer and we test drove and fell in love with the 4Runners looks and attitude. What I didnt fall in love with was the 4.0L V6 and 4,700 lb tow rating. With that bad news, my research led me to the "Lexified" version of the 4Runner, aka GX460. From the moment we drove it, she loved the interior feel, looks(controversial) and smooth V8. I liked the 6,500lb tow rating and the interior upgrades over the 4Runner. We looked at Tahoes/Yukons but didnt need that much size, looked at Jeep GCs but wanted a 3rd row and also looked at the Land Rover LR4. I absolutely loved the LR4 and was smitten with its feel, looks, heritage and off road prowess. She didnt care for it at all, and since we plan to keep this vehicle for a long time I figured it was much wiser to go with a Toyota rather than a Land Rover. I quickly realized that Toyota took a smart pill and figured out "Why sell a V8 4Runner, when you can push consumers to the Lexus brand?" We bought in hook, line and sinker. Its a great truck, albeit heavy,thirsty, and expensive but if you want or need to tow and go off road your choices are pretty limited these days. Im confident it will serve us well for years to come. If you dont have a need for "duty" get an RX or one of the other countless lifted sedans out there.

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  First Lexus still remembering my Benz - 2003 Lexus ES 300
  By First Lexus - November 6 - 2:00 am

  First Lexus. I looked at all of the competition:Mercedes,Jaguar,BMW,Audi and Volvo.After owning a Benz my 1st thought was to get another one. After reading some reviews on Edmunds, I decided against it. As for the Lexus, good car but a little dull. I love the interior and the navigation and the overall space. I still havent gotten used to the exterior styling, the headlights in particular. I have had squeaks, rattles and a thumping sound in the trunk during initial acceleration. Turns out the dealer has been getting this complaint. Problem is when the gas tank is full, the fuel swishes and makes a pounding sound. Reliable, but vanilla.

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  2005 ES 330, My Impression - 2005 Lexus ES 330
  By alboy - November 4 - 11:06 pm

  Overall, this seems to be a very comfortable and smooth vehicle with one major exception, the transmission hesitation and lurch. When slowing down and then accelerating without stopping, there is a brief hesitation and then a jerk or lurch. I understand that Lexus has issue a Technical Service Bulletin to the dealers about this. It involves installing a software update for the transmission. The Service Rep at the dealer adised me that sometimes it makes things worse and, once installed, they cant undo it. I therefore choose not to do it at this time. Otherwise, its a very good car with many nice features as long as youre not seated in the back, poor legroom.

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  The Legend - 2003 Lexus ES 300
  By Bhavin B. Mehta - November 1 - 10:00 am

  I looked at Mercedez, Audi, Acura and a whole bunch of other cars. I decided to settle for a Lexus ES300 because all the features that I was getting as an option in some of the other vehicles were all standard in the ES300. It is a great drive. I already put in 1400 miles in the first 3 weeks. The dealer was great and definately deserves commendation.

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  Poor door design - 2004 Lexus RX 330
  By TSPHOGG - November 1 - 10:00 am

  I bought a brand new Lexus RX330 5 days ago. Although I love the cars overall design, features and handling, Lexus really didnt think through the door design. The roof line over the door is set back over the seat. There is no channel on the roof to force the water to drain properly. Water drips off the roof on to the seat and floor when the door or window is opened. Water is also trapped between the door and frame of the car (even from road spray). I have contacted Lexus directly about this problem and await their answer.

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  Another Lexus in the Family - 2003 Lexus GX 470
  By LS-nowGX - October 27 - 10:00 am

  Got this Lexus loaded with every option except the Lexus Link - heard there were problems with that!!! We hope to own this as long as we still own our LS which is a 93. I know Lexus can make cars that get good fuel economy - why does this only get 15 city and 18 highway.

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  Not Quite - 2002 Lexus IS 300
  By McClenahan - October 18 - 2:00 am

  Automatic transmission is slow to respond, jerky, and is often slow to shift when starting from a stop. Understeer and an over-active traction control never allow any rear-wheel drive fun. Seats are unconfortable (to me.) Lots of wind noise. Poor gas mileage. Occassional squeaks/rattles. Interior materials feel/look cheap.

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  rollin in style - 2004 Lexus IS 300
  By horace - October 14 - 2:00 am

  i would recomend this vehical to any one between ages of25-38 has all of the features you need four doors if you have kids easy to get them in and out it also has style no need for station wagon not to mention power 215hp and lot of rear wheel fun with TRAC CONTOL OFF you know what i mean and to finish it off drivers and passanger front and side air bags to keep every one safe

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  Luxury @ a reasonable price. - 2001 Lexus RX 300
  By Mary R. - October 14 - 2:00 am

  Bought used. Beautiful! Smooth, quiet ride and fuel economy. Power when you need it but enjoyable just cruising.